Human trafficking exploiting females one text at a time

WATERLOO REGION — Technology has taken sex trade work off the street and moved it to the online world.

For two Waterloo Regional Police officers who work with victims of human trafficking, the online sex world is often victimizing and exploiting women for financial gain.

Const. Matt Demarte, who works in the special victims branch, said technology makes it easier for those who oversee the operations, such as pimps, to exploit women, and some girls as young as 14.

“Most dates are done by texting, not phone calls,” said Demarte.

Men who want to buy sex monitor websites, such as the classified advertising website Backpage.com, which list the locations of hotels where women are taken.

An app on your phone allows the transaction to occur effortlessly, police say.

In 2015, local police statistics reported 27 instances of human trafficking in the region, 26 of those sex trafficking.

This year, there are nine active investigations in which four people have been charged. Two of the victims are under 18.

This year, police added another officer to investigate human trafficking, which also includes cases of forced labour. Human trafficking involves girls, sometimes 16 or younger, who are coerced into sex with men in hotels by their pimps.

They are forced into prostitution and trafficked across the province.

Demarte said some of the victims are from Waterloo Region and other communities, ranging from teenagers to women in their 40s.

In addition to arresting pimps, police spend countless hours with victims who have been controlled by their pimps.

Building rapport and trust with the young women takes time, police said.

“Some girls have been brainwashed to think what they are doing is illegal,” said Demarte. He says they are the victims of crime. Demarte said police work closely with the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, a program with St. Mary’s General Hospital that has trained nurses and social workers to respond to needs of sexual assault and domestic violence victims.

Last year, the centre partnered with police to launch a multidisciplinary response to combat human trafficking, acting as the first contact for victims.

Already 15 victims have been helped with emergency medical care, support and referrals to other community services.

Earlier this month, the provincial government announced that is giving money to agencies to support human trafficking survivors.

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region is getting more than $540,000 as part of a provincial initiative. The centre plans to hire a full-time human trafficking worker.