Hope for the Sold sends out a HUGE congratulations to Tara Teng for winning the title of Miss World Canada 2012!  Tara has worked so hard for this – and not because she seeks glory for herself but because she believes that this platform can empower her to empower others.  Tara, thank you for your heart for justice, for your never ending energy to fight on behalf of human trafficking victims, for your willingness to declare war on exploitation, for your convictions about true beauty, and for your humility.  Your joy bursts out of you on that stage and we celebrate with you!

As Miss World Canada, Tara will be representing Canada at the Miss World Pageant in Inner Mongolia this summer.  I will be sure to post updates.  For those of you who have not been acquainted with this beautiful friend of mine, you can read my interview with Tara Teng (when she held the title of Miss BC) and learn about her journey with Miss World Canada here.

There are many of you who supported Tara through your votes and by helping her raise funds for Variety Children’s Charity, and a BIG thank you goes out to all of you as well!  She could not have done this without you.  I know Tara will not waste this opportunity to do some serious good in the world, and it is so exciting for us to stand behind her as a community of love and support.

Great job to all the ladies who competed in this pageant – I hope that you will continue the great things you are doing in the world to help others!

Follow Tara’s journey through Twitter @MissTaraTeng and on her blog.

Photo source (all photos): Kuna Photography, Miss World Canada facebook page

For all of you who wrote letters and contacted your Member of Parliament about Bill C-310, you will be happy to know that it passed the Third Reading in the House of Commons last week and is now headed to the Senate!  Here is the press release from Friday.

April 27, 2012

Ottawa, ON: Today, Bill C-310, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons), passed at Third Reading with unanimous consent. Bill C-310 will now go to the Senate for consideration.

“I am absolutely delighted with the adoption of Bill C-310 today by the House of Commons and look forward to it being adopted by the Senate in a timely manner,” said MP Joy Smith. “Bill C-310 will have a significant impact on the anti-human trafficking efforts of Canada here at home as well as abroad. This legislation will place important legal tools into the hands of prosecutors and law enforcement.”

Bill C-310 amends the Criminal Code by adding the current trafficking in persons offences [s.279.01, s.279.011, s.279.02, and s.279.03] to the list of offences which, if committed outside of Canada by a Canadian or permanent resident, could be prosecuted in Canada. The Bill also adds an interpretive aid for courts to provide greater clarity of the definition of exploitation in s.279.04 of the Criminal Code.

“Today, modern day slavery exists in all corners of our globe and our resolve to eliminate it must only grow stronger,” said MP Smith. “It will take concerted efforts across party lines to effectively combat human trafficking in our country as well as abroad. I look forward to working with all members of Parliament to fight this egregious abuse of human rights.”

Since introducing Bill C-310, MP Joy Smith has presented petitions containing 1000’s of signatures from Canadians calling for the adoption of the legislation. Many organizations have also lent their support for this legislation, representing stakeholders such as law enforcement, victim’s services, and non-governmental organizations.

MP Joy Smith is one of Canada’s leading anti-human trafficking advocates and has previously succeeded in passing legislation to combat human trafficking. In 2010, MP Joy Smith’s Bill C-268 became law creating Canada’s first child trafficking offence with stiff minimum sentences. MP Smith has also drafted a proposal for a National Action Plan to Combat Human trafficking called ‘Connecting the Dots’ that is being developed by the Canadian Government.

I will let you know when the bill passes through Senate.  Great job to everyone that has gotten this bill to this point!  Also in recent news, the federal government has appealed the prostitution ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal.  Will keep you posted as this develops.  Don’t know what this is about?  Read more here.

Last week on Friday, Bill C-310, which many of you asked your MPs to support, was expected to pass through its Third Reading.  Through the first stages of the Bill, there had been unanimous support from all parties, and all parties had expressed that they would support the Bill in the Third Reading. However, this is what I received from MP Joy Smith:

Today (Friday) , Bill C-310, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons), was expected to be adopted unanimously by the House of Commons at Third Reading and sent to the Senate. However, at the last minute, the NDP prevented debate on Bill C-310 and delayed the Bill from passing until the end of May.

