HUMAN TRAFFICKING: MODERN SLAVERY IN CANADA BY JOAH BARGEN

Human Trafficking: Modern Slavery in Canada

By Joah Bargen | For Ms. Walling's blogspot | Posted: January 15, 2020

Image "Restore NYC" by David Heatley is representing the fear and entrapment woman in the sex trade face.

In Canada’s past, we’ve failed to acknowledge the prevalence of human trafficking in Canada. The truth is, Canada has become a transit point for traffickers, and within our provinces and territories are small trafficking triangles. Women and girls are being transported and sold between cities, such as Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Edmonton for the purpose of sexual and labour trafficking; and it’s only in the last couple decades that Canada has begun making an effort to put an end to these heinous criminal acts.

According to Canadian statistics, 93% of women and girls trafficked in Canada are Canadian citizens, with a majority being Indigenous, and girls are typically trafficked at the age of 13-14, with only 1% of victims escaping the industry. Why are these stats so imbalanced, and why are they continuously getting worse. Simply put, human trafficking is an underground industry, constantly moving, making it extremely difficult for police to track the movement patterns of people. It is also one of the most profitable criminal industries, so many people get involved. 

Stopping this extremely intricate network is nowhere near feasible, but there are ways to help; a main one is learning to recognize the signs of both a victim or perpetrator. Victims often display certain characteristics: signs of a controlling or abusive relationship (always accompanied by someone), have unexplained expensive possessions,  change their priorities to fit “his” plans, have a branding of initials, become secluded, show signs of changing boundaries or values, dress inappropriately for age or environment, have unusual sleep patterns, seem anxious, paranoid, and tense, don’t have control over their own legal documents, have inconsistent details when telling stories or explaining location, show signs of trauma, and often are afraid of law enforcement or to seek help.

Perpetrators (traffickers, johns or consumers, pimps) can be both women and men, and can be from any social, ethnic, or racial group; many times recruiters are young men who pose as kind boyfriends, or girls who appear friendly. Often they are connected to local or nationwide gangs, though some have no affiliation to any criminal group. Common characteristics of perpetrators include: flaunting expensive possessions, frequently spending nights out or being gone for multiple days, carrying multiple cell phones, using language affiliated with trafficking, vague when it comes to having an actual job, creates dreams with the victim, using “we” frequently, attempt to make the relationship with the victim move very fast, through sexual intimacy or talking about marriage, breaking the victim’s relationships with others, and using the victims fears and goals to taunt them.

If you recognize all or some of these traits in someone, it is very important to contact your local police service or crisis intervention center.

Works Cited:
Hope Restored Canada, https://www.hoperestoredcanada.org/

Photo Citation:
Heatley, David. "Restore NYC" Creative Commons, https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/6af6602f-e994-454e-8f5e-bf6040850a33