Human Trafficking; How the Ontario Government is tackling a frightening, but real issue in Canada

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“They really do intimidate you, they make you feel like you can’t be without them. I was so broken on the inside.” Anonymously Trafficked

When you hear about human trafficking, your thoughts might go to places in the world like Cambodia and India, where you hear about how children are prime victims for sex trafficking, and trafficked workers are forced to work for long hours with very little pay.

What you don’t think is that it could be happening at the rate it is, right in your own backyard. Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes worldwide. According to statistics in 2012, there were as many as 21 million people that were trafficked around the world.

The devastating fact is that Ontario is a hub for human trafficking. In 2019, Ontario police-reported human trafficking incidents accounted for 55% of all police-reported incidents nationally.

Some of these other statistics might frighten you, but it is important that you are aware. It was reported that over 70% of human trafficking victims identified by police are under the age of twenty-five, and the average age of recruitment into sex trafficking is approximately thirteen years old. This is yet another silent societal pandemic that is a massively growing threat to community safety across the province and Canada.

I am going to quickly go over some aspects of human trafficking that you need to know to keep yourself, and your family safe. A little later in this article, I am also going to introduce a proposed legislation that reinforces Ontario’s commitment to fighting human trafficking. When it comes to this silent pandemic, the Ontario government continues to demonstrate leadership in responding to this pervasive crime.

One of the first aspects of human trafficking that may escape people’s thoughts is the fact that men, and young boys are victimized just as much as women. Young boys are often used as sex slaves, and men are forced into manual labour, and abused by their employers. In many cases, trafficked individuals must work long hours for very little pay. There is a vicious cycle of trafficker’s fees to get employment, and very little pay, which is what keeps the victims in debt to their employers.

There are many tricks that are used, one being women are often used to recruit other women from disadvantaged backgrounds. The women are forced into prostitution and have no way of getting away from their employers once they are entrapped.

To think; this is happening here in Ontario. This is why on Monday, February 22^nd, 2021, when I was given the opportunity to speak with Jill Dunlop (Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues), I quickly cleared my schedule and prepared myself. It just so happened that Monday was also Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the Ontario government introduced the Combatting Human Trafficking Act, a new legislation, and amendments to existing legislation to build upon the province’s $307 million Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy.

Minister Dunlop had been in calls all day, but even though I am sure her day had been exhausting, she spoke to me with such a level of passion. You could see how important this legislation was to her.

“Human trafficking is happening in both urban centers and small communities across Ontario. This proposed legislation further supports our cross-government approach, as well as our work with partners across jurisdictions and various sectors, to combat human trafficking.

The proposed changes include two new acts – the Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy Act, 2021 and the Accommodation Sector Registration of Guests Act, 2021 – as well as amendments to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017. 

The proposed changes provide tools to improve the ability to identify and appropriately respond to suspected instances and connect survivors to supportive services.”

 I did some research, and found that the Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy will be investing $307 million over the next five years on a pro-active, comprehensive action plan focused on four key areas:

Raising awareness of the issue
The plan is to launch a new, province-wide marketing campaign to educate children, youth, parents, and the broader public about what human trafficking is, how to recognize the signs, and where to get help.

Holding offenders accountable
They will be giving law enforcement more specialized Crown prosecution support for human trafficking cases. This will entail strengthening intelligence gathering in the correctional system and investing in police services to help coordinate anti-human trafficking investigations.

Protecting victims and intervening early
The government will be investing in specialized intervention teams involving police and child protection services, incorporating human trafficking awareness into the education curriculum, and establishing dedicated, licensed residences to support victims, including those under the age of sixteen.

Supporting survivors
The new funding will be put towards a wrap-around, community-based support and Indigenous-led initiative to make more services available for survivors.

The government is taking deliberate steps to put an end to human trafficking. What this new legislation is doing is building on the Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy that was introduced a year ago. It is going to give law enforcement additional tools to help put a firm stop to this silent societal pandemic. The hope is that it will strengthen public awareness of human trafficking and deliver justice to human trafficking victims and survivors.