“I am absolutely stunned by this,” said MP Joy Smith. “Bill C-310 will strengthen Canada’s efforts to combat human trafficking and this should not be a partisan matter. I have worked so hard to secure the support of all parties and have appreciated the support of all MPs for this Bill up until today.”

“At each stage of this Bill, I have reached out to members of other parties,” stated MP Smith. “In advance of today’s Report Stage and Third Reading, I spoke with the NDP and Liberal House Leaders to secure their support for Bill C-310 to be adopted today. They assured me that they were fully supportive of Bill C-310 being adopted today. Then, about 10 minutes before debate was to begin, I was shocked to find out that the NDP would be opposing Bill C-310.”

“What is most astounding is that the NDP have been fully supportive of Bill C-310 at Second Reading and Committee stages. They have even jointly seconded this Bill,” says MP Smith. “My heart sank when I watched as they stood, smiling and shouted ‘NO!’ when the Speaker of the House sought consent.”

As a result of today’s actions, Bill C-310 will be voted on next Wednesday, and will drop to the bottom of the Order of Precedence instead of heading to the Senate.

“I don’t have any answers as to why this happened,” said MP Smith. “I would invite Canadians to write or call NDP members for an explanation of why they would vote against such an important, bipartisan Bill and deliberately hold it up.”

“Today, modern day slavery exists in all corners of our globe and our resolve to eliminate it must only grow stronger,” said MP Smith. “In fact, only yesterday, a judge handed out the toughest penalty for human trafficking in Canadian history for an egregious case of forced labour.”

Bill C-310 amends the Criminal Code by adding the current trafficking in persons offences [s.279.01, s.279.011, s.279.02, and s.279.03] to the list of offences which, if committed outside of Canada by a Canadian or permanent resident, could be prosecuted in Canada. The Bill also adds an interpretive aid for courts to provide greater clarity of the definition of exploitation in s.279.04 of the Criminal Code.

Since introducing Bill C-310, MP Joy Smith has presented petitions containing 1000’s of signatures from Canadians calling for the adoption of the legislation. Many organizations have also lent their support for this legislation, representing stakeholders such as law enforcement, victim’s services, and non-governmental organizations.

The NDP decided to act in a partisan manner with Bill C-310 and needlessly delay it OR the NDP made a grave procedural error.

Regardless of what the reason was, the NDP’s actions halted the debate and passage of an important human trafficking bill that the Conservative, Liberal, Green, and Bloc parties were prepared to debate and support.

Note: The NDP could rectify this by offering to move Bill C-310 back to the top of the Order of Precedence by trading one of their Private Members Bill spots with Bill C-310.

My husband Jay and I wrote to several NDP MPs, asking them why they blocked debate on this bill, as we wanted to understand what happened.  We have waited for several days and not received a reply.

TODAY there will be a debate on this bill in the House of Commons.  If the Member of Parliament that represents you is part of the NDP party, please contact them today and ask them to support this bill. Ask them also to grant a position change with one of their private members bills and move Bill C-310 to a sooner vote for the 3rd reading.

I don’t know what happened here.  Some anti-trafficking bills are more controversial, but this one had unanimous support.  I think the NDP made a procedural mistake.  You can read this great article about the NDP’s decision to get more info.  You can also contact MP Joy Smith’s office with any questions: 613-992-7148 or joy.smith.a2@parl.gc.ca.

Update: C-310 just adopted at Report Stage with all in favour. Could have been sooner if it had not been blocked earlier, but grateful it is now to the next stage!  I will update this post once I hear more.

Yesterday was a big day in Ontario regarding prostitution laws.  The Ontario Court of Appeal, the province’s highest court, legalized brothels based on the argument that “Ontario’s current anti-prostitution laws place unconstitutional restrictions on prostitutes’ ability to protect themselves.”

If you are new to this issue or want to understand today’s ruling in simple terms, here is a summary of what has happened to date.

