SLOBODIAN: Some trafficking fiends look deeply normal — but their vileness is not

The level of “brutality and violence” inflicted on victims of human trafficking — including children — is difficult for those untouched by it to comprehend, says Staff Sgt. Tara Clelland, Manitoba RCMP’s divisional human trafficking coordinator.But it can touch anyone at any time. It could be your child living in innocence one day, then getting sucked in and trapped in a misery of beatings, broken bones, and sexually servicing countless brittle-hearted perverts, day after night after day.“It's hard for an average person to understand what somebody could get from or benefit from by selling humans and unfortunately, that’s what happens and it's for profit,” said Clelland.The depravity weighs heavily on those devoted to wading into a criminal underworld that’s ironically often in plain view across Manitoba. But the suffering that depravity inflicts drives them to keep going.“You can't unknow it and you can't unsee it,” said Clelland, in reference to the victims, with a heaviness in her voice.Although the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) unit and partner agencies have rescue success stories, it’s the unseen — the hidden ones — still out there that need to be found.“We definitely are seeing this in all communities in all corners of the province. It is absolutely not just an urban or a city issue.”“I could have a team of 100 people and I’d tell you I want more. It's just such a large issue and I think drawing attention to the scope of it and just making people understand that it really is in every corner, and it really is about all of us, that it is not exclusive to any demographic, any community.”“There are a lot of people out there that need our help and we just don’t know who they are.”Human trafficking and sex for sale, a booming and lucrative criminal enterprise, is “grossly” underreported.“You hear the term 'modern day slavery' and it’s not OK. I don’t know what we call it, but it is definitely so much larger in scope than we know.”“I think anytime that there is a human being sold regardless of the purpose, it is an absolute atrocity. And when we’re talking about children being sold and bought by adults for sexual gratification, I don’t know what you call that.”What is known from survivors' testimony is the cruelty of traffickers — ever-prowling for victims to feed their need for drugs, money, power, sex — can know no bounds.Sex buyers — perverts of all ages and backgrounds — don’t care how many others a young girl has been forced to service, how hungry or terrified she is, or how many beatings she’s had. In fact, the sexual acts are “demoralizing, dehumanizing and can cause serious physical injury and damage.” Customers could be “your neighbour, could be a family member.” “Victims of human trafficking can be subjected to brutality and violence that include beatings, burning, broken bones, malnourishment, emotional abuse and mental torment,” said Clelland.“Victims are not in control of their own movements, decisions, or actions. Traffickers may have physical and/or psychological control over a victim that does not allow the person to exit, leave or escape a situation.”They are kept isolated with no identification, no money.Types of traffickers and recruitment methods vary.“In some instances, a victim is initially made to feel special, loved and cared for and the trafficker gains their trust. This bond is then used against them, used to manipulate, control, and exploit them.”“The victim may be conditioned to believe that everything is their fault. The trafficker may use threats to harm an animal (pet) or a child of the victims to maintain control over the victim.”“In some instances, a trafficker immediately uses brutal force, threats and violence to recruit and control victims with no attempt to gain trust or manipulate the victim into believing that a relationship exists.”The impacts of the physical and emotional trauma can last a lifetime. “The road to healing and recovery is on-going, ever-changing and is different for every survivor.”Social media makes easy hunting grounds.“The platforms that are commonly used to reach into communities or to access victims and that are utilized for recruitment and even facilitating transport, a lot of that is happening over social media platforms.”“And as we know everybody now has a device in hand, has some type of online presence. So, communities and youth that would have previously been a little more challenging to access is now at everyone's fingertips.”“Talk to your kids. Talk to your kids! Social media can be a very dangerous place. And understand who they’re communicating with, what the communications look like.”Survivors tell RCMP and partner agencies they came for all “backgrounds and demographics.”“It is very common for us to hear that ‘I had a very typical childhood. I went to piano lessons, horseback riding lessons, my parents were involved, I had friends.’”“We hear that, and then equally we hear that the recruitment and the vulnerability identified initially was that there was a lack of adequate housing supports. That term survival sex, is what I have heard from survivors where basic needs like food, clothing and shelter are how they were targeted and groomed.”“Most certainly it could happen to my child. It could happen to yours. And it really is across the board and there's not any particular profile or demographic that I can say that certain people are more vulnerable than others.”“Obviously, we know that there's risk factors that exist. Vulnerabilities exist in all of us, and traffickers are just very skilled at identifying what those are and exploiting them.”The traffickers are male, female, youth recruiting youth.“It's a criminal enterprise. The fastest growing criminal money making is selling humans, selling sex. So that is the scary part of it is when you're trying to teach children and youth of what to be aware of and what to look for, there's not any one thing. Traffickers don't look how we have imagined them to look, from images we get from movies and television.”They can look average, sometimes “people that appear to be living very typical lives and being members of our societies.”“As a society in general, we have a really hard time wrapping our heads around the notion that women offend, women do harm to other women and girls and that women would participate in sexual violence. And that is in fact true. Women do offend.”Manitoba RCMP recently rescued two 15-year-old girls from a “fairly organized” Portage la Prairie child exploitation and human trafficking operation. Among the seven people charged with a total of 65 offences is a 43-year-old woman who befriended the girls, locked them in when they were being assaulted — and stayed and just watched. She was paid with drugs.Meanwhile, victimized boys and men are even more in the shadows.“Women and girls are at a great risk but certainly men and boys are exploited. And our LGBTQS+ community is at very high risk of sexual exploitation and sexual violence, as well.”“We also tend to focus very heavily on the sex trafficking where labour trafficking is very real and present. With labour trafficking that is where we do tend to see more victimization with males.”On a positive note, support increases as awareness is raised.“It’s a slow process but we're definitely taking steps forward.”It’s impossible to measure the preventative success beyond charges and convictions.“Whether it's in schools or the transportation or hospitality sector, all of that, we will never know how much that we prevented.”“If you see something, say something."Once you know that this is happening, you can't unknow it. We have a responsibility. We have no choice but to protect youth and collectively we need to do this.”“If this was my child, I know how I would want the community to respond. We all have a part to play. It impacts all of us in some way.”

SLOBODIAN: Some trafficking fiends look deeply normal — but their vileness is not

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