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HUMAN TRAFFIC
FOREIGN GIRLS ARE PAYING FOR CANADA’S LAXED LAWS
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by
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June 24 - 30, 2004 |
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St.Catharines, Chatham, Halifax: terminus points on the
Underground Railway, the train of safe houses and
abolitionist contacts that brought slaves to freedom in
Canada. It is a point of historical pride, a cornerstone in
the effort to build a free and tolerant and society. There is
no evidence of these traditional values in the fight against
modern slavery in Canada.
Every year an estimated 900,000 girls and women are
trafficked from Eastern Europe into sexual slavery, says
journalist Victor Malarek’s The Natashas: The New Global
Sex Trade. They end up in the Middle East, Asia and North
America.
It isn’t clear how many women and girls are victims of
sexual slavery in Canada, but one paper commissioned by
Status of Women estimates that 8,000 to 16,000—half
being under 18—are harboured into the country every
year. In contrast, 18,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked to
the U.S., with the UN estimating that about two million
are trafficked annually world–wide.
According to Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Canada (PSEPC), organised crime groups have used
“Aboriginal children, as well as Eastern European women
and children, in trafficking between provinces for the
purposes of prostitution, among other activities”—forced
marriages and bonded or indentured labour for
agricultural work, domestic service and sweatshops.
There is a difference between human trafficking and
human smuggling. Human smugglers are in the
transportation business and, for a fee, move people from
point A to B using illegal channels. Human traffickers are
in the flesh business, recruiting and entrapping victims
to sell to the highest bidder. They don’t even use the
same routes.
In Canada human trafficking usually begins with legal
permits. Women enter the country on student or visitor
visas with others getting permission to work as “buskers”
or entertainers on a temporary worker program. Both
terms are euphemisms for strippers. While Canadian
immigration law specifies all applicants must apply for
visas in person, most trafficking victims say they never
spoke to Canadian immigration staff.
Even with English and French language visas stamped in
their passports, foreign women recruited for jobs as
nannies and waitresses are still ignorant of what awaits
them in Canada. Duped completely, once they arrive their
passports and ID are confiscated by so–called employers
and they are confined to a secret location where they are
threatened, beaten and raped. Told they will have to repay
debts of $10,000 to $30,000 for expenses and employment
search fees, the girls are put to work in brothels, strip
clubs and massage parlours where they are expected to
find prostitution customers.
Confirmed sex trade workers have also been recruited to
work in Canada though, even in these cases, the notion of
consent is problematic from a human rights perspective.
A Thai woman, described as “a willing participant” after a
recent raid, was sold to a Japanese brothel at the age of
16 and then re–sold to a Vietnamese syndicate in Canada
years later.
Other women report they “just had a feeling,” even if the
word prostitution was never used. They agreed so they
could support their families, but none expected to be
enslaved. Debts never get smaller, payment is never
forthcoming, confinement never ends, rape and the threat
of rape is a constant. Threats against both their own lives
and those of family members at home keep them scared
and silent.
The U.S. State Department has called Canada’s record
on fighting human trafficking one of the worlds worst.
There is little cause to defend Canada against the
criticism.
Trafficking in humans wasn’t considered an offence until
just November 1, 2001. Bill C–11 amended the
Immigration Act to include fines of up to $1 million and
life imprisonment for the trafficking of people. The bill
was later included in the new Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act that was proclaimed in June of 2002. No
one has been convicted under the law.
“It should be understood that these types of
investigations are complex, lengthy and cross multiple
jurisdictions both domestically and internationally,” said
RCMP Staff Sergeant Paul Marsh. “Thus, no charges have
been laid to date under the new legislation but
investigations are ongoing.”
Jurisdiction and the number of agencies involved both
suggest a cumbersome anti–trafficking bureaucracy.
“Citizenship and Immigration Canada is responsible for
illegal migration,” reads the PSEPC web site. “While
criminals who finance and engage in human trafficking
fall within the scope of Solicitor General Canada, the
RCMP, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,
and the Department of Justice.”
The various agencies have created the Interdepartmental
Working Group on Trafficking in Persons (IWGTIP). So far,
the group’s work has been composed primarily of
communications campaigns. The Department of Justice
created and released a poster to bring attention to the
issue at an IWGTIP event. IWGTIP has also created a 14
language information pamphlet for women at risk of
being trafficked into slavery. In their native languages, the
pamphlet tells at–risk women how to avoid being
trafficked. If they are, they should dial 9–1–1 if they are
hurt or threatened in Canada. It also refers them to
telephone books and libraries for information about
emergency shelters that will “keep you safe.”
Local women’s shelters emphasised that they would
welcome women fleeing sexual slavery, but none of the
shelters contacted for this article have received any
information from IWGTIP or training to help these women
either from a legal or safety standpoint.
“Womens Place has not received any information or
training from the Intergovernmental Working Group on
Trafficking in People—either directly or via the Ontario
Association of Interval and Transition Houses—regarding
sex slavery,” said Women’s Place spokesman Dave
Augustyn.
“We haven’t heard from any of the agencies you
mention,” said YWCA spokeswoman Diane Marino. “We
are interested in being part of such an initiative and
would certainly welcome any women who are victims in
our Crisis Housing Facility.”
While government agencies make posters and distribute
pamphlets, Canadians informed about trafficking are
busy too. Undercover journalists have shown how
extensive the crime and how easily its victims might be
found. On a talk show, Victor Malarek recently showed
hidden camera footage in which he was approached by a
pimp in Vancouver and offered any sexual service,
including those of a pre–teen child.
A brief survey of recent news articles on trafficking
reveals another trend. Victims who have escaped and
stayed in Canada long enough to testify against their
captors have been helped by strip club customers,
co–workers or former massage parlour clients. It’s not a
modern underground railway, but it does reflect a
morality that differentiates sex for sale from sexual
slavery.V
[KATE BAGGOTT]
Anti–slavery web sites and
authorities suggest a number of ways you can assist
someone who may be a victim:
• “The most valuable advice I
can provide to persons who know or suspect someone is
being
trafficked is to contact authorities in a discreet manner,”
says Sergeant Marsh. Keep notes of details that might be
of assistance such as physical descriptions of people and
their names, the addresses of businesses and vehicle
licence plate numbers.
• Don’t ignore bruises, cigarette burns or other injuries
you see on
a stripper, masseuse or other sex worker. Inform them
that, even without coverage, they will receive treatment
and counselling at local hospitals.
• Pass potential victims the
telephone number of emergency shelters for women.
• If you are taken into confidence, help the victim write
down her story for police. Keep a photocopy.
• Help contact her embassy to
initiate a new passport.
• If embassy officials make
statements about being unable to help or to offer
protection,
document these comments for a refugee status claim.
• Do not ignore even repeated signs “domestic disputes”
in the neighbourhood. Always call police.
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