Pre-September of 2010:

According to the law, prostitution itself was legal but everything surrounding it was illegal.  For example, it was illegal to:

1. Communicate for the purposes of prostitution  - ie. soliciting on the street

2. Live off the avails of prostitution – ie. pimps living off the money they receive from exploiting women and children, or someone in the trade paying for their child’s education with money from prostitution

3. Keep a bawdy house - ie. operating or working out of a brothel, which could include residences used by groups of women

Leading up to September 28th, 2010:

Dominatrix Terry-Jean Bedford and ex-prostitute Valerie Scott (along with Amy Lebovitch and their lawyer Alan Young), launched a constitutional challenge of Canada’s anti-prostitution laws. In simple terms, they wanted prostitution and everything surrounding the actual act to be decriminalized.

September 28, 2010:

The Ontario Superior Court ruled in favour of their proposal by striking down the three anti-prostitution laws.  This meant it was no longer illegal to keep a bawdy house (brothel), communicate for the purposes of prostitution, or live off the avails of selling sex.  The federal government appealed the Ontario Superior Court’s decision, in effect reversing it until it was looked at again by the Ontario Court of Appeal.

March 26, 2012, Ontario Court of Appeal:

Five judges found that banning bawdy houses and living off the avails of prostitution were unconstitutional, but agreed with the Crown that the open solicitation of prostitution should be illegal. What exactly does this mean?  It means that those in the sex trade can legally run or work out of brothels in Ontario, as well as hire drivers, bodyguards and support staff.  From a legal standpoint, it makes prostitution just like any other taxable profession.  Bodyguards and staff can legally be hired as early as April, but the brothel ban is still in effect for up to a year, giving the Crown the chance to appeal.   This would mean that the case will go before the Supreme Court of Canada.  Whatever they decide will be the ultimate decision and will affect the entire country, not just Ontario.

Dominatrix Terry-Jean Bedford stands to celebrate the Court's decision Monday. Photo source: Kevin Van Paassen, Globe and Mail

There is no question that Canada’s prostitution laws have not made sense or protected women.  The fact that prostitution itself has been legal while everything surrounding it has been illegal makes for poor lawmaking.  New prostitution laws are absolutely necessary, but that is where my agreement with the pro-sex work group ends.  They want the laws changed so that the entire industry is decriminalized, making the sex trade a fully legal.  But there are many, myself included, who want the laws changed so that women can be empowered to leave the trade, as the majority of those in the sex trade desperately want out but have no exit strategy.

Terry-Jean Bedford and her group assume that they are the only ones who will be affected by the Court’s ruling.  They assume that most working in the sex trade have chosen to enter it willingly and that this will empower them to work like any other tax-paying citizen.  But here are some of my concerns:

It is not the law that makes prostitution dangerous.  Prostitution is inherently dangerous. Even when it is legal or “high end,” women are encouraged to have panic buttons and learn skills that get them out of life-threatening situations.  Is this the type of industry we want to promote as a career choice for young girls?  Terry-Jean Beford herself entered the trade as a teenager, manipulated by an abusive boyfriend.  There are definitely some who make a decision as adults to prostitute themselves, but it is incredibly naive to think that most enter in this way.

Global studies have demonstrated that whether prostitution takes place indoors or outdoors, many women experience post traumatic stress disorder as a result of being in the trade.

The ruling allows those in the trade to hire bodyguards, drivers, and support staff.  For the small minority who is able to call the shots, this could arguably make them safer.  However this provision does absolutely nothing to protect the unfortunate majority which includes trafficking victims and those who are manipulated and controlled by pimps.  Though the Court clarified that no one can live off the avails of “exploitation,” now pimps and traffickers can pose as drivers and bodyguards, giving them a legal loophole to continue exploiting women and children.

Those who are pro-prostitution often us the case of Robert Pickton, a BC man who savagely murdered dozens of prostituted women, as an example of why legal brothels would make women safer.  But Angel Wolfe, the daughter of one of the women killed by Pickton, points out that legal brothels would make it more difficult for police to get warrants for sweeps that uncover victims of trafficking and abuse.  Now it is easier to hide trafficking victims.

