In Numbers:

• 8,940: Number of Internet protocol (IP) addresses in Ontario where child porn is suspected of having been downloaded in the last three months
• 23: Number of police services searching 76 locations to seize computer equipment
• 60: Number of suspects arrested
• 213: Number of charges filed, including sexual assault, child luring and making, possessing and distributing child pornography
• 22: Number of identified victims, now longer being abused

MP Joy Smith issued a statement on the bust, commending those who worked long hours to put an end to this crime.

I want to commend the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Section and the 23 law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their dedication and commitment to tracking down the individuals who created, distributed and made available child sexual abuse material. These investigations are long and complex and exert significant emotional and physical tolls on the officers involved.  Due to the immense and heroic efforts of these police officers, 22 child victims have been rescued and are now receiving care.

Children are the most precious members of our society but also the most vulnerable. The creation and distribution of child sexual abuse materials results in devastating trauma in young victims. As a nation, it is incumbent on each of us to support efforts that protect children, hold predators accountable, and restore rescued victims.

I echo her words. This kind of predatory behaviour is unacceptable, and I am so grateful for those one the front lines who are doing something about this injustice.  My hope is that victims can now get healing, and that the perpetrators experience true heart change while paying for what they did. Considering that some of those accused have already had previous sex-related convictions, I am reminded that some form of restorative justice is so necessary in our country.  For more information, check out these articles:

• Repeat offenders among those charged in huge Ontario child porn bust by Tu Thanh Ha at Globe and Mail
• Region police investigate 4 men as part of province-wide child porn bust by The Waterloo Record

My husband and I recently stumbled upon a story of teenage prostitution close to home.  A 40 year-old man named Andrija Kandic, owner of a former Guelph sex shop called Sweet Dreams, is on trial for arranging prostitution services for teenage girls.   Here are the details provided by Guelph Mercury, followed by some thoughts and questions I have about the whole thing.

Two police detectives testified that child pornographic images were found on Kandic’s computers. On one computer there were 333 child pornographic images and 112 were considered accessible. Another computer held 184 child pornographic images, with eight considered accessible. On the USB drive, there were 38 child pornographic images of two Guelph teenagers the Crown alleges were solicited for prostitution on a website.

In addition to the pictures of the two Guelph girls on the computers and USB drive, court heard several of the other images found, that were classified as child pornography were of unidentified children, some ranging from ages 8 to 13 years old.

Kandic is pleading not guilty for the following: permitting someone under 16 and someone under 18 to be in his home to engage in sexual activity, two counts of living off the income of prostitution, possessing child pornography, making child pornography and having child pornography to distribute it.

One of the teenage girls who testified in the case shared these details:

She met Kandic a couple of years ago when he was selling cigarettes to her and a friend from a native reserve.  She was 15 years old at the time. She noticed that the girl living with Kandic was making a lot of money and asked her how she was doing it.  The girl replied that she was having sex with clients for money.

Eventually, she had a discussion with Kandic about doing the same.

He was very well aware that I was 15, the teenager said, adding they invented a story for the clients that she was about 19 or 20 and in college taking hairdressing and needed tuition money.  She said she would get $120 for 30 minutes with a client and $180 for a full hour. Kandic would take an $80 cut from the hour and $50 from the 30 minute appointments. She said she was given a cellphone and pictures, some nude and some in lingerie, were taken of her and posted online. She recalled Kandic referencing Craigslist for posting the ads. He made it very clear that he would end up doing jail time because I was a minor, she said.

Here is an interesting twist:  The teenage girl foster mother said that on the evening of April 30, 2010, the police brought her foster daughter home dressed in an outrageously sexual outfit with thigh-high boots, a bustier with a shirt tied around it and a short skirt.  The police had picked up the teenager at Kandic home and later that weekend the foster mother went over to his former sex shop to introduce herself because she thought he was dating her foster daughter.

She said she made it known that her child was 15 and Kandic said he realized that. He told her that when the teenager turned 16, she could move in with him, since he ran a rooming house for young girls to teach them life skills.

