Human Trafficking

Last weekend I had the privilege to be asked to perform for a benefit concert to raise money to fight against human trafficking. I always new what human trafficking was, but I didn't realize to what extent. I also didn't realize how close to home this really is, even in our own local city. I learned a lot from the day and found a lot of the information to be shocking. I'd like to share some of it with you. Please be advised, some content not be suitable for sensitive readers.

The following information was given to me from the organizers of the benefit concert. For any clarification or if you feel called to support their organization in the fight against human trafficking, please visit http://www.stopht.ca/

Human trafficking is the forced sale of people for the purpose of exploitation. It can include abduction, fraud, deception, forced labour, prostitution and other forms of sexual servitude…..or even the removal of internal organs for sale.


Human Trafficking has become the fastest growing criminal activity in the world to the tune of some $32 BILLION dollars annually in revenue.

There are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. People are forced to work without pay, under threat of violence and are unable to just walk away.

It is estimated that 800-900,000 people are trafficked across borders every year. That translates to one person every 35 seconds who is trafficked into another country and placed into human bondage. 70% of these are women and girls, and 50% are minors (some as young as 3 years old). A trafficked person can be bought for as little as $90, and can be sold over and over again until they become too sick to work or they die. They have become disposable people, subjected to extreme violence, drugs, and horrendous living conditions. Victims of human trafficking suffer severe physical and mental health conditions, sexually transmitted diseases, addictions, and death. If they are not rescued, they may survive only two years in bondage.

Traffickers most often operate within a network of organized crime, but trafficking can also take place in non-networked criminal groups. Perpetrators exploit the weak and disadvantaged. They take advantage of runaways, orphans and widows, the homeless, the disenfranchised. They prey on people in desperate need such as during natural disasters or political conflict. They use trickery and deception to coerce their victims into agreeing to leave their families with grandiose promises of a better life somewhere else. Traffickers make use of trusted neighbours, friends and even family to help convince the victim that it is safe to go with them. Young women may be promised a nanny position in a rich household, or waitressing in a high-end restaurant, or a job in a fancy hotel chain. Young men may be offered lucrative work in the agricultural industry. Once they arrive in their destination country, however, their ID is taken from them and they are forced into excruciating, backbreaking or demeaning slave labour under the guise of having to work off a trumped-up debt to the traffickers or exorbitant fines imposed on them. Any money earned is paid directly to the traffickers. The victims are threatened, beaten, drugged, or even gang-raped to keep them under control. They may be told that their families’ lives are at risk if they try to escape.
We may think that Human trafficking is “over there” and not going on in our own back yard, but that is a “head in the sand” attitude. Human trafficking is not limited to third world countries.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) estimates that 600-800 persons are trafficked into Canada annually and that an additional 1,500-2,200 persons are trafficked through Canada into the United States. Non governmental agencies estimate this is just the tip of the iceberg - the actual numbers are probably triple that figure. In Canada, foreign trafficking for prostitution is estimated to be worth $400 million annually, and it is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world.

An article in the Toronto Sun in 2008 addresses a domestic trafficking case in which two teenage victims were forced to prostitute and hand over all their earnings to pimps. They were worked 7 days a week and had to meet daily quotas. They brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for their trafficker. The youngest was only 14.

Again, if you'd like more information or can help support the fight against human trafficking, please visit http://www.stopht.ca/. Please offer up continued prayers for the victims of this outrageous crime.