Achi news desk-
Calgary’s police chief is encouraging sex workers to report abuse, assaults and any other issues they come across to the recently created Bad Date Line.
“Individuals involved in sex work are always at risk,” said the Chief Constable. Mark Neufeld said during an interview on CTV Morning Live from Calgary on Tuesday.
“Individuals involved in sex work understand very well the risks they face, and so do the police, but there have always been barriers to reporting.”
Neufeld said that while most in the sex trade will call 911 if they need help right away, many feel uncomfortable reaching out for anything that isn’t life-threatening.
“It’s when people relate to individuals or have an experience that makes them feel uncomfortable, sometimes they take care of that amongst themselves in the community, but the information is not make her into policing,” he said.
Violence against Calgary sex workers became a renewed focus for police last year, after charges were laid against a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting local sex workers.
Richard Robert Mantha faces more than two dozen offences, including sexual assault with a weapon and kidnapping.
“One of the things we did after the Mantha case, about a year ago, was to recognize that there was a gap in the ways people could report quickly,” Neufeld said.
“So we put together – working with our non-profit partner HER Victory in Forest Lawn – a helpline, an advice line, a bad date line, that people could reach out to 24-7 to provide information if they had a situation. uncomfortable.”
Earlier this month, police charged two men with first-degree murder in the death of Chelsea Davidenas. Investigators believe she was targeted because of her history as a sex worker.
Neufeld said he hopes organizations like HER Victory and RESET Society of Calgary can be used to bridge the gap between those in the sex trade who need support and the police.
HER Victory founder Jacquie Meyer says the Bad Date Line creates a safe and anonymous place for people to report incidents to the police
“The line has been very well received and has been used not only to assist the police to make arrests and arrests, but (to keep) those caught in the sex industry safe and secure.” u protection,” he said in a statement to CTV News.
“The Bad Date Line lowers the barrier for individuals who might not otherwise report and creates an outlet so that their voices are heard.”
To report a bad date, you can call 403-816-9400 or email [email protected].
The Bad Date Line launched on May 30, 2023.
Since then, police say 39 reports have been filed, some of them related to ongoing investigations.
The information will not be used by the police to target sex workers, but rather it will be used by the police to target individuals who cause harm to sex workers.
For information on support and other resources available, you can visit the Bad Date Reporting website.
