A Human Rights Approach to Human Trafficking

After consulting with partner organizations from across Ontario, we urge the Provincial Government to implement a human rights approach and to include 5 points in the human trafficking strategy.

Provincial Human Trafficking Strategy Creates Unjust Competition for Resources and Divides Survivors as Deserving and Undeserving.  

Recently, the Government of Ontario announced a five-year strategy to address human trafficking and promised investments up to $307 million to raise awareness, protect victims, intervene early, support survivors, and hold offenders accountable.[1]

While the government’s efforts are commendable, particularly its commitment to funding peer and survivor-led work, the strategy and the call for applications focuses exclusively on child and youth sexual exploitation. "Human trafficking is fundamentally a human rights issue.  Experience tells us that people become vulnerable to being trafficked when they're experiencing isolation, social exclusion, homelessness, poverty, gender inequality, racism, and colonialism. This is the most effective level at which to address exploitation and human trafficking in all its forms. It requires us to change as a society; to create good job opportunities and strong social protections for all, regardless of immigration status" says Sue Wilson, the Director of the Office for Systemic Justice.   

The Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, after consulting with partner organizations from across Ontario, released a statement urging the Provincial Government to implement a human rights approach and to include the following points in the human trafficking strategy:

• Address the root causes of human trafficking by creating easy access to sufficient levels of social assistance, comprehensive health care including mental health services, gender parity in wages, and good jobs that pay a living wage.  All persons need easy access to social protections, regardless of immigration status.

• Prioritize funding for educational programs (led by grassroots community organizations) which are focused on preventing human trafficking by advancing equity and addressing root causes such as gender inequality, systemic racism, colonialism, ableism, rape culture, and more.

• Raise awareness of current forms of labour trafficking in Ontario, highlighting aspects of structural racism and economic exploitation.

• Increase labour inspections for the protection of all workers in Ontario, especially migrant workers.

• License and regulate contractors and recruiters of migrant workers.

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For more information, contact:

Sue Wilson, CSJ, Office for Systemic Justice

[1] https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/ontarios-new-anti-human-trafficking-strategy.html

World Day of Social Justice

I’ll confess, I don’t usually pay much attention to awareness-raising days which come around once a year to draw our attention to an issue.  But this week my attention was drawn to two days which occur side by side:  World Day of Social Justice on February 20^th and Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Ontario on February 21^st.  Together, these two days do more than simply call our attention to an issue.  They dialogue with each other.

If we use the lens of social justice to examine human trafficking, we are reminded that human trafficking is not just a criminal activity, and we can’t prevent human trafficking simply by prosecuting criminals and raising awareness.  Rather, it’s critical to focus on the social, economic and cultural factors which create vulnerabilities to being trafficked: social exclusion, poverty, lack of education and job opportunities, racism, and gender bias, weak mental health and addiction services, to name a few. 

These factors highlight a lack of access to human rights.  The good news is, this means there are structural changes which would go a long way toward preventing this exploitation: robust social protections (living wage, basic income guarantee, adequate shelter, health care, and access to ongoing education and skills-training), strong labour standards with frequent inspections, and more pathways to permanent residency. 

In other words, better access to human rights is the best way to prevent human trafficking --- and many other injustices.  All we need is the political will to make it happen.  

-Sister Sue Wilson, csj

United Nations GIFTBOX Project

Volunteers wearing bright canary yellow T shirts with blue lettering “Unwrap the Truth” walked the perimeter of St. James Anglican Cathedral’s green lawns in Toronto on busy St James Street.  Indeed, “unwrap the truth” about human trafficking in order to SPOT human trafficking and to STOP human trafficking.

The “GIFT BOX Project“ is a creative United Nations brain child which has been used at a variety of large sports events in a number of countries since 2012 to promote education about human trafficking.  The organization Faith Alliance was instrumental in bringing it to Toronto for the Pan Am and Para Pan Games. 

The acronym GIFT stands for Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking.  The Box has been designed to reflect the reality of a trafficked person.  Initially, one sees a much larger than usual “gift box”.  It is attractively decorated in colourful paint and artificial bows.  It invites, lures and entices one to become interested, to know more, to recognize the possible potential that exists within it. The words on the outside of the box are filled with tempting promises, “we can live happy ever after” … “earn easy money” … “support your family”.  However, stepping inside the box, one immediately feels and senses the cold, the aloneness, the emptiness of no support and unfulfilled promises. There is nothing inside except the stark, blatant truth.  Sad personal stories about human trafficking are emblazoned on its four walls.  The cold hard facts, faced by so many persons who have been lured into human trafficking with false promises, are prominently displayed.

In so many ways, this truly is a “gift box” of information to all of us as we learn to SPOT human trafficking in order to STOP and AVOID the allurement of human trafficking.  Let us just remember that human trafficking can happen in a wide range of industries including agriculture, construction, temporary foreign workers programs, domestic work, commercial sex work, hospitality and begging rings.

To SPOT human trafficking be alert and ask yourself:

• Does someone else have the person’s legal documents or ID?
• Does the person have little or no access to their earnings?
• Does the person lack self-esteem or seem anxious?
• Does the person have injuries that appear to be the result of the application of control measures or assault?

To learn more visit www.stopthetraffck.org/spot www.faithalliance.ca

Mabel St. Louis CSJ

INsight OUT (Things are not always what they seem.)

