According to the SPVQ, underage prostitution is so prevalent in Quebec City right now that pimps from elsewhere will move to the province to find a large home, make more money, and recruit more victims of prostitution. Most victims are recruited via social networking, making it more diffiult for police to pinpoint where and when to make an intervention. According to le Journal de Montreal , the pimps who exploit underage girls in Quebec typically come from Montreal and Laval.
The SPVQ is more equipped now than ever before in the fight against sexual exploitation of minors, with a police unit created in to uncover both victims and predators in the province. The SPVQ has taken serious action to crackdown on both clients and pimps. More details below. Just last month, a major crackdown on juvenile prostitution clients in Quebec saw at least five men, including a high school teacher, arrested.
Projet Intervention Prostitution Quebec PIPQ , an organization that works with young girls involved in the illegal ring, are concerned that time is running out to help them. Juvenile prostitution in is thriving due to social networking and the ability to do most business anonymously online.
Girls are often recruited via social media, as any information they post on their accounts is "studied" by pimps before taking action. Because of this, recruiting new victims takes only one month on average. For example, if a young girl posts about being kicked out of her house, breaking up with her partner, and being broke, an undercover pimp now knows how vulnerable she is and can take advantage of her situation. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are the biggest "facilitator" tools for pimps.
In addition, hotels and Airbnbs especially are used to exploit minors. With easy access to apartment rental services and the anonymity of online reservations, prostitution rings across the province continue to grow. Although the SPVQ is working harder than ever to crack down on pimps and clients of juvenile prostitution, the illegal market is continuing to grow in size and power thanks to the ability to conduct all business online.