The trial is on-going and more details will be sorted out as it continues, but here are some of my thoughts and questions so far:

• What was Kandic doing selling teenagers cigarettes?  Was that part of his strategy for meeting young girls?
• Did a boyfriend/care-taker relationship form between the teenagers and Kandic?
• Who are the other pornographic images of?  How did he have access to 8 year-old children?
• Why would a guy like this start a house to help girls develop life skills?  What exactly do “life skills” mean?
• Why would a foster mother allow her daughter to live with a 40 year-old at the age of 16 after police had brought her home from his place dressed in an outragously sexual outfit?  Do we need to screen foster parents a little more thoroughly?
• There are rumours that this same girl was providing escort services through the Love Shop, another Guelph sex shop.  On one hand she admitted she’d told Kandic she was providing services for the Love Shop, but on the other hand she denied in court that she actually did. The Love Shop denies it as well.  If it is indeed just a rumour, how and why did it start?

This is a perfect example of how manipulation and exploitation of vulnerability usually define prostitution and sex trafficking.  In this case, it does not seem that these two teenage girls were kidnapped or being held against their will.  However if the girl’s story proves true,  there are strong elements of manipulation and deception that Kandic has mastered to make a buck off the exploitation of minors.  Through situations like this girls can end up in a lifetime of prostitution because they feel it is the only thing they have to offer the world.  Whether they continue working for a pimp or branch out and provide sexual services on their own, this can hardly be considered a real choice.

Ultimately, the verdict will be established in court, and I will be sure to follow the story as it unfolds and keep you posted.  You can read the Guelph Mercury articles here:

• Second day of trial for Guelph man arranging prostitution services for teenage girls
• Teen girl says she discussed sex for money with accused in prostitution case
• Guelph sex shop refutes prostitution allegations made at trial of former competitor

What do you think about this?  What questions does a story like this raise for you?  How can we be part of preventing men from preying on the vulnerability of young girls?

Thanks to all of you who sent in photos or commented on the Resilience photo essay!  I wrote down all your names and used random.org to select the winner.  Andrew, your name corresponded with the selected number, so send me your mailing address and I will send you a copy of Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking. Congrats!!

For the rest of you, check out:

• The great photos that were sent in
• Andrew McKenzie’s blog
• My book review of Invisible Chains

Hopefully this will get the rest of you to buy the book, as it really is a fantastic resource and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Michelle Brock

In March I read a fascinating book called The Whistleblower: Sex Trafficking, Military Contractors, and One Woman’s Fight for Justice by Kathryn Bolkovac.  You can read my review here.

In the book, Bolkovac recounts her real life experience working for the private American military contractor DynCorp in Bosnia, alongside a UN peacekeeping mission in the region.  There she uncovers the ugly truth about officers involved in human trafficking and forced prostitution, and risks her life to expose the truth.  If you have not read the book, borrow it from your local library or buy it here (those of you in the U.S., get it here).

As I mentioned in my previous post, the book was being made into a movie.  I am pleased to announce that The Whistleblower is now showing in select theatres in Canada and the U.S.!  Here is the movie trailer.

From what I can gather, the film is showing in two cinemas in Toronto.  Get the info here.  It is also playing in Vancouver, and in major cities in the U.S.  If you happen to find it in other locations, send me the link and I will add it to this post.

If you want to learn more about how peacekeepers are perpetuating and participating in sex trafficking in war-ravaged countries and understand better why the presence of soldiers often results in dangerous conditions for impoverished women, go watch this movie.

You can also watch an interview with actor Rachel Weisz (who plays Kathryn Bolkovac in the film) on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Michelle Brock

***Tomorrow I am announcing the winner of Invisible Chains by Benjamin Perrin – one of you who sent in a photo or commented on the resilience post last week will hear from me SOON!

While my husband Jay and I were on the road filming our documentary about sex trafficking in Canada, we met several experts, law-makers, police officers, and crisis shelter workers who emphasized the importance of proactive units that seek out traffickers and victims in this country and abroad. Traffickers are extremely organized, and stopping their criminal operations requires Canadians to go on the offense instead of playing defense.

The creation of the BC Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP) in 2007 has been heralded as a step in the right direction by many abolitionists.  It represents a unit that specializes in human trafficking in a region of Canada that suffers from both foreign and domestic trafficking.

