More Northern Teens Lured to P.A. Sex Trade

More Northern Teens Lured to P.A. Sex Trade

Thursday, January 08, 2004 at 13:39

The streets of Prince Albert are playing host to a rising number of girls who hail from Northern Saskatchewan – according to an outreach worker in the city.

Jason Cross is one of a handful of people who patrol Prince Albert’s downtown core each night, looking to help teenage girls who have fallen victim to the sex trade.

Cross says girls from all backgrounds get caught up in prostitution, but notes that a significant number of them are from communities in the North.

He explains many of them travel to the city looking to help out a boyfriend in legal trouble, but wind up on the streets after encountering financial hardship.

Cross also says he and other members of his team are often surprised by the high number of girls working the streets.

Cross says his group also tries to help girls who have been the victim of a “bad date”. They can’t press charges themselves but gather information from the victim and then tell the police what the perpetrator looked like, and if possible, his licence plate number.

The program has been running for approximately five years.