A 17-year-old girl has been charged in connection with a human trafficking investigation that police say led to a 16-year-old Catholic high school student being recruited into prostitution.
Toronto police launched an investigation on April 12 after investigators said the 16-year-old St. Joseph’s College student was recruited by the older teenager, a former student of the same school, and introduced to two men in March 2015.
Police said the two men befriended the younger teenager and told her she could make a lot of money working for them.
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The 16-year-old girl was then “controlled through intimidation and threats” and police said she was forced to work the sex trade for the two men.
Investigators said the 17-year-old took photos of the younger in various states of undress and posted them on backpage.com, an escort website, advertising sexual services.
The 16-year-old girl was then taken by the men to various hotels in Toronto, forced to have sex with clients and handed over all of the money to the two men, who police said also sexually assaulted the girl.
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Police arrested the 17-year-old girl, who cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and charged her with procuring a person under 18 years of age, advertising another person’s sexual services, possession of child pornography, making child pornography and distributing child pornography.
The two men had previously been arrested and charged in the investigation, but investigators believe there may be more victims.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at http://www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or leave a tip on Facebook.
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