Many turn a blind eye to a real problem in our society, human trafficking. After our original story CLICK HERE, we had comments that this isn't a problem locally. Although this story isn't on our doorstep, this one was about 3 hours away.
On the 20th and 21st of January 2014, the Greater Sudbury Police Service participated in a nation-wide blitz titled “Operation Northern Spotlight”, which focused on the growing criminal trend of exploiting young females and forcing them into sex slavery.
Deputy Chief Al Lekun said the national project involved 26 different police services and more than 330 young women were interviewed — some as young as 15 years of age.
Lekun said no charges were laid in the Sudbury area, but police did speak with six women who were identified as active sex trade workers or escorts.
"And none of them were willing to provide to us that they were involved in human trafficking aspect of it or being coerced or forced into it,” he said.
Lekun said police often don't focus on laying charges when it comes to dealing with the sex trade — police instead try to develop a relationship of trust with the people involved, and offer them access to resources.“But it [allowed] us to identify additional individuals in this community that are involved in the sex trade and provide access to services for them."
The Criminal Code section refers to this activity as “Human Trafficking,” the public may better understand this issue as “sex slavery.” Although many of the women appear to be making their own decisions to participate for financial gain, investigators found several teenagers and young women were being forced to perform through threats of violence, physical intimidation, drug dependency and other forms of coercion. Part or all of the proceeds from the sexual encounters were kept by their adult male controller or pimp. Human Trafficking or “sex-slavery” is a multi-jurisdictional problem for police agencies because often the controllers or pimps who are forcing these young girls and women into prostitution and the sex trade are traveling from town to town within the province and country.
Police Services will continue to monitor any incidents of “forced participation” in hopes of assisting any woman involved in the sex trade business against her will.
Story with assistance of CBC