The B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General quietly slashed this office a few days ago. As explained in this press release:

The B.C. government quietly eliminated the position of Executive Director of OCTIP, whose last day of work was July 29th, and is declining to hire staff to cover those on maternity leave “ effectively shuttering the main office of OCTIP in Victoria. The move leaves OCTIP with only two full-time employees in Vancouver and a meager budget of approximately $300,000. No reasons for the drastic cuts have been given.  OCTIP runs a 24/7 victims support hotline, coordinates victim services, trains front-line responders, and raises public awareness about the crime. The future of these life-saving programs is in doubt.

It seems that money is tight for everyone.  In understand that. And while I agree that sometimes programs and offices need to be cut, slashing OCTIP will undermine efforts to rescue and protect the most vulnerable.  If the reason for the cut is that the program is not performing as well as they want it to, the solution is the make it better, not undermine it further.  Considering that human trafficking is gaining momentum in the media and that Canada’s national government is making it a priority, it is strange that BC would choose to take such action.

Yes, the unit still has $300,000 to work with.  But consider the chilling words of author Benjamin Perrin: “$300,000 is the amount amount a sex trafficker earns per year from exploiting just one victim.”

Puts things into perspective.

Strangely enough, just weeks ago on June 22nd, Shirley Bond (Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General) made the following statement to announce a major online training course launched by OCTIP, with funding from the federal government:

“Human trafficking is unacceptable, and this is the reason the B.C. government created the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.  Since we established the B.C. office in 2007, we’ve made it a priority to develop partnerships with all levels of government, First Nations, police, and other community organizations to fight this terrible crime.”

As the office of MP Joy Smith pointed out, Minister Bond’s public commitment less than six weeks ago to make the fight against human trafficking a priority is at odds with her Ministry’s decision to slash OCTIP.

Let’s tell Minister Bond that ending human trafficking is a priority for Canadians!  Sometimes our leaders just need a reminder that we are paying attention and need them to act on our behalf.  Let’s steward this responsibility well.  Here is Minister Bond’s contact information:

To do some more reading, check out the following articles:

***Photographers, send in your photos on this theme for a chance to win a copy of Invisible Chains by Benjamin Perrin!

I hesitate to call the airport my second home, because at times it feels like my first home.  As the daughter of a humanitarian development worker, I was raised in several countries – which has resulted in a flood of memories rushing at me whenever I find myself walking through the sliding glass doors of an airport.

Little Michelle on a mission

Some of these memories include me proudly carrying package of Huggies diapers through customs as a toddler, watching floating sheets of city lights pierce the darkness of night through my airplane window, and jumping on hotel beds before my parents even had a chance to set down their luggage.

These lovely childhood memories have been somewhat hijacked during my travels lately. Since becoming an abolitionist, I catch myself keeping an eye out for young women or children travelling alone or with someone suspicious.  I watch the way people interact and occasionally even sit strategically in places where I can eavesdrop on conversations.  Calling me a paranoid creep is perhaps not an overstatement, and I am always embarrassed when my “trafficking suspect” merely ends up being a dad with his two teenage girls on their way to visit grandma.

As silly as my self-assigned spy missions seem most of the time, the reality is that international trafficking takes place at airports around the world every day.  A man I met with a number of months ago opened my eyes to the difficulty and complexity of spotting trafficking victims at airports, as many of them do not realize they are being trafficked until they have left the building. Hotels are often the next step in the sequence, and victims find themselves on lock down in a foreign land.

For this reason, I am extremely pleased that two big companies in the travel industry have decided to step on board with ECPAT International to do their part in the fight against trafficking.  In March of this year, Delta Airlines became the first major airline in the world to sign the ECPAT tourism Code of Conduct.  As such, it will implement policies to stop child trafficking and provide training to help its employees identify and report trafficking activities or victims they come across. Delta will also raise awareness through its Sky magazine.

As posted on their website, the executive director of ECPAT-USA had this to say:

All travel companies could unwittingly be facilitating the sex trafficking of children. If they do nothing to raise awareness or to prevent child trafficking, they risk becoming an indirect and unintentional conduit for the abuse that takes places.  We applaud Delta Air Lines for taking the first step toward helping fight the sex trafficking of children that has become a global epidemic.

