Craigslist has agreed to stop posting erotic services ads such as this one in Canada. (QMI Agency file photo) 
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TORONTO – After years of police and sex-trafficking experts calling for Craigslist to crack down on the sale of people in Canada, the online advertising giant has done just that.
Saturday, Craigslist removed the erotic services section from all 55 of its Canadian sites.
The move came after calls from several provinces for Craigslist to remove the section as it did in the U.S.
"Relieved is the best word I can say," said Benjamin Perrin, a University of British Columbia-based human trafficking expert. "It's been far too long that Craigslist has been the medium of choice for sex traffickers in Canada."
Craigslist has been cited in several sex-slavery cases across Canada in which victims have been posted for sale at hourly and half-hourly rates, often by pimps who take every penny of their profits.
The first human trafficking conviction in Canada involved two teenaged girls who were advertised on Craigslist. One victim, who was 17 when she escaped 2 1/2 years of sexual slavery at the hands of Imani Nakpangi, was forced to post ads for herself and a 14-year-old girl. The teens doled out sex to 10 to 15 men a day, many of whom booked their services through Craigslist ads.
Though not the only medium for advertising victims, Craigslist was one of the biggest players that made it easy to hide the flesh trade indoors, said Toronto Police Det. Wendy Leaver, whose Special Victims Section solely investigates crimes against sex workers.
"I think the majority of even the younger girls we deal with, those under 18, use Craigslist," Leaver said. "It was very effective in hiding them from us."
While Leaver gave kudos to Craigslist for removing the ads, she added: "I'm sure something's going to pop up to take its place.
"I think the problem still is what we do to curb this activity. That's the bottom line,” she said.
The move by Craigslist comes after mounting pressure that began south of the border.
In November 2008, Craigslist announced measures aimed at regulating those posting on the erotic services section, but only in the U.S.
Craigslist removed the ads from American sites earlier this year, before different provinces and federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson began calling for a similar move in Canada.
Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster did not return requests for comment Saturday.
"There's further steps that need to be taken to ensure that companies like Craigslist, as well as print media that offer loosely veiled advertisements for paid sex, are held accountable to some standard of due diligence," Perrin said.
tamara.cherry@sunmedia.ca
