While human traffickers get more digitally savvy young women lose trust in police

“There is absolutely no support. There are no services at the front end to help us parents prevent this from happening,” one mother told researchers at FSP in 2019. “I knew in my mind that this could happen to her, and I still could not stop it. I could not stop it with the help of the police, I could not stop it with the help of social workers, I could not stop it with the help of Peel Children’s Centre. It is like a snowballing effect, there is nothing in place to help us parents stop this process.”

“We must have called 100 places trying to get services,” another mother shared. “For 17-year-olds, there’s nothing for addiction," she said. For some reason, there’s support for 16 and 18 year olds, but little for those in the middle. Curious? Yes, and begs the question: why?

A majority of those who have survived some form of human trafficking don’t come forward for help or share their stories with police. It’s due to fear and uncertainty, but mostly a matter of trust.

Survivors don’t trust police and the legal system to prosecute, or service providers to help them. In a region that’s a hotbed for trafficking, rebuilding broken trust is a must.

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Published in The Pointer Brampton and The Pointer Mississauga on October 18, 2020