Well, Shakespeare got it right, “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” This was evident Friday night when thousands gathered as the Pan Am games arrived in Toronto. Here in London, friends and I settled into comfy chairs eagerly awaiting what promised to be a spectacular event. We could not have hoped for more. Cirque du Soleil pulled out all the stops to wow spectators in Toronto, abroad and us, a small reclining group.

From the word go I was dazzled by the stunning, mind-blowing display of beautiful artistry. Colourful gyrating, leaping, bouncing told the story of the hopes and dreams of the young. However, by the time cluster after cluster of hopeful athletes streamed into the stadium, the niggling had begun. Joy and sadness, these two emotions were jostling for control up in 'head-quarters.' Jostling for control just as I had recently seen them jostle in young Riley’s head-quarters in the movie Inside Out. The more I tried to ignore them, the more both clamoured for my attention.  Before my eyes a joyous event unfolded, so why the tinge of sadness? I began to wonder whether I should bring this niggling sadness on the inside out.

The insight dawned gradually. Years of arduous planning, rehearsing and synchronizing culminated in this superbly executed ceremony. Here was Canada, decked in its finest hospitality, ready to host the greatest number ever of enthusiastic athletes from 41 countries, eager to compete and take home one of the 4,283 medals. Behind the scenes, far from the limelight, a less conspicuous, but equally meticulous planning, was done by The Faith Alliance. Their dedicated volunteers have given of their time to prepare to be part of the GIFTbox. This innovative project, created by STOP THE TRAFFICK and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, plays an important part at these Pan Am games. A GIFTbox is a walk-in piece of public art that people will encounter in Toronto at St. James Cathedral on Church Street.  It entices people inside by luring them with enticing promises. Once inside the truth about human trafficking will be revealed.

If as much arduous planning and dedication can be invested in stopping the wide spread human trafficking, as is invested by athletes in preparation to win in these games, you and I can put an end to it. St. Paul used games such as the Pan Am games as an analogy for a life well lived, and wrote: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor. 9:24-25). If we can be as focused and dedicated as those ancient runners or the athletes competing at the Pan Am games, we can bring about change. As I hear the Sisters of St. Joseph say over and over again, we are to care for 'the dear neighbour.' We are, indeed, our brother's and sister's keeper.

Like the torch bearers at the opening ceremony, let us fervently carry the torch for all who are being trafficked. May our torches light a cauldron, a flaming sign proclaiming no more human trafficking! 

Yes, all of us are merely players; we have our exits and our entrances, and each of us in our time plays many parts.  Let us play our part well and when that last day comes, cross the final ‘finish line’ together.

Guest blogger, Sister Magdalena, cps, is a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood. She currently ministers as a hospital chaplain.

A story of human trafficking

Mai came to a city in Ontario to work as a caregiver for a family from her country of origin. She thought she was coming to Canada under the Caregiver program but when she arrived at the home, her employers took her passport and told her that she did not have the proper papers for being in Canada but that they would take care of the problem.  They also told her that she would be paid at the end of two years. Mai worked seven days a week (usually from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm) and slept on the kitchen floor. At the end of the two years she did not receive any payment. When she complained to the family they ignored her, except to say that if she tried to call the police (difficult given her lack of English), she would be arrested because she didn’t have the proper documentation (they did not do the immigration paperwork as they had promised).  Many weeks later, with the help of an acquaintance, Mai made it to a refugee centre to ask for help.

What is human trafficking?

Trafficking in persons occurs when someone gains a profit from the exploitation of another person through means of coercion, deception or fraud. This exploitation can take many different forms such as sexual exploitation (in sex trade, one partner exploiting another), labour exploitation in the service industry (restaurants, hotels), agriculture (fields, greenhouses), domestic work (baby sitters, nannies, personal care workers, housekeepers) as well as construction and manufacturing. Forced marriage can lead to both sexual and labour exploitation and, at times, reaches the level of human trafficking. In some countries, people are trafficked for their organs.

As a society, we contribute to many of the underlying causes of human trafficking

People become vulnerable to being trafficked through social and economic exclusion. Many people experience exclusion due to such barriers as poverty, gender bias, racism, lack of education and lack of opportunity; others become excluded as a result of mental illness, addiction, family disconnection or social isolation. 

First Nations women and girls can be particularly vulnerable to being trafficked for sexual exploitation because they often experience multiple barriers intersecting in their lives. Human trafficking exposes our failures as a society and challenges us to address these underlying patterns of exclusion.

Highly selective immigration policies force migrants into dangerous means of migration

Canada’s immigration policies give clear priority to those who are highly educated and highly skilled, or have money to invest. Such increasingly restrictive immigration rules are detrimental to people who are forced to migrate due to violations of their economic, social and cultural rights -- violations that are often so severe that they threaten survival. When denied regularized routes of migration, people in such situations are forced to take routes that are far more precarious. Some rely on smugglers to get them across borders, and too often these arrangements devolve into situations of abuse, human trafficking or death. Others migrate through temporary work programs and find that they are vulnerable to workplace exploitation that, at times, reaches the level of human trafficking.

February 8, 2015

As we join with others in prayer on February 8, 2015, to mark the Catholic Church’s first International Day of Prayer and Awareness of Human Trafficking, let us also bring an awareness of our collective complicity in these tragic stories so that we might be moved to action. The date for the initiative is the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, considered a patron saint for trafficking victims. Born in 1868 in Darfur, Sudan, she was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery, first in her country and later in Italy. She died in 1947 and was declared a saint by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Here is her story.

Sue Wilson CSJ