Major sporting events like the Grey Cup typically draw big crowds and parties, but they can also attract a hidden, darker element: sexual exploitation.

According to some community advocates, sporting events can be a magnet for sex traffickers looking for an opportunity to make money by exploiting victims, with women and girls being the most vulnerable.

"Anytime that you have men with money who are transient, there's going to be a level of sexual exploitation and trafficking," said Diane Redsky, the executive director of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, a Winnipeg-based Aboriginal support group.

This year the 2015 Grey Cup will be held in Winnipeg on Nov. 29.

Ahead of the big game, the Manitoba government has teamed up with community groups to launch an awareness campaign aimed at combating sexual exploitation.

"Football is a sport -- a great sport -- but buying sex is not a sport," Manitoba's Minister of Justice and Attorney General Gord Mackintosh said Thursday. "Predators are not welcome."

Dubbed "Buying Sex is Not a Sport," the campaign includes a 24-hour hotline (1-844-333-2211), which was launched on Wednesday. Organizers say they have already received one call.

"The purpose of the new hotline is to provide 24/7 phone-line support and counselling for victims affected by or involved in human trafficking," said Rosemarie Gjerek, a director at Klinic Community Health, one of the groups involved in the project.

The hotline is staffed with 150 counsellors and volunteers, which may encourage victims to come forward as many do not feel comfortable talking to police, according to survivor Alaya McIvor.

"We're intimidated already from the perpetrators who prey upon us and who are selling us," explained McIvor, who said she was trafficked across the country starting at age 12.

"So I think the hotline itself will be successful."

The public awareness campaign also encourages bystanders to come forward if they spot warning signs that someone is being sexually exploited. They include:

  • A person being accompanied by someone who speaks for them
  • Not being able to speak English
  • Not having any luggage or identification
  • And a person who is fearful, nervous and has visible injuries such as cuts or bruises

The campaign will also see posters placed in local bars, restaurants and on public transit buses. Stickers will also be placed inside city cabs as part of the campaign.

With a report from CTV Winnipeg's Jeff Keele