Did you know...slavery still exists?

The novel I'm currently reworking, Tears from the Sea has brought me back to more than a character, it’s brought me back to the issue of human trafficking. My heroine Iphim is a sea gypsy from Myanmar, who lost her family in the tsunami and was swept into the world of human trafficking. Because the novel has been percolating for 10++ years, I feel like I’ve failed her because I’ve allowed her story to sit for such a long time. While Iphim has been waiting for my return, the growth of human trafficking has waited for no one.    

Therefore, to grow awareness as I continue to work on Iphim’s story, I wanted to share some information about human trafficking--which is modern day slavery and, when we’re ready-- Iphim’s voice will add to it.

What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking involves the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through the use of force, deception or other means for the purpose of exploiting them.

Did you know…

• After drugs and weapons, human beings are the most trafficked commodity in the world
• The sale of human beings is the world’s fastest growing crime
• According to the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 2016 estimate reveals that 40.3 million people were victimized worldwide
• Human trafficking is BIG, BIG, BIG business =’s $150 billion industry globally; of that, 99 billion is from commercial sexual exploitation (ILO)
• 71% of trafficking victims are woman and girls
• 1 in 3 victims is a child

 *unless indicated stats: 2016 UNODC Global Trafficking in Persons Report
 
I used to think that human trafficking was something that happened outside of my beloved Canada. When I learned it wasn’t, I was under the impression it was foreigners who were being trafficked across our borders—oh, how wrong I was again.  
Did you know that in Canada...

• Human trafficking is happening across Canada*
• Two-thirds of human trafficking cases are in Ontario*

• Trafficking is not a big city problem; it also happens in rural communities*
• 90% of trafficked victims are born in Canada*
• 25% of human trafficked victims are children*
• Indigenous people make up 4% of the population, but a study in 2014 found they account for about half the victims of trafficking: Public Safety Canada calls them the country’s “population most vulnerable to exploitation.”
• Traffickers have “playbooks” to teach each other tactics to exploit victims
• Victims can earn $1000-$2000 a day for their abusers
• In a year a traffickers averages $300,000 per victim 
• Two-thirds of the accused in the police-reported cases were male, and 80 per cent were between the ages of 18 and 34*
• Cost of purchasing a woman in the flesh market up to $25,000 +
• One woman can be bought on the streets of Montreal for $2,000+

*Police report data from 2009-2016. StatsCan 2016 report
+ Enslaved and Exploited: The Story of Sex Trafficking in Canada Transcript
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• Human trafficking only became a criminal code offence in 2005
• Canada has no national action plan to combat human trafficking (expired in 2016 and is currently in development)
• There is a significant gap when it comes to victim support

 
What can I do?

1. Write your local member of parliament to see what is being done to resolve this issue.
2. Share what you’ve learned about trafficking—talk to your friends, neighbours and family.
3. If you wish to report a crime anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at:                        1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

UNODC Global Trafficking Image