SCOTT DISCUSSES FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN WINDSOR
WINDSOR – Ontario PC Critic for Women’s Issues, MPP Laurie Scott hosted a roundtable discussion on human sex trafficking with the Windsor Police Service and local community partners.
“The Windsor Police and local community organizations are actively fighting the growth of human sex trafficking in their region – particularly along the Highway 401 corridor. Their message to me was clear: the exploitation of young girls by gangs, and even their peers, is on the rise and the Ontario government needs to take more decisive action to address it,” said Scott.
MPP Scott was informed that government funding for victims services in the Windsor area has been cut by 27 per cent over the last two years, resulting in the loss of three staff.
“This Liberal government has failed to lead on this important issue. They have been slow to get urgently needed funding out the door and they have ignored the concrete changes that are proposed in my Bill, the Saving the Girl Next Door Act,” Scott added.
Senior Constable Ronald Bercovici of the Windsor Police expressed his support for Bill 158: “Without a legal framework to work with it is impossible to reach victims effectively. We need tools and equipment – and this legislation could be a step forward.”
To date, 151 municipalities across Ontario, including Essex County, have passed resolutions in support of Scott’s legislation. Bill 158 would allow the courts to issue a protective order for victims over the age of 15 against a trafficker for a minimum of three years, allow survivors to sue a trafficker as a form of restitution, and expand the provincial sex offender registry to include human trafficking as a sex offence.
“I call on the Liberal government to urgently implement the recommendations contained in the Saving the Girl Next Door Act, which will have an immediate and lasting impact in curbing human sex trafficking – as they have in Manitoba,” concluded Scott.