Hilton Hotels, the world’s leading global hospitality company, followed suit last month. Though some are concerned that addressing such a grim reality will hurt the hotel chain’s image, others say that taking a stand against exploitation is in fact good for the hotel chain’s reputation. I agree.

The downside is that many traffickers use seedy motels instead of luxury hotels to keep costs low, but hopefully Hilton’s example will inspire some smaller chains to adopt similar initiatives.  There also needs to be a movement that goes beyond stopping children from being trafficked, as many victims are over 18.

Regardless, these companies are taking the lead on an important issues, and for that I applaud them. There needs to be more trained professionals watching out for warning signs – the warning signs that the average traveller (like me) may overlook or misinterpret.

For more information on the ECPAT Code of Conduct, you can see their website.  You can see Hilton’s press release here and an article about Delta Airlines here.  To see a list of all the companies that have signed the code, click here.  To sign a petition to get other hotels to do the same, click here.  Maybe this will impact where you choose to spend your money on your next vacation!

Michelle Brock

Structural Adjustment Programs. Political scandals.  Riots in the streets of Latin America.  Oh the reputation of the International Monetary Fund.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with this intergovernmental organization, the IMF oversees the global financial system and gives out loans to countries in need. Unfortunately there is a long history of such loans being attached to conditions that have undermined the ability of those countries to provide even the most basic services to their people.

Though my memory of the details is a bit rusty, I remember the strong distaste many of my professors expressed toward this institution, especially the one who was born and raised in Latin America and had seen the controversy first hand.

The IMF is now under a different type of scrutiny.  Its chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was recently boarding a plane at JFK Airport when he received quite the surprise – arrest, followed by some time in a jail cell.  A 32-year old woman who worked at the hotel Strauss-Kahn had stayed at in Manhattan reported that she had been forcibly attacked, locked in his room, and sexually assaulted.

What is the likelihood that these allegations are true?  Strauss-Kahn has a reputation for being a womanizer, to the extent that in 2009 comedian Stephane Guillon did a bit on France’s public radio on the security measures the station should take preceeding Strauss-Kahn arrival.  He jokingly mentioned that women should wear long, dark, unsexy clothing, avoid isolated places like the bathroom facilities, and keep an ear out for emergency sirens that would act as a sign to evacuate all women from the building.

On a more serious note, various female IMF employees over the years have requested to never work with him alone in a room.  Clearly this man is a sexual predator on some level.

In an interview I heard on CBC radio yesterday, some questioned the corporate culture of the IMF.  The institution was set up in 1944 and many see it as an old boy’s club.

What is their hiring criteria? Is it based on personality or character?  One of the radio guests mentioned that people hire in their own image, and Strauss-Khan was most likely chosen based on his ability to get people to do things for him. He is a seductive charmer.

Considering that the IMF’s mandate is to reduce poverty, and that the load of poverty falls disproportionately on impoverished women, perhaps it’s time for the IMF to re-examine its corporate culture in respect to women.  If the head of such a powerful institution views women as objects to be used and abused, there is a danger that this attitude will affect decisions that are made and trickle down through the ranks of the organization.

For the sake of the world’s impoverished, vulnerable, and exploited women, Strauss-Kahn needs to say good bye to his prestigious and powerful positions at IMF.

How do you think corporate culture can be changed to respect women?  Do you think this is important for institutions like the IMF?  If these allegations are proven true, what should be done with Strauss-Kahn?  For those of you who know France’s history of letting their leaders get away with sex scandals, do you think this goes too far considering that Strauss-Kahn was a possible presidential candidate?

Michelle Brock

Making 15 to 17 year-olds wear loads of make-up and lie about their age on internet sex ads.  Check. “Trying out” his girls before sending them out to clients and flashing a handgun if they resisted. Check. Asking girls to recruit other girls into the prostitution ring.  Check. Trying to murder a federal witness.  Check.

Brandon Thompson of Tea City, South Dakota, just received a life sentence for sex trafficking.  Though stating “I’m okay” after hearing the verdict, Thompson was surprised that he would get such a harsh sentence.

