Woman kept in freezer, police allege
WINNIPEG — A woman was held captive, tortured and forced to work as an escort in a case, Winnipeg police say, that shows the damaging effects of human trafficking.
“She was locked in a full-size freezer a number of times, lost consciousness when she was in there a number of times due to lack of air, she doesn’t know if anyone is ever coming back,” Const. Rob Carver said Thursday. “It is, from my view, a true example of torture.”
Police said the woman was forced to travel from southern Ontario to Winnipeg. Over the next four months, she was tormented physically and psychologically. On top of being locked in a freezer, police said the woman was also assaulted with electric shocks.
She eventually escaped to a police station and get help.
Police arrested a 29-year-old Winnipeg man on Sept. 2. Andres Michael Pavao faces a dozen charges including trafficking, assault, forcible confinement, overcome resistance by attempting to choke or suffocate and assault with a weapon.
Carver said the severity of the case is uncommon, but people are being exploited on Winnipeg’s streets.
“The johns float through life, often without feeling the effects of the torture this woman endured,” he said. “But I think as a city, certainly as a community, we can’t bury our heads in the sand and think this only occurs somewhere else.”
Joy Smith, founder of the Joy Smith Foundation, which raises awareness about human trafficking, said sexual exploitation is alive and well in Canada. She first became aware of the issue from her son who was working as a police officer in the Integrated Child Exploitation Unit.
“It happens everywhere. It happens every single day and it’s brutal. It’s horrible,” said the former Winnipeg Member of Parliament. “This happens a kilometre from where you are sitting right now, from where I am sitting right now. It is so prevalent.”
In June, Statistics Canada said the number of human trafficking incidents in Canada have steadily increased since 2010, but it remains underreported.