Sex workers say they're caught in the middle by Manitoba bill meant to target traffickers, not them

The police wanted to confirm Emma Reid, a sex worker in Winnipeg, was safe, they told her during a visit.

At one point, they asked to see her tattoos.Reid asked them why. They were"basically sayingthey need something to identify me if I'm murdered in my line of work," Reid said.

"That is not a wellness check."

Reid said the encounter was upsetting, and she is alarmedother sex workers could be subject to unwanted visits frompoliceand more profiling from strangersif the Manitoba governmentpasses new legislation itsays will strengthenexisting laws around human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

People in thesex work community say they're concernedthe authorities mightkeep conflatingtheir professionwith something theycondemn:trafficking and exploitation.

The Winnipeg Police Service's counter exploitation unitsaysthe victims of sexual exploitation can be found in hotels, bawdy houses and involved in street prostitution, and it describes the people who seek out and purchase sex as "exploiters," according to its website.

On its website, Winnipeg police identifypossible signs of exploitation as aperson being escorted or watched, not speaking on their own behalf, or having limited knowledge of the area they are in.

Bill could compel reporting

If Manitoba's new legislation passes, it would compel hotels and temporary accommodations, as well as drivers of taxis and ride-hailing services,to immediately report suspected human trafficking to police.

The bill would also require hotels andpeople runningonline accommodation platforms, such as Airbnb,to keep a record of guests' information, including theirnames and addresses, and turn it over to police on an emergency basis without requiring a warrant.

Reid, whom CBC agreed to identify byher working name, worries about hotels jotting down her name and address, as well as the access police may have to that informationandtaxi drivers assuming she's a victim of exploitation when sheisn't.

"When you're bringing people in that are not trained and have really no idea about sex work, I think you're going torun into a lot of problems," Reid said.

Under Canadian law, it is legal to sell sexual services but illegal to buy sex.

Reid is particularly troubledforher colleagues: peoplefrom marginalized communities who already feel targeted for their line of work.

Reid has dealt with a taxi driver lockingtheir doors when she tried to leave,andanother driver who asked intrusive questions.

To "just bea femme-presenting person existing, there's always going tobe a bit of a target. I wasn't dressed provocatively. It wasn't late at night. I wasn't heavily intoxicated. I think it was just sort of existing."

Families Minister Rochelle Squires saidBill 40,introduced last month, won't go after people involved in consensual sex work. The province wants to target the sexual exploitation of minors andhuman trafficking, and preventpeople from being coerced into the sex trade.

"This is not intended to push sex work further underground," Squires said in an interview. "Studies have shown that when we push legitimate sex work underground, it creates a more dangerous environment for those involved in that consensual trade."

"What we're really trying to go after is the [human trafficking and sexual exploitation].We know that it is a huge problem in the province of Manitoba, that it isstaggering, and we need to act."

The province estimates 400 children and youth are trafficked each year in the visiblesex trade inManitoba, but Squires has suggested the true number could be closer to 4,000 when what she calls theinvisible tradewhich occurs behind closed doorsor onlineis factored in.

Currently, all Manitobans are required to report suspected child abuse, but Squires said thebill would expand that dutyto also include suspectedchild sexual exploitation and human trafficking, which the minister said would remedya gap in the existing laws.

Record-keeping will be safe, minister says

The minister said the provincewill continue discussions with the Sex Workers of Winnipeg Action Coalition in the hopes of alleviating itsconcerns. Along with thelegislation, Squires said new regulations would be drafted, including rules around hotels' records to ensure the information is kept secure.

Squires also stressed police would only access such recordswhen itbelieved the victim is at risk of imminent or serious harm.

Staff Sgt.Andrea Scott, who works with Winnipeg police's counter exploitation unit, said she respects the various sentiments raised by people suspicious of the bill.

She said she's open to all possible solutions and saidall of society has a responsibility to safeguard those vulnerable to human trafficking.

Scottalso defended the use ofwellness checks with sex workers, saying they are conducted "due to the inherent risk of sex work" and to "ensureindividuals are aware of resources available to them."

Adult filmmaker Kate Sinclairebrought wide attention to the bill on Twitter.

At face value, she acknowledges the bill's intention to combat exploitation and human trafficking is laudable, but she finds its implicationsare far-reaching, even if it's unintentional.

She feels the billwillempowerpolice officers, who "consider our work to be inherently trafficking or exploitative," Sinclaire alleges, to"have the ability to go and get information, tracking our whereabouts, even on personal time."

The extra surveillance may makesex workers less inclined to pay for rides or hotel stays, which could expose them to the potential danger of bringing a client home, Sinclaire said.

She wonders if the legislation may directsex workers underground, as well as the criminals the government is going after.

"As soon as traffickers and people who actually are doing harm know that these laws are coming in, they're going to use [those areas]less, which means there are actually fewer ways to find these people."