Winnipeg police say they are investigating one of the city's largest sexual exploitation gangs ever, allegedly involving more than 30 children aged 18 months to 17. Sgt.
Kelly Denison said about 20 girls between the ages of 12 and 17 were sold for prostitution.
Other children under the age of 12, including a child with only 18 months old, are not necessarily forced to have sex, but may be exposed to sex because they live in a house where they have sex, Denison said.
So far, the police have accused two women of pulling children for the purpose of prostitution, living on prostitution and embezzling children.
Denison explained that the corruption allegations stem from the plight of young children.
"If a minor is often abused and often alcoholic, if they are in an environment where they have nowhere to go but to observe certain things, they may fall, he said.
Police say more people may be arrested as the investigation continues.
"In terms of quantity, this may be one of the largest or largest investigations we are conducting," Dennison said . ".
The children involved in the case have been taken away from three families in the West End of Winnipeg.
Jane runner, who works with organizations that help women and children escape sexual exploitation in "New Directions", says the situation is not as rare as one would like to believe.
Runners estimated that only ten per cent of prostitution took place on streets visible to the public.
She said the case highlighted the importance of addressing the fundamental issues that make children vulnerable to sexual exploitation: poverty, homelessness and addiction.
"If young children witness this, this is all they see, it will normalize and become a way of life," Runner said . ".
"Children who grow up in this environment need to understand that this is not normal behavior, activity. "