Canada fights human trafficking
Today, a new website is launched publicising the struggle against human trafficking. Canada Fights Human Trafficking (CFHT) is a non-profit organisation seeking to raise Canadians’ awareness about modern-day slavery. The site contains a wealth of information.
The impact of trafficking on Canada is estimated at between $120 million to $400 million per year and accounts for approximately 8,000 to 16,000 people arriving in Canada per year illegally. (“Organized Crime Impact Study,” Solicitor General of Canada) In Canada a girl can be sold for $15,000 and earn her owner over $40,000 a year.
The site also has a statement from Conservative MP Joy Smith, whose private members’ Bill C-268 would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of five years on those convicted of trafficking persons under 18.
Canada presently has no minimum sentence for trafficking in minors. The United States imposes a minimum sentence of 10 years (or 15 years if the victim is under 14).
Bill C-268 was debated yesterday in the House of Commons and is expected to come to a vote on 22 April. If successful, it will then be considered by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Human trafficking has become Smith’s raison d’être. She was exposed to the issue through her son, a police officer: “To me, it’s clear, if someone rapes a child, five years in prison is not too harsh,” Smith said.
The Conservative caucus supports Bill C-268, as do many Liberal and NDP MPs.
The launch of the new website, Canada Fights Human Trafficking, is a welcome initiative. It is, as they say, a wealth of information. But more importantly, it is another avenue for awareness raising into this insidious occurrence. I have been working in the area of combating human trafficking, especially child labor and child trafficking for years. Each year the extent to which human trafficking occurs increases. Fortunately, so too is the awareness and the pressure put to bear upon governments to take a stand against human trafficking, at the local level, as well as the global level.
Dr Martina Nicolls’ book is The Sudan Curse.
[...] CANADA fights human trafficking …. [...]