In October 2016, the RCMP co-led the fifth edition of the Northern Spotlight coordinated service communications operation, which aims to engage sex industry survivors in identifying and assisting those who are still exploited. 53 governmental and non-governmental partners from 9 Canadian provinces participated. A total of 334 meetings were held and 16 people were able to leave prostitution (Department of Justice Canada, September 2, 2017).
The Concertation des luttes contre l’exploitation sexuelle (La CLES) nevertheless notes that, since the adoption of the law, very few police interventions target sex buyers. Those arrested are sex buyers who purchase sex from underage prostituted persons. After years, this differential treatment is regrettable. Authorities should address the phenomenon in its entirety, namely consumers of sexual services, whether the victim is 16, 19 or 30 years old (La CLES, April 21, 2017; La CLES, July 27, 2017).