Humans Bought and Sold        
Ruby Pratka - Second Year Journalism Student
“Every day, young girls are bought and sold.”

So reads the tagline of a 2005 movie starring Mira Sorvino, simply called Human Trafficking.

      The United Nations states that human trafficking is recruiting, moving or harbouring someone by using threats, force or abduction “for the purpose of exploitation”. Activists who work against it call it modern-day slavery.

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 800,000 people are currently being trafficked across borders; the UN puts that number at 2.5 million.

      Many are young girls and women between 15 and 24 who are sexually exploited. However, the IOM estimates that 20% of victims are men, trafficked mostly for forced labour.

    Human trafficking, said RCMP Const. David Park of the Human Trafficking National Coordinating Centre, “is the exploitation of men, women and children.”

    The US State Department, which produces a Trafficking in Persons Report annually, reports that traffickers often deceive victims by promising a better life through marriage or employment.

      “A trafficking victim can be anyone who wants more than they have, and anyone who is willing to exploit that is a human trafficker,” said Park. “Imagine if you have absolutely nothing, and someone comes along and offers you something.”

      The International Organization for Migration estimates that 800,000 people are trafficked across boarders every year. They are displaced persons from areas of conflict, such as the Sudan, illegal immigrants looking for a better life, and women who are kidnapped and sold into the sex trade.    

    Ontario Provincial Police Dept. Const. Gordon Moon witnessed sexual trafficking firsthand during his time at the UN mission in Kosovo in 2000. Originally assigned to a unit investigating major crimes, Moon soon realized there was a problem with prostitution and started to investigate area bars.

    Moon found women “being held against their will, with their travel papers withheld, being forced into sexual acts with very poor pay, if any.”  He made a presentation to the UN’s director of operations for the mission and was authorized to set up a 20-officer unit focusing on trafficking of women.

      “We worked with lawmakers on prostitution laws,” he said, “and prior to leaving we started to do some enforcement and to investigate these brothels.”

    In Canada, “we will not see a case of women being held in a container and being brought out to service johns,” said Park. “We could see that, but it’s very unlikely. What we see is more domestic [labour] and pimp-prostitute relationships.” 

   If a Canadian is made aware of human trafficking, said Park, they should contact the police. “If you see someone being dragged down the street, call 911. If you have a suspicion, contact your local [RCMP] detachment.”

       “The best way to track down [traffickers] is through tips. In 2005, a lady walked into a Toronto police station and reported herself as a victim.”

    The RCMP is then involved in getting the victims out, investigating the crime, bringing them to the attention of immigration officials.

    Karen Shadd-Evelyn of the Canadian Immigration Centre said human trafficking is punishable by a prison sentence of 14 years to life. Trafficking victims are eligible to receive a 120-day temporary residency permit with access to health care.

      The permit is “designed to help them recover and regroup,” said Shadd-Evelyn. “We have in place guidelines to make sure they receive appropriate consideration for immigration status.”

“People need to stop talking about the issue and start taking action,” said Park. “If you saw any crime in front of you, human trafficking or theft, would you call police? Ask yourself, is this my country or not?” -R