PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVES ADVOCATE FOR DEDICATED ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING EFFORTS
WHITBY-OSHAWA – In Durham Region today, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Critic for Women’s Issues, Laurie Scott (MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock) and Lorne Coe, Progressive Conservative candidate for Whitby-Oshawa, held a press conference calling for the Liberal Government to take immediate action to create a province-wide taskforce to combat human trafficking.
Canadian law states that human trafficking –a form of modern day slavery – involves the recruitment, transportation, harbouring and/or control of a person for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
Ontario is a major hub for human trafficking in Canada, particularly along the Highway 401 corridor. Throughout Durham Region, numerous incidents of human trafficking have occurred, with dozens of young women forced into the sex trade. Beginning in 2012, Durham Region Police began receiving a disproportionate amount of calls from the area surrounding the 401, and found that many of these calls related to the sex trade. This resulted in multiple police operations, and the Durham police have since allocated dedicated resources to combat human trafficking.
“Sadly, high schools throughout Durham Region have had students who have become victims of human trafficking,” said Coe. “While the Durham Region Police have done a great job combatting human trafficking, one agency can’t deal with this fast-growing crime alone.”
It has been seven months since MPP Scott’s motion to create an anti-human trafficking taskforce received unanimous support in the Ontario Legislature. On December 10th, 2015 the Select Committee on Sexual Violence and Harassment tabled their final report, which also recommended that the government create a taskforce on trafficking in Ontario. The government has not taken any action on this front.
The taskforce aims to create a dedicated unit of police officers, Crown prosecutors, social workers and victims’ services to work collaboratively to apprehend criminals and assist victims. According to leading experts, such a coordinated approach would be best suited to tackle this heinous crime.
“We need action on all fronts,” said Scott. “We need to improve education on trafficking not only for frontline workers in health care and police officers across Ontario but also in our schools and for hotel and motel owners, much like what they have done here in Durham.”
Such support is needed along the continuum of care to facilitate information sharing, strengthen the criminal justice system, and enhance the education system.
“This Liberal Government has simply not done enough – if anything at all – to address serious problems facing survivors and victims of human trafficking,” concluded Scott.