The Government of Alberta recently announced a new task force on human trafficking as part of the nine-point action plan to combat modern slavery. Many people believe human trafficking is something that occurs elsewhere, to other people. But human trafficking happens here in Alberta, and many of the victims are Albertans..Sex trafficking, labour trafficking, and organ trafficking have all been reported in Alberta. Half of the victims are Canadian citizens and the majority are women and children. .Premier Jason Kenney was criticized for appointing country music star, Paul Brandt to head the task force. Brandt has been involved in anti-trafficking advocacy for years. According to former solicitor general Heather Forsyth – who is also on the task force – “Paul Brandt brings so much knowledge and passion. This task force will be very strong and impactful.” .Heather Forsyth first learned about human trafficking as a new MLA when a constituent requested her assistance to rescue her daughter who was being trafficked for prostitution. .“No human should ever be treated like this.” .Forsyth dedicated many hours to learning about and fighting human trafficking. While in the role of Children’s Services Minister, she drafted the Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution Act, which became law in 1999 and has helped innumerable children receive assistance to escape and move forward with their lives. .The task force has a broad mandate to enhance support for victims, to enhance collaboration between organizations, to engage experts to identify actions and provide recommendations to tackle the issue..The task force is only one of the nine points in the action plan. The province is also adopting the 2002 Palermo protocol definition of Human Trafficking. .The updated definition includes organ trafficking. It also reflects the complexity of human trafficking and specifies that ‘consent’ does not make trafficking acceptable. For example, Terri-Jean Bedford – the dominatrix who challenged Canada’s prostitution laws in 2014 – was a ward of the state. She entered prostitution as a teenager to pay for her drug addictions and those of her 37-year-old ‘boyfriend’. Terri-Jean may have considered the arrangement consensual. However, it is very common for pimps to pose as ‘boyfriends’ in order to exploit vulnerable girls. One person cannot consent to be exploited or enslaved by another if they are under the age of consent, or addicted to drugs..Another action point is to name and shame traffickers by publishing the names of businesses found to have knowingly facilitated human trafficking. Brazil began using this strategy in 2004. Companies on Brazil’s “dirty list” are blocked from receiving state loans and have restrictions placed on sales, and private banks use the list to gauge credit risk. There have been cases where major firms used legal injunctions to avoid being named and shamed, but by-and-large it seems to act as a deterrent in Brazil and hopefully will serve as a deterrent in Alberta. .Minister of Justice Doug Schweitzer said, “We must also all work together to increase awareness that human trafficking is a reality in our province. We will bring to light a crime that too often goes unreported or unintentionally ignored, and take a stand to protect survivors of human trafficking.”.There is no place in Alberta for the 21st century’s slave trade. It’s time we did more to fight back..Tessa Littlejohn is a columnist for the Western Standard
The Government of Alberta recently announced a new task force on human trafficking as part of the nine-point action plan to combat modern slavery. Many people believe human trafficking is something that occurs elsewhere, to other people. But human trafficking happens here in Alberta, and many of the victims are Albertans..Sex trafficking, labour trafficking, and organ trafficking have all been reported in Alberta. Half of the victims are Canadian citizens and the majority are women and children. .Premier Jason Kenney was criticized for appointing country music star, Paul Brandt to head the task force. Brandt has been involved in anti-trafficking advocacy for years. According to former solicitor general Heather Forsyth – who is also on the task force – “Paul Brandt brings so much knowledge and passion. This task force will be very strong and impactful.” .Heather Forsyth first learned about human trafficking as a new MLA when a constituent requested her assistance to rescue her daughter who was being trafficked for prostitution. .“No human should ever be treated like this.” .Forsyth dedicated many hours to learning about and fighting human trafficking. While in the role of Children’s Services Minister, she drafted the Protection of Children Involved in Prostitution Act, which became law in 1999 and has helped innumerable children receive assistance to escape and move forward with their lives. .The task force has a broad mandate to enhance support for victims, to enhance collaboration between organizations, to engage experts to identify actions and provide recommendations to tackle the issue..The task force is only one of the nine points in the action plan. The province is also adopting the 2002 Palermo protocol definition of Human Trafficking. .The updated definition includes organ trafficking. It also reflects the complexity of human trafficking and specifies that ‘consent’ does not make trafficking acceptable. For example, Terri-Jean Bedford – the dominatrix who challenged Canada’s prostitution laws in 2014 – was a ward of the state. She entered prostitution as a teenager to pay for her drug addictions and those of her 37-year-old ‘boyfriend’. Terri-Jean may have considered the arrangement consensual. However, it is very common for pimps to pose as ‘boyfriends’ in order to exploit vulnerable girls. One person cannot consent to be exploited or enslaved by another if they are under the age of consent, or addicted to drugs..Another action point is to name and shame traffickers by publishing the names of businesses found to have knowingly facilitated human trafficking. Brazil began using this strategy in 2004. Companies on Brazil’s “dirty list” are blocked from receiving state loans and have restrictions placed on sales, and private banks use the list to gauge credit risk. There have been cases where major firms used legal injunctions to avoid being named and shamed, but by-and-large it seems to act as a deterrent in Brazil and hopefully will serve as a deterrent in Alberta. .Minister of Justice Doug Schweitzer said, “We must also all work together to increase awareness that human trafficking is a reality in our province. We will bring to light a crime that too often goes unreported or unintentionally ignored, and take a stand to protect survivors of human trafficking.”.There is no place in Alberta for the 21st century’s slave trade. It’s time we did more to fight back..Tessa Littlejohn is a columnist for the Western Standard
