A big problem for police trying to rescue the girls and women who are the victims of human trafficking is that the trafficker has convinced them he will punish them, kill them or family members if they talk or try to escape, or that their family will reject them because they are dirty and damaged.
Sgt. Mike Pearce with the Chatham-Kent Police Service, addressed a gathering of about 115 people Thursday night in Chatham at a human trafficking public forum.
Chatham-Kent MPP Rick Nicholls teamed up with Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott to host the event. Scott spent two years researching and putting together a private member’s bill to bring awareness to the issue of human sex trafficking and resources to the victims.
Pearce recalled an event two years ago that stays with him to this day. He said he pulled over a vehicle on Longwoods Road for a highway traffic violation. Inside were a male driver and two female passengers.
Pearce said knew something didn’t add up as all three had ID that said they were from different municipalities, and the driver was older. The young women were not allowed to speak for themselves and did not make eye contact.
When he ran their information, he found the driver had gang affiliations and the front seat passenger had two warrants for her arrest, one as a witness, so he was able to arrest her and remove her from the car. But when directly asked if she needed help, she told him everything was fine, and they really were working for a sales company, with the ID badges to prove it.
Ultimately, he was able to take the one young woman away on the warrant but had to let the man and other young girl go, which weighed heavily on him. With no proof or statement from the girls, he said he had no choice.
Pearce added he found out the next day the young woman he had to let go was suspected of being trafficked from another jurisdiction, and her name had been silently flagged in the system.
The CKPS, while it doesn’t have a dedicated human trafficking squad, does have an officer dedicated to investigating the cases in Chatham-Kent.
Rescuing the girls and getting them the services they need right away so they don’t go back to their trafficker is a big part of what Scott is advocating for across Ontario, as well as giving victims more rights against their traffickers.
More money is making its way to groups such as Chatham-Kent Victims Services, which now has a human trafficking Victim Quick Response Program, which provides help with expenses, counselling and residential treatment programs.
Meka Cedar, support services co-ordinator for CKVS, also spoke. She said getting women the help they need immediately is essential to their safety and recovery, which can take up to three years or longer.
“Human trafficking has become a reality here in Chatham-Kent. We’re seeing it all the time, and what we’re hearing on a weekly basis is that victims are being trafficked along the 401 corridor,” Cedar noted. “It is one of the most complex crimes that involves coercion, manipulation and the preying on those that are vulnerable. Victims are treated as possessions and are bought and sold.”
Cedar said tactics used to lure the victims include posing as a boyfriend; showering the victim with gifts; promising a better lifestyle; providing drugs and alcohol; providing love and stable companionship that may be missing from their lives; housing and shelter; posing as a trusted confidante, adult or peer; brainwashing youth with romantic ideas; using other victims to seek out and recruit new victims; meeting and befriending friends and family; making youth feel like parents are unfit and unfair; hosting parties and offering to take them on vacation.
“The average daily profit for a trafficker for one female is $900, $5,400 at the end of one week and $280,000 by the end of the year. And we know traffickers have more than one victim, so if one trafficker has 10 victims, that’s $3,276,000 yearly,” Cedar stated. “So there is very little risk for them with high monetary reward.”
Cedar said her organization is always looking for volunteers and monetary assistance to help victims. Anyone interested is welcome to call her at 519-436-6630.
One participant suggested a teen town hall forum so the youth that are potential victims can hear from a survivor and learn the signs to watch for, and Nicholls agreed the idea was a good one that could be set up in partnership with Victims’ Services.
Important information for parents and victims of human trafficking
For parents to learn the dangers on social media:
- Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection www.asacp.org
- Get Cyber Safe www.getcybersafe.gc.ca
- Web Aware www.bewebaware.ca
- Stay Safe Online www.staysafeonline.org
Tip Lines
- Canadian cyber tip line for reporting online sexual exploitation of children – www.cybertip.ca
- Chrysalis anti-human trafficking network – www.chrysalisnetwork.org/
- CrimeStoppers 519-352-1234 or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
- How you can help or get help
- Chatham-Kent Victim Services 519-436-6630
- Chatham-Kent Police Services 519-354-1234
- Laurie Scott, MPP www.lauriescottmpp.com
Videos for school age children for education and prevention
- I am Little Red
Videos for for parents/older children
- I am Jane Doe (Netflix)
