The Yukon is the first territory to participate in an outreach operation focused on human trafficking in the sex work industry.

Yukon RCMP worked with detectives from the Toronto Police Service’s Human Trafficking Enforcement Team for Operation Northern Spotlight in Whitehorse for 10 days in mid to late February.

The proactive operation included three components: presenting information to at-risk youth in Whitehorse, contacting sex trade workers to gather intelligence and offer support, and training on best practices specific to human trafficking investigations.

“We gained a lot of knowledge on human trafficking, and we tailored it to our local priorities,” Cpl. John Marinis, the head of the Yukon RCMP Specialized Response Unit, told a press conference this morning in Whitehorse.

Human trafficking in the sex trade has been identified as a priority by RCMP both nationally and locally. This operation has helped Yukon RCMP to better understand the issue within the territory.

Cpl. Marinis explained that often when people hear the term “human trafficking” they think of international victims and perpetrators, but that’s not always the case.

“That could be somebody that’s local from here that is being trafficked by a local person,” he explained.

The operation confirmed that there is a sex work industry in the territory, but the RCMP have yet to identify any trafficked persons.

“Yukon RCMP were not blind to the fact that there’s a sex trade that operates within the Yukon but what we learned was really good information and really good intelligence to inform any actions that we’re going to take going forward,” said Yukon RCMP Supt. Brian Jones.

“I wouldn’t say we have a full understanding of the scope and the nature of it, but it’s certainly helped inform us as well going forward.”

The RCMP found that many sex workers in the Yukon are from southern Canada and are engaged in this activity for personal or economic benefit with “their eyes open,” according to Supt. Jones.

They said that fewer than 50 people have been involved in the industry, a number that has changed little over time.

“It operates out of public eye, but it doesn’t operate out of public contact or public interest,” explained Jones of the territory’s sex work industry.

“As so many things happen today, it’s on the Internet, social media, online is where this activity is initiated and followed up on. But it’s here.”

One of the things they have learned through the operation is how difficult it can be to prosecute traffickers, especially since these crimes are often linked to drugs or gang activity.

“What I learned is the complexity and the difficulties in proceeding with prosecution and how labour-intensive these types of investigations are,” said Supt. Jones.

Cpl. Marinis added, “These are very complex matters; they’re not very easily prosecuted.

“We have to deal with a vulnerable population and we have to understand the consequences they have of coming forward.”

Prior to Operation Northern Spotlight, the RCMP worked with territorial Victim’s, and Child and Family Services staff in the event that one of the sex workers they contacted wanted to access services or leave the industry.

“What Northern Spotlight focuses on is if those are individuals that are looking for a way out of those exploitive situations whether they’re being coerced through emotional controls, financial controls,” explained Supt. Jones.

Al Lucier, the assistant deputy minister of Justice responsible for community justice and public safety said, “Victim’s Services was available to provide support information and services to any woman who had safety concerns and wanted to explore options for safely leaving the sex trade.”

While each case is different, Lucier said, these services include counselling, safety housing, and connections to women’s organizations in the territory.

For those not from the Yukon, Victim’s Services is able to fund support through the Victim Emergency Fund to help them exit the territory.

“I don’t know where we’re going to end up but I’m just really proud of the work that Specialized Response Unit and the other agencies have taken in,” said Supt. Jones.

“There was a lot of unknowns when we started with this. There’s still a lot of unknowns, and it’s going to be a process as we go forward, but we had to start somewhere, and I’m really pleased with how proactive we’ve been in stepping off.”

Operation Northern Spotlight began in 2014 with the participation of two RCMP officers, and has since expanded across the country.

In Canada, the RCMP is responsible for managing the Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre, which was established in Ottawa in 2005.

Between 2005 and 2015, the centre identified 308 human trafficking specific cases where charges were laid.

Of those cases, 93 per cent involved domestic human trafficking.