As the judge aptly pointed out, the 10 under aged victims received their own “life sentences.”  They will have to deal with the trauma that happened to them at the hands of Thompson for the rest of their lives.  To have the man that sold their bodies back in society after a few years in jail would be a slap in the face.

Fortunately this is not the case. There is no parole in the federal prison system. In an attempt to woo the judge, Thompson claimed that he wanted to start a nonprofit group to help victims of sex trafficking and help troubled teens. Judge Shcreier did not fall for this however, saying that in her 12 years as a judge she had never seen a case so disturbing.

One of the victims had a baby with Thompson, and through her tears said this:

“I have a lot to look forward to in my life, but I’m not looking forward to telling my son that his father is a sick, disgusting man who trafficked in women.”

I am grateful that for once a judge was willing to look at the horrifying facts and make a decision accordingly.  This is refreshing in light of decisions like the some in Canada, with traffickers like Imani Nakpangi receiving 5 years and Jacques Leonard-St. Vil getting a two-for-one credit for pretrial custody, allowing him to spend only one day in jail upon conviction.  A poor precedent has been set in our country.

Do you think that verdicts like this will deter traffickers?  Do you think Thompson received a fair sentence?  If not, what would you do differently?

I personally am of the opinion that we need to make sexual exploitation less profitable for traffickers.  Money makes the business worth it.  If you’re a dude and you think the girls advertised on the internet are pleased as punch to serve your sexual urges, I would recommend listening to the stories of some victims.  Thanks to Judge Schreier, the ones exploited by Thompson can now start rebuilding their lives.

Here are some news articles on the Thompson story:

• Tea Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Underage Sex Trafficking by Krystle Kacner
• Leader of sex ring gets life in prison by John Hult

Michelle Brock

Some concerned HFTS readers recently sent me articles about a shocking proposal coming from Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti:  the creation of a red light district on Toronto Island.  This really should not come as a surprise, as a regulated brothel district was one of Mammoliti’s central campaign tenets in his (cut-short) run for mayor last year.

His argument?  It would provide millions of dollars in revenue for the city and provide a well-defined area where the sex trade can flourish.  Mammoliti told CBC news that such a place would increase Toronto tourism as well, and is planning to discuss it with Toronto’s mayor Rob Ford soon.

In response to these developments, I am writing a letter to both the councillor and the mayor (you can read it here).  I would encourage our readers, especially those living in Toronto, to write to them as well.  Contact information for Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti is:

Toronto City Hall
100 Queen Street West, Suite B27
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

councillor_mammoliti@toronto.ca

Mayor Rob Ford’s contact information is:

Office of the Mayor
Toronto City Hall,
2nd Floor,
100 Queen St. West,
Toronto ON M5H 2N2

mayor_ford@toronto.ca

Here are some points you can include in your letter:

• Though a sex island would probably increase tourism, are large groups of men seeking paid sex the kind of tourist we want more of?

• When Amsterdam lifted its brothel ban and began a regulated prostitution industry, sex trafficking became easier and organized criminal groups moved into the area.  The City Council has since tried to back track by shutting down huge sections of the red light district and the mayor has called the lifting of the brothel ban an abysmal failure.

• When demand for paid sex begins to increase, it will be impossible to contain it to an island. Brothels, massage parlours, and escort services will likely spring up in other parts of Toronto as well.

I will give Mammoliti the benefit of the doubt that he is simply seeking tax revenues and is unaware of the implications a red light district would have on Toronto Island and the rest of the city as well.  Now it is our responsibility to tell him that the big picture looks very different, and that increasing demand for paid sex is a recipe for more sex trafficking, exploitation of women, and organized crime.  An island like the one proposed would draw crowds for the novelty of it, and it would be difficult to back track later on.

For articles on Giorgio Mammoliti’s proposal, check these out:

• Red light district pitched for Toronto Island by CBC News
• Mammoliti pushes for Toronto Island brothels by TheStar.com
• Build red-light district on Toronto Islands, Mammoliti suggests by The Globe and Mail

Get more informed on the legalization debate – this will help you as you write your letters/emails. You can also download and sign this letter from EVE and send it to your member of Parliament.  Special thanks to Carly Romano for raising this to my attention and dialogging with me this weekend!

