Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / lucidwatersPhoto courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / lucidwaters
London

Sex Trafficking Reaches Crisis Level

On the day the international community marked World Day Against Trafficking In Persons, the head of the London Abused Women’s Centre warned the number of woman being sex trafficked and exploited has reached "crisis" levels.

Megan Walker says that, over a two year period, her agency has tracked over 1,437 women and girls who were either being trafficked or were at high risk. Many of the girls targeted were living in group homes and had been exposed to luring.

"What we are seeing as an agency is just the tip of the iceberg," said Walker. "The services that women and girls are expected to provide are akin to torture. It's extremely dangerous and many of them are provided with drugs by their pimps to keep them around. Pimps often times will work to make sure girls are addicted to various drugs so that they'll keep coming back for more."

London is a hotbed for trafficking primarily due to its proximity to Hwy. 401, according to Walker.

"It's easy access to hotels and motels and is the first large city located between Detroit/Windsor and Toronto," said Walker.

While it is known that two-thirds of all human trafficking in Canada originates in Ontario, the exact number of reported cases from the London region is hard to pinpoint.

"The London Abused Women's Centre provides very specific programs for trafficked women and girls and we do track those numbers but other agencies are not," said Walker. "It's one of the reasons why we're advocating very strongly for a national crisis hotline for trafficking so they will continue to record the data because it is very very important to have the data to support the work we're doing."

Some of those being trafficked are said to be being lured away from Western University, Fanshawe College, and local bars. Human traffickers use threats, violence, psychological abuse, and drugs to control their victims. Often times, family members don't even realize their loved one is being trafficked.

Walker stresses the best approach to reduce and eventually end sex trafficking in Canada is to continue to arrest and charge those who pimp out women for financial gain and those who buy sexual services.

"We have to understand the relationship between prostitution and trafficking, that it is prostitution that fuels the demand for trafficked women and girls. We have great legislation in this country at this point which decriminalizes all woman in prostitution, while criminalizing pimps, brothel owners, and sex buyers. There is a pro-sex trade lobby in this country that is advocating strenuously for full de-criminalized prostitution, which would mean pimps, brothel owners and sex buyers would all be criminally allowed to continue to have access to women's bodies in this way."

Walker is calling on the country's political leaders to issue a strongly worded statement condemning the legalization of pimps and traffickers. She says average citizens can also do their part by taking a stand against family, friends and acquaintances who admit to going to strip clubs, body rub parlours or buying sexual services.

"Just say 'you're contributing to trafficking in Canada and it is illegal and you need to stop,'" said Walker.

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