Anyone looking for Bruce’s column this week, you’ll be getting the “She Said” version.
For those of you who didn’t attend the Human Trafficking town hall meeting last week hosted by MPP Rick Nicholls, 600 people including teens, had their eyes opened to reality. Human trafficking is here, in our community, and our teens are vulnerable.
Hearing the information on local police operations and from victims was chilling, and made me go home and hug my 16-year-old daughter, who is the same age as a girl from Chatham who was rescued from trafficking and helped by Chatham-Kent Victims’ Services.
These disgusting recruiters and pimps make more money off of our girls – using their bodies as a product over and over – than they do by selling drugs.
But the big problem, in my eyes, and in the eyes of some of the women who work with victims, is that if there was no demand for the services from men – and they are the biggest percentage of people trolling sex service sites – our girls wouldn’t be in danger of being lured or taken by traffickers.
These young girls they buy are someone’s daughter, sister, or niece – and men don’t stop to think about whether that girl is being forced to do this, is beaten if she refuses, maybe hasn’t eaten or slept, or is being raped or drugged.
As the police described, one sting ad on a sex site had 9,000 views in six days – 9,000! We need to focus money on education, awareness and definitely services for victims, but I would gladly empty my bank account to see these men held accountable for soliciting sex with a young girl they think looks good on a website.
Apparently, these johns plead guilty and are sent to “john school” where they are taught the realities of the girls they are using for sex – but they plead guilty to avoid telling their spouse, girlfriend or family what they were caught doing.
Police hope that johns will be more aware of the girls they are using – are they injured, are they high or drunk, do they seem afraid of their pimp, do they look underage – if so, call Crime Stoppers anonymously and try to get them help instead of victimizing the girl.
I’m a little more vengeful than that because I say, start arresting these guys, like they do any sex crime perpetrator or pedophile, and let the media know. Just like with drunk drivers, it would be a deterrent if they knew their name would be out there, and their families and employers would know what they are doing. Why are our courts allowing them to hide? Treat them like drunk drivers, rapists or pedophiles.
Gnocchi at its best
I had the chance to try the gnocchi recipe that won a Chatham woman $5,000 from the Ontario Dairy Farmers’ Association and a spot on the 2019 milk calendar, and I was not disappointed. It was the easiest and quickest recipe to follow and makes a delicious meal for your family.
My picky eater didn’t like the texture of the gnocchi so I made fusilli noodles for it instead and was told she could eat that every day.
Thanks, Tracey Summerfield Gibbons, for the recipe!
Chicken chucking turns into insult chucking
I just wanted to take a moment to say I don’t understand people who feel the need to verbally trash people online for a comment, opinion or event they don’t like. The Chuck- a-Chicken fundraising event coming up to raise money for an accessible playground for kids is a prime example.
The organizers were called “disgusting,” “morons,” “classless,” “uneducated” and many other derogatory things for proposing to throw a frozen, packaged chicken destined for a pet food factory on the ice to raise money in what they thought was a unique and fun way.
I get that people may not be into that idea, but the harsh comments and hate thrown their way was over the top and uncalled for. Animal cruelty? Really?
We should be thanking the Bayside folks instead of telling them they need to find a new job. Their hearts are in the right place – trying to make their community a better place for kids with mobility issues.