When you legalize any component of the prostitution industry, you increase demand for paid sex.  This gives the green light for traffickers to increase supply to help meet that demand.  If a “legal” woman refuses a john because he seems unsafe or because she does not like him, where is he going to take his fantasies instead?  Trafficking victims are the ones who will end up with the most abusive and violent men, as their so-called “bodyguards” now have the competitive advantage of their girls being willing to “do anything.”

What bothers me is that I have never heard people like Terry-Jean Bedford or those who are pro-prostitution mention victims of trafficking or exploitation, except in an attempt to sweep them under the rug and disconnect them from the argument altogether.  Are we so blinded as a society that we think we can disconnect prostitution from trafficking and exploitation?  This certainly did not work in Amsterdam or Las Vegas, where trafficking networks run with seamless efficiency due to high demand for paid sex.

Window of Opportunity:

The Crown will doubtless apply for a stay from the Supreme Court, meaning that this decision would be decided in the highest court of Canada.  That will be the final decision for prostitution law in our country. As this Globe and Mail article states:

The landmark decision is binding on Ontario courts and sets up a final showdown at the Supreme Court of Canada next fall or in early 2013.

This means that right now we have a window of opportunity to push our government to change prostitution laws.  The Court’s responsibility is to make sure that laws are not unconstitutional, but the Crown’s responsibility is to actually create laws that are good for society.  This means that we must do everything we can to encourage our Members of Parliament to push our country in the opposite direction – away from a fully legal sex industry that promotes exploitation – and towards laws that protect women and decrease demand for paid sex.

We should be looking at the example of Sweden.  In contrast to legalization or full decriminalization of prostitution, Sweden’s approach has significantly cut down human trafficking levels. It has criminalized the purchase of sex while decriminalizing the selling of it. This has decreased demand for paid sex, reducing monetary incentives for traffickers to set up shop. Because its success has encouraged other countries to adopt it, this approach is now known as the “Nordic Model.” This is the direction we should be headed.  You can read more about the Nordic Model here.

What You Can Do Now:

As my friend John MacMillan has aptly pointed out, Courts are not swayed by public opinion – in fact when the Charter is involved, the role of a court is often to protect the rights of a minority from public opinion.  Petitioning the government is our best course of action right now.  If you want Canada to head in the direction of the Nordic model that prevents exploitation instead of supporting a fully decriminalized prostitution industry, here are three steps you can take:

ONE.  Print this petition, fill it with signatures, and send it to your Member of Parliament at the House of Commons >> Petition Swedish Model.  Don’t know who your representative is?  Find out here.

TWO.  Contact your Member of Parliament and let them know how you feel about this issue.  They need to know that Canadians care and that this is priority.  Don’t know what to say?  Here is an outline. Personalize it and send it to your MP.

THREE.  Hope for the Sold is currently raising funds to make a documentary about legalization of prostitution and its connection to sex trafficking. We believe that film is a powerful way to help sway opinion and change minds, and our hope is that this film will have an impact that will help governments around the world take an approach that prevents trafficking and exploitation as opposed to legalizing an industry that us full of violence and abuse.  Due to the generosity of blog readers, small businesses, friends, and family, we have raised $23,000 to date.  We have $57,000 more to raise.  As soon as we have $80,000 we will hit the road.  Clearly this is an urgent matter, so please consider supporting this project!  All donations are eligible for tax receipts.  Watch our pitch video and support the film here.

4.  Please stay tuned.  This week I will give you further instructions from the Crown on how to proceed. We MUST be a united front on this issue, and currently there is a plan being formed. Please check back this week to find out how you can be part of this movement.  As my friend Tara Teng says: This is NOT the time to stand by and do nothing.  We have a window opportunity. Let’s use it.

I leave you with this question: do we care more about the rights of women who want to sell their bodies, or the rights of the exploited who desperately don’t want to?  Let’s see the Court’s decision not as a tragedy but an opportunity – as it forces our government to decide where they really stand on this issue.

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
• 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.

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