Human trafficking remains growing concern
Those working with victims say slight decline in numbers doesn’t tell whole story
Even though Peterborough has dropped from having the second highest rate of human trafficking cases of Canada’s census metropolitan areas in 2021, to the sixth highest in 2022, those who work with victims say numbers don’t tell the whole story.
According to Statistics Canada, cases in Peterborough dropped from 14 — a rate of 10.9 per 100,000 people — in 2021, to five cases — a rate of 3.8 per 100,000 people.
However, these stats are not representative of the complete picture, explained Jennifer Clearwater, violence against women counsellor at the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre.
“The stats we have are only the ones that are police reported. If someone who’s over 18 chooses not to go to the police and just wants to work on getting out of that situation, they are not counted in those stats,” she said.
“So, it’s really only giving us part of the picture.”
Despite the reported decline in Peterborough based on the latest available stats, Clearwater explained that human trafficking is in fact increasing in Canada each year and the centre is experiencing increased demand for services. She noted the increase could be attributed to people talking about the crime more openly.
“We’ve definitely seen an increase in folks that we’re supporting who are experiencing trafficking. It’s hard though, because sometimes it is that people are talking about it more,” she said. “But there’s also still a lot of myths about trafficking.”
The average age of entrance into human trafficking in Ontario is 13,
‘‘ It is entirely about money. An average victim can be worth $280,000 per year, and most traffickers have multiple victims.
JANET CAMPBELL JOY SMITH FOUNDATION
noted Clearwater, but anyone has the potential to be a victim.
“But there are different vulnerabilities that make someone more at risk. If they’re experiencing a lot of other difficulties in life, if they’re experiencing homelessness, in the foster care system, if they don’t have a lot of close social connections, if they don’t have a good family life, if they are Indigenous,” she said.
“All of those things, kind of stack up to make someone more vulnerable.”
Indigenous people in Canada are disproportionately represented in trafficking cases, explained Rianna Patterson, Indigenous child witness to violence support worker for the Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle.
Some reports suggest Indigenous people represent 52 per cent of human trafficking victims, while only making up five per cent of Canada’s population, she added.
“When looking at the at-risk indicators for being recruited for human trafficking, Indigenous people are overrepresented in many of the areas. Some are overrepresented in homelessness, abuse, bullying, the legacy of colonization, poverty, traumatic events and family breakdowns,” she said.
“So, it’s important to note that the overrepresentation of Indigenous people as victims of human trafficking and sex trafficking is due to the historic and ongoing oppression and colonialism.”
Due to poor relationships between Indigenous peoples and police services, these victims are also less likely to report being trafficked, explained Patterson. She noted that to reduce and prevent trafficking among the Ingenious population, communities must continue education efforts and amend the harms caused by colonization.
“This helps to build relationships and connections, both of which are protective factors against traffickers,” she said. “Many of these things have been lost due to colonization. So, for us as Indigenous people, we need to further build those bonds, strengths and belonging.”
Areas along the Highway 401 corridor still remain the largest for trafficking, because of the ease in quickly transporting victims, noted Janet Campbell, CEO and President of the Joy Smith Foundation. The foundation has worked with over 7,000 victims and their families for more than 25 years.
“It’s unfortunately a growing crisis here in Ontario, of course, because you have the largest population,” she said. “But just the makeup of your highway systems and the proximity to the border and the waterways. All of these factors contribute to making it easy for predators to transport victims around.”
The internet also continues to play a large role in human trafficking, allowing perpetrators to connect with victims more easily, explained Campbell.
“Traffickers can use those tools to put their victims in situations where the victim will look to conceal what’s happened. So, we see this in terms of the exchange of intimate pictures. We know that predators can also change how they appear and sound. So oftentimes victims think they’re speaking with a 16-year-old female, but in fact, it’s somebody’s different all together.”
“So, technology is absolutely changing this issue and how victims are being found by the predators and how the predators are going about engaging them in the luring, grooming and exploitation process,” added Campbell.
Using these methods has allowed traffickers to expand their reach, leading to increases in cases in rural areas that might’ve once been rarer, noted Campbell.
“Part of the workshops that we run in schools and for teachers and parents addresses a lot around online safety, because it does give them unprecedented reach,” she said. “They can find a victim no matter where they, as so many of these social apps also use location services.”
Traffickers can come from all sorts of backgrounds, explained Campbell, usually posing as a romantic partner to their victims. Over one-third of victims were trafficked by a current or former intimate partner, she added.
“It can be surprising who the traffickers are. We’ve seen men and women involved in this, and we’ve even seen kids that are recruited into gangs then go and recruit other kids in schools and other areas,” said Campbell. “So, it really does vary. But I think, statistically, oftentimes it does continue to be young adult male traffickers that we see in many of the cases, in terms of arrest and charges.”
Campbell noted that the motivation behind trafficking is purely financial and that it is an extremely lucrative business.
“It is entirely about money,” she said. “An average victim can be worth $280,000 per year, and most traffickers have multiple victims.”
Learning to spot the signs of someone being trafficked is the best way to help victims and reduce trafficking, explained Campbell, though these are not always obvious.
“We very firmly believe that education is our greatest weapon. We really want people to … take the opportunity to go to traffickingsigns.ca to learn about this issue,” she said. “This is a community issue that is affecting communities across the country, and it really is about loved ones and community members caring for their own community and mobilizing on this issue.”
The website shows nine common signs that include more immediate red flags like sudden interest in men several years older, using two cellphones, and having unexplained cuts and bruises. But Campbell also noted that other signs like sudden changes in social circles, style of dress, and isolation can often be overlooked as normal aspects of being a teenager.
“It’s very easy to write off the fact that something else could be going on, but we really want parents to know what the signs are and to pay attention,” she said. “Take the opportunity to look and see if there might be something further.”
Romantic manipulation, often referred to as the “Romeo technique” can make it difficult for victims to identify their situation for what it is and leave, especially if they lack support elsewhere, explained Agata Czajkowski, strategic communications officer for the Ontario Provincial Police.
“In some cases, a trafficker will offer the individual something they are missing (love, attention, money, protection, a home) and use grooming, coercion and manipulation to trap them into a situation they did not foresee,” she stated by email.
The OPP works with 20 services under the Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy (IJFS) to share intelligence, resources and eliminate the challenge of jurisdictional boundaries when it comes to pursuing human traffickers, said Czajkowski.
“It is difficult to provide human trafficking statistics for a specific place as the crime itself is often transient,” she stated. “For example, what can begin in a city can go through Peterborough or other areas in the province.”