Quebec minors are especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation, commission hears

Commission delves into sexual exploitation Quebecers are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation. The government wants to end it.

Montreal — Quebec minors are especially vulnerable to sexual exploitation, a commission into the matter is finding.

The multi-partisan commission into the sexual exploitation of minors in the province moved to Montreal Monday after previous hearings in Quebec City and before heading to Val d'Or.

The National Assembly created the committee last year to hear experts from a broad range of disciplines on the topic.

'EXOTIC' APPEAL

One early finding is than minors in the province are susceptible, and language plays a role.

"You take a young lady, a kid from Montreal. She's 14, she's not speaking fluent English. You bring her to Calgary, you know what? She's going to be more vulnerable," said commission president Ian Lafrenière, a CAQ MNA and also a former Montreal police officer.

Last year, the commission found that the prostitution of minors has hit Quebec hardest because of the 'exotic' appeal of French among client-abusers from outside the province.

Nationwide, 40 per cent of sexual trafficking victims are minors.

The hearings in Montreal are an opportunity to address specific aspects of sexual exploitation, including that of cultural communities. Montreal has a reputation for being the hub for teen sex exploitation , said MNA Christine St-Pierre, the commission's vice president.

Some of that trafficking happens during major summer tourist events in Montreal like the Canadian Grand Prix and the annual Pride parade.

It's the dark side of a burgeoning tourist industry, said Lafreniere.

"Just on Google you see that there are some travellers who come to Montreal to get that experience," he said.

While it's clear the vast majority of exploitation victims are female, there isn't as much information on male victims. Many experts and commission members note these crimes often go undetected.

"Some victims don't realize they're victims because they fall in love with people who take advantage of them," said Isabelle Beaulieu, director of the Professional Order of Quebec Sexologists.

FRONT-LINE HELP

Front-line health care workers play a critical role, said Farhan Bhanji, director of education at McGill University's Steinberg Centre.

"Health care providers at the front line that deal with acute health issues have to be able to recognize when there's sexual exploitation and when there's human trafficking," he said. Bhanji said it can be difficult to detect in a busy clinic or hospital, but that's where victims present themselves.

"It's not so common that they'll have a family physician. It's not so common that they'll have someone that's providing them long-term care. So when they do present, we have to be able to recognize that, to be able to bring those conversations out and to know what the resources are to refer them to the appropriate resources," he said.

Better and more prevalent sex ed is also one solution, said Beaulieu.

PARENTS NEED TO MONITOR ONLINE ACTIVITY

The commission also advised parents to take an interest in what young people are doing on social media.

"Parents have to know what their kids are doing… on the web. They have to be curious, it's their responsibility," said MNA Kathleen Weil.

In September, Quebec announced $11 million to create a new police unit to fight the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.

From 2012 to 2019, the number of reports in the province increased from 100 per year to more than 1,000.

The travelling commission, composed of elected representatives from all parties, is consulting and making recommendations to the Legault government. The goal is to create a portrait of the sexual exploitation of minors in the province, including the effects and transition into adulthood.

The hearings continue Tuesday.

With a report from The Canadian Press.