Michelle Brock

**Update: read my letter to Mayor Ford and his response here**

In September I had the opportunity to participate in a round table discussion in Toronto on what Ontario must do to help victims of human trafficking.  Several thoughts, ideas, and concerns were shared by people from various sectors, and I left thinking that this kind of discussion and unity would be the recipe for change.

You can imagine how exciting it was for me two weeks ago to receive an announcement coming out of Ontario: the government is investing $1.95 million over three years to combat human trafficking across the province!  It is part of Ontario’s Sexual Violence Action Plan, and its initiatives will focus on prevention, enforcement, and support for victims.  This lines up with what MP Joy Smith proposes in her National Action Plan.  Here is the breakdown:

ENFORCEMENT

• Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will launch a special operation to gather intelligence to help identify organized crime groups involved in human trafficking.

• OPP will also develop human trafficking education materials to raise awareness among front line officers and the public.

• Peel Regional Police will add additional shifts to the Vice Unit section of its Major Drug and Vice Unit. These officers will work to rescue vulnerable youth in crisis, charge alleged offenders and support victims of human trafficking through the court process.

• Toronto Police Service will intensify its enforcement activity against human traffickers and increase its coordination with victim support organizations.

• Two Crown attorneys have been identified to act as human trafficking specialists to provide expertise and advice on human trafficking prosecutions and policy to police, victim services and other Crowns. This collaborative approach will help police officers focus their investigation and build stronger cases. The expertise of both specialists will be available to Crowns throughout Ontario.

PREVENTION

• In partnership with the Ontario government, Peel Regional Police will launch an awareness campaign in multiple languages to increase awareness about human trafficking and help victims.

VICTIM SUPPORT

• Ontario will provide support for Walk with Me, a provincial anti-human trafficking organization, to pilot a first response model tailored to victims of human trafficking.

• With the support of the province, the Ontario Native Women’s Association will establish drop-in services in Thunder Bay for Aboriginal women trafficked into the sex trade.

• A London anti-human trafficking coalition will receive funding to develop specialized materials to help service providers identify victims and improve their access to local supports and services.

• The province will fund The Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel to develop in-depth training and resource materials for delivery to front-line victim services providers.

• The Windsor-Essex Anti-Human Trafficking Action Group will be funded to develop outreach materials and workshops for victims.

• Ontario will fund Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking (PACT), Ottawa’s Coalition to End Human Trafficking, to develop an integrated community response protocol, build the coalition network and develop accessible online resources for victims of trafficking and service providers, available in both English and French.

• Ontario will fund the Sarnia-Lambton Committee Against the Trafficking of Women and Children to develop the tools necessary to build coordinated community responses to better support victims.

• The province will work with stakeholders to develop a crisis line, available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, for victims of human trafficking who have been exploited for the purposes of commercial sex and forced labour. This crisis line is expected to be available in the spring of 2011.

I am very happy that Walk With Me is receiving support.  Timea Nagy, who started the organization, was herself a victim of sex trafficking and wholly devotes herself to victims in distress.  It’s about time they got some government support!  The crisis hotline is an absolute necessity as well, and it is exciting that Ontario is following in Alberta’s footsteps on that one.

Many are saying that $1.95 million is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to effectively stamping out organized crime.  But the fact that some money is being provided is an indication that trafficking is now seen as a real crime.  We have come a long way from a few years ago when, as MP Joy Smith says in our film, she was laughed at in Parliament when she introduced the idea of trafficking.  She was told it simply did not exist in Canada.

Hope for the Sold wants to thank the Ontario government and specifically the Ontario Women’s Directorate for these initiatives. Your action gives legitimacy to the stories of countless victims who have found themselves exploited in our country.  My hope is that the drop in the bucket will eventually look more like this:

For more reading on this, check out the news release, background information, and a CTV article.

Michelle Brock

**Freedom Week 2011 is coming up soon in Vancouver, and researcher Gunilla Ekberg will speak on the Swedish model in Victoria on March 8. Check here for more details about these events.**