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Sex trafficking a form of modern slavery, say police

Police campaign aims to teach public how to spot someone being victimized
humantrafficking
According to the most recent figures from the UN, about 40 million people in the world are modern slaves, ranging from domestic and sex workers to people forced to work in factories or farms. (Image from humantraffickingcenter.org)

According to the most recent figures from the UN, about 40 million people in the world are modern slaves, ranging from domestic and sex workers to people forced to work in factories or farms.

It's a problem that's even more shocking when you realize that a form of slavery exists in Greater Sudbury, where human traffickers target young people – usually girls – and have developed fairly sophisticated techniques to lure them into selling their bodies for sex.

Greater Sudbury Police Staff Sgt. Rick Waugh said Wednesday there are people who choose sex work voluntarily, which is not a crime in Canada. In a presentation to the police services board, Waugh said police focus is on the grooming operations traffickers use to lure young people into the life and trap them there.

“The reality is, it does happen here in Sudbury,” Waugh said. “People are exploited mentally at first, because of the grooming process.”

Human trafficking isn't just about sex work; it's a crime in which someone is forced, controlled or tricked into doing sexual acts, unpaid labour, removal of their organs or outright slavery.

Voluntary sex workers choose that life, keep the money they earn and aren't forced by someone else to keep working. The opposite is true for victims of human trafficking. 

“Control and isolation are the key components to breaking those people's spirit,” Waugh said. “They hardly make any decisions for themselves any longer … And the profits are high, the risks are low” for the traffickers.

After drug trafficking, he said sex trafficking is fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, with a market value of $32 billion. An estimated 16,000 people were being trafficked in Canada in 2014, but only 206 cases were reported. In 93 per cent of the cases, victims are women, and 83 per cent of the time, men are the traffickers. 

Recruiters target victims between the ages of 14 and 24, combing malls, movie theatres and other places young people gather. At particular risk are homeless people, First Nations, immigrants, youths who live in group homes and young people with troubled home lives.

“Often, there's a genuine need for affection, to be loved,” Waugh said, with the trafficker suddenly supplying a lifestyle the victim could only dream of.

“Then everything turns,” he said.

Since January, police have been operating a Counter Sexual Exploitation Strategy, with a person devoted full-time to the issue. It's still early days, but they have already seen results, with 50 cases being investigated and charges laid.

In one case before the courts, a victim developed a relationship with the officer, and eventually convinced other victims to step forward, leading to charges.

Nicole St. Jean, human trafficking co-ordinator with Sudbury and Area Victim Services, said rather than interrogating people who come for help, they work to help them with practical issues, such as dental care, tattoo and scar removal, counselling and help with travel to medical and other appointments.

They're also launching an education campaign to help people spot the signs that someone could be a victim. It's key to know what you're looking for, St. Jean said.

"Often we see individuals who may not know their surroundings, so they're not really familiar with the community that they're in, they can't tell you where they are staying," she said. "They're often chaperoned by someone or a group that is older than them. They're made up to look a lot older than they might actually be. We also look for physical signs of trauma — bruising, tattoos — branding is very common."

Branding is the particularly odious practice where traffickers tattoo victims to let other traffickers know they belong to someone else. The tattoo is often on the hand or neck where it's easy to spot, and usually has a homemade look to it because it wasn't done by a professional artist.

"Also, look at the way in which they're dressed,” St. Jean said. “Often we see individuals who might not be dressed for the climate. It's winter, and they're without a jacket. They're coming to us just in heels and with minimum possessions, because often they're moving around a lot.”

While malls are still a popular recruiting spot, Facebook has become a major tool. Child molester Paul McColeman of Espanola infamously used Facebook to recruit his victims. St. Jean said it can be a perfect tool for traffickers.

"With younger people, it's very easy to get them to add people they don't know,” she said. “That conversation starts and brings people's guard down. They think they know this person.

"Then they can gain more knowledge about the vulnerabilities of that individual, and they prey on those vulnerabilities. They're very good at (figuring out) what angle to work in order to gain the trust of the girl or guy."

A big part of the campaign is to make sure victims know there is help available to them, and it's something they can access without committing to turning on the person abusing them.

"Remember, their trafficker has been everything to them,” St. Jean said. “They provide a roof over their head, clothing on their back, food, protection — everything comes from that trafficker. For them, it's hard to leave that situation and open up to someone else. They're afraid of being victimized by somebody else."

For more information on the anti-human trafficking campaign called Know the Signs Make the Call, or to get help, phone 705-522-6970.


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