In essence, it’s modern day slavery. It affects mostly women and children who are exploited through forced prostitution or forced labour. It’s a global phenomenon of evil that is on the rise.
In some cases, young children are stolen off the streets. Sometimes they are sold by their parents. Sometimes young foreign women are tricked into believing that they will become models in another country, only to find themselves trapped in a terrifying life of sex slavery. It is reported by the United Nations to be the fastest growing form of transnational organized crime.
What you may not be aware of is that this is happening in Canada.
Canada is both a destination and migration country for human trafficking. By definition, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person for the purpose of exploitation.
Think of that. For a moment, consider the gravity of that evil. A human being forces a woman or a child into slavery and treats their trauma as a business.
How do we as Christians respond to that?
I have been asked to write a book about human trafficking in Canada. I am currently conducting research, which is a difficult task in any book, yet has taken on new and deeper meaning for me in this book. The purpose is to raise awareness about this crime and how Canadians can stop it. Which Canadian youth and children are at risk? What can we do to prevent it? Is awareness enough?
We are in the process of confirming a publisher for this project. I would appreciate your prayers in this process. Many of you can understand what this entails. Thank you in advance. I count it a privilege to be a part of this undertaking .
May God bless and protect our brave men and women in Canada who are working to stop human trafficking.
Blessings,
Paul.
9 comments:
check out www.breakingchains.org they are fighting this evil in the name of Jesus
Paul, the LORD bless, direct and protect you as you do this research. TWG prayer team will be praying for you and for the research and publishing arrangements.
God Bless you Paul as you embark on this dark topic. I think part of the problem in Canada is that we have such lack of legislation on Child pornography in this country. Canada is one of the world's leaders in that field. Not a distinction I would think anyone would be proud of.
marcia
Praying, Paul. The Lord protect you in this project.
I certainly pray that God will reveal in the light what is hidden in the darkness.
I think the issue lies in a larger, systemic problem. Yes, human trafficking is a terrible crime against humanity, but I think it's root are found in a global culture that undervalues (or holds no value) women.
Marilyn Warring (from New Zealand) talks about this in her film "If Women Counted" and talks about crimes against women being rooted in a system that holds everything accountable to a dollar figure. If you are contributing to the GNP, then you count. If you are a mother at home with children, tending house and not contributing to the GNP, then, you do not count. It sounds innocent enough, but the sex trade adds to the GNP. It counts. The women (and girls) who are victims of it do not.
The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.
Best to you, Paul.
Paul, Keith Clemons book, These Little Ones, which is set in Mexico, is also based on human trafficking.
I may email you for sources. I'm working on a novel set in Pakistan tentatively called Dark Trade that deals with human trafficking including child labour. Eric Wright
Hi,
You'll find some good information at www.embracedignity.org, especially if you dig into some of the links. We are an anti-trafficking organization that has been working on this issue in Canada for the last 3 years. Due to the sensitive nature of our work we don't post too much on the internet.
Grace, Michelle Miller
Paul,
I have been looking for documents on trafficking of children in Canada. Most of the information is buried in documents talking about Human trafficking, or women. Here is a list of the sites and documents I have found:
Strategic Action Plan for the Protection of Victims of Child Trafficking in Quebec:
http://www.ibcr.org/Publications/Trafficking_SC/2007_Trafficking_Report_En.pdf
Child Trafficking in Canada: http://projectdesertroses.org/hrdocs/Morency_ENG.pdf
Children of the Street Society
http://www.childrenofthestreet.com/About+Us/default.htm
Conference on Human Trafficking in Canada
http://mils.mcgill.ca/resources/Human_Trafficking.pdf
Girls sold for $2,000 in Canada:
http://thespec.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/352234
Keeping the Promise
http://www.fncaringsociety.ca/docs/KeepingThePromise.pdf
Sexual Exploitation Toolkit
http://www.jibc.ca/seytoolkit/rap.htm#
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It? / Mukasey B.; Daley, Cybele K.; Hagy, David W; National Institute of Justice (USA). Washington, D.C., USA: U.S. Dept. Of Justice, Office fo Justice Programs.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/215733.htm
The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children in the US, Canada, and Mexico
http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/sextrade/upenncsec90701.pdf
Outline for North American Regional consultation Background Paper
www.csecworldcongress.org/.../North%20America%20Regional%20Consultation%20Background%20Paper.pdf
Bi-national Assessment of Trafficking in Persons
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/le/_fl/1666i-en.pdf
Ensuring Global Justice for Children Issue No. 11, Fall 2007
http://www.beyondborders.org/Publications/BB%20Newsletter%20Fall07%20FINAL.pdf
There are a few people in Canada who have done a lot of research on the exploitation of women and children: Richard Poulin, Michel Dorais, Benjamin Franklin.
You will also find many titles by searching the catalogue of the CPC Library (www.cpc.gc.ca/library_e.htm)
I look forward to seeing your book in print.
Regards,
E. Fournier
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