A new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study shows that human trafficking is mainly a “domestic problem” in Canada and not an international crime issue.. Manuela Valle Castro .The most likely human trafficking victims are indigenous women and girls in remote and rural areas..USask Research Coordinator Manuela Valle-Castro said indigenous women are more vulnerable because of a lack of safe transportation, housing, and incarceration rates..“We see that it is often the lack of housing and safe transportation that makes women and girls vulnerable to human trafficking,” said Valle-Castro..“The communities that have been devastated by extractive projects, like foster care or incarceration, are most affected by this.”.According to Valle-Castro, if the Saskatchewan government “really cares about stopping human trafficking,” it should provide safe transportation and social housing for women instead of focusing on incarcerating victims..The RCMP responded to the study and said they take a “victim-based approach” and attempts to avoid incarcerating human trafficking victims..READ MORE Sex trafficker caught in Sask.It is a failed system that leads to human trafficking, according to Valle-Castro.. RCMP police carRCMP police car .“When, for example, two young women are found in the back of a truck in rural Alberta, there is an entire trail of failed systems that did not provide them with safety,” said Valle-Castro..“The actual circumstances that push these women into their situation are often far worse than anyone can imagine.”.RCMP Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team Officer Glenn Church said the grooming of some human trafficking victims happens online..“The victims themselves often don’t realize what is happening until it is too late because the grooming process can go on for quite a long time,” said Church..“Typically, someone is involved in what they think is a legitimate online relationship that could last many months or even years. Over time, that slowly turns into a situation where they’re trafficked for sexual purposes.”.According to Church, ending human trafficking has proven to be difficult as the trafficking happens across the country and does not “respect provincial borders.”.“The groups that are involved in trafficking don’t respect provincial borders, so groups that are operating on the East Coast are also on the West Coast and all parts in between,” said Church..“They are transient in nature, and they can move long distances in short periods of time. That makes it difficult from a jurisdictional perspective for us to apprehend them.”.The Saskatchewan RCMP coordinates with the Alberta RCMP and Manitoba RCMP, as well as municipal police forces, in their human trafficking investigations..Church said the police “use specialized techniques” in their investigations..“We use specialized techniques to target the groups that are involved in trafficking because the crime can be so sophisticated.”.READ MORE Sask man arrested for attempting to lure a 12 year old girl for sex
