An FBI-led sex trafficking operation in July rescued 200 victims, 59 of them children. The two-week Operation Cross Country XIII also located another 59 “actively” missing minors..It is unknown if anyone was looking for or had given up trying to find the 59 children found trapped in a wicked snare of sexual abuse and exploitation. Chances are some were sold by their own parents or relatives. As disturbing as that may be, it happens. Don’t blame it all on gangs, pimps and parasites peddling human beings to perverts for profit..The joint operation with state and local officials identified and arrested 126 people suspected of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking and 68 suspected traffickers, said the FBI in a press release..“Through targeted operations and collaborative efforts, Operation Cross Country achieved significant milestones in recovering victims, apprehending offenders and raising public awareness about these heinous crimes,” said the FBI..There has been a recent explosion of awareness thanks to the film Sound of Freedom that shines a glaring spotlight on the global $150 to 200 billion human trafficking — sex, labour and organ harvesting — industry..What does the FBI operation have to do with Canada? It’s but a snapshot of the work that must be done to save the vulnerable from an underground industry here that’s increasingly pushing the boundaries of depravity..The insatiable appetite for profit and personal consumption is finding younger and younger victims. But no matter what age, the pain and fear of all wounded, abused victims is profound.. Danielle SmithAlberta Premier Danielle Smith last week announced provincial support for three Alberta organizations dedicated to fighting sex-trafficking. .Human trafficking knows no mercy and it knows no borders..Human trafficking survivor April Eve Wiberg testified to that at a press conference last week, where Premier Danielle Smith announced the groups that would partner with her government in combatting trafficking in Alberta..Wiberg was sold by pimps in Canadian and US cities before “self-liberating” from the “violence and exploitation” when in New York 17 years ago..“The groomers, the pimps, the profiteers and the buyers must be held accountable for these harms,” said Wiberg..The Alberta government announced a $4-million commitment to set up its Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons..The province partnered with three Alberta organizations — #NotInMyCity, Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) and REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities — to work with victims and survivors of human trafficking..“In Alberta, good and decent people are fighting the stain of human trafficking. It is a sick trade run by sick individuals for sick ends,” said Smith..The office will connect survivors and victims to supports and services. It will refine data collection through the Alberta Human Trafficking Data Portal on how human traffickers operate and conceal their activities and crimes. It aims to better track cross-jurisdictional trafficking..ALERT’s (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team) 2022-23 annual report revealed that over a 12-month period a trafficker was arrested every 12 days in the province. How many are out there carrying on?.The Alberta government will spend $22 million over the next three years to implement recommendations made by the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force (AHTFF) in 2020..AHTFF was chaired by country music star Paul Brandt, president and founder of #NotInMyCity who with his wife, Liz, has been dedicated to combatting human trafficking for years..ALERT reported online sexual abuse materials identified in Alberta — pornography — jumped 156% in 2020. Reported instances of online child exploitation jumped from 118 to 243 referrals. Remember, these are only the reported cases in which human trafficking is a big factor..Alberta is leading the way in Canada with the kind of “commitment and collaboration” FBI director Christopher Wray said is needed in the US to both crack down on criminals and help victims..That’s what it is going to take to flush these cockroaches out of hiding and throw them in jail..“Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims — many of them children — for life,” said Wray..The FBI worked in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC.).“Behind every statistic, there is a person with dreams, aspirations and the right to live a life free from child sex trafficking and exploitation,” said NCMEC President Michelle DeLaune..According to the Human Trafficking Institute, in 2021 more than half of all US trafficking victims were minors. There’s absolutely no reason to believe that trend doesn’t spill across the northern border and into our neighbourhoods..The 200 just rescued by the FBI is a great thing. But so many others are out there in desperate need of someone to help them.
An FBI-led sex trafficking operation in July rescued 200 victims, 59 of them children. The two-week Operation Cross Country XIII also located another 59 “actively” missing minors..It is unknown if anyone was looking for or had given up trying to find the 59 children found trapped in a wicked snare of sexual abuse and exploitation. Chances are some were sold by their own parents or relatives. As disturbing as that may be, it happens. Don’t blame it all on gangs, pimps and parasites peddling human beings to perverts for profit..The joint operation with state and local officials identified and arrested 126 people suspected of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking and 68 suspected traffickers, said the FBI in a press release..“Through targeted operations and collaborative efforts, Operation Cross Country achieved significant milestones in recovering victims, apprehending offenders and raising public awareness about these heinous crimes,” said the FBI..There has been a recent explosion of awareness thanks to the film Sound of Freedom that shines a glaring spotlight on the global $150 to 200 billion human trafficking — sex, labour and organ harvesting — industry..What does the FBI operation have to do with Canada? It’s but a snapshot of the work that must be done to save the vulnerable from an underground industry here that’s increasingly pushing the boundaries of depravity..The insatiable appetite for profit and personal consumption is finding younger and younger victims. But no matter what age, the pain and fear of all wounded, abused victims is profound.. Danielle SmithAlberta Premier Danielle Smith last week announced provincial support for three Alberta organizations dedicated to fighting sex-trafficking. .Human trafficking knows no mercy and it knows no borders..Human trafficking survivor April Eve Wiberg testified to that at a press conference last week, where Premier Danielle Smith announced the groups that would partner with her government in combatting trafficking in Alberta..Wiberg was sold by pimps in Canadian and US cities before “self-liberating” from the “violence and exploitation” when in New York 17 years ago..“The groomers, the pimps, the profiteers and the buyers must be held accountable for these harms,” said Wiberg..The Alberta government announced a $4-million commitment to set up its Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons..The province partnered with three Alberta organizations — #NotInMyCity, Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) and REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities — to work with victims and survivors of human trafficking..“In Alberta, good and decent people are fighting the stain of human trafficking. It is a sick trade run by sick individuals for sick ends,” said Smith..The office will connect survivors and victims to supports and services. It will refine data collection through the Alberta Human Trafficking Data Portal on how human traffickers operate and conceal their activities and crimes. It aims to better track cross-jurisdictional trafficking..ALERT’s (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team) 2022-23 annual report revealed that over a 12-month period a trafficker was arrested every 12 days in the province. How many are out there carrying on?.The Alberta government will spend $22 million over the next three years to implement recommendations made by the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force (AHTFF) in 2020..AHTFF was chaired by country music star Paul Brandt, president and founder of #NotInMyCity who with his wife, Liz, has been dedicated to combatting human trafficking for years..ALERT reported online sexual abuse materials identified in Alberta — pornography — jumped 156% in 2020. Reported instances of online child exploitation jumped from 118 to 243 referrals. Remember, these are only the reported cases in which human trafficking is a big factor..Alberta is leading the way in Canada with the kind of “commitment and collaboration” FBI director Christopher Wray said is needed in the US to both crack down on criminals and help victims..That’s what it is going to take to flush these cockroaches out of hiding and throw them in jail..“Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims — many of them children — for life,” said Wray..The FBI worked in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC.).“Behind every statistic, there is a person with dreams, aspirations and the right to live a life free from child sex trafficking and exploitation,” said NCMEC President Michelle DeLaune..According to the Human Trafficking Institute, in 2021 more than half of all US trafficking victims were minors. There’s absolutely no reason to believe that trend doesn’t spill across the northern border and into our neighbourhoods..The 200 just rescued by the FBI is a great thing. But so many others are out there in desperate need of someone to help them.
