Focus on prevention to counter the scourge of human trafficking

Indigenous Spaces spoke with criminologist JoAnne Van Hooser, who has worked with Indigenous families for over 30 years. She is leading this week’s workshop within the Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) community of Kahnawake, on the south shore of Montreal.

The one affectionately nicknamed JoJoe not currently unemployed. In recent days, this female member of the Bay of Quinte community (in southern Ontario) drove nearly 1,000 km to lead a series of workshops on human trafficking which took her from across the border, in Buffalo, Syracuse and Rome before moving on to Akwesasne on Monday and Kahnawake on Tuesday.

Even though the subject is serious, JoAnne Van Hooser is relatively optimistic and proud to see that the communities within the Six Nations are now open to discussion. Since the discovery of the 215 graves in Kamloops, it seems that words have been released within the communities. Not so long ago, it was unusual to see people confide in questions related to sexuality or even discuss them.observe-t-elle.

Furthermore, the feeling of urgency is there. In fact, the number of reported cases of sex trafficking recorded by the police in Canada has increased fivefold in 10 years. During this period, nearly 3,000 victims were recorded. 96% of them are women, 25% of whom are minors.

For example, in several communities in the Toronto area where I was called to intervene, I was told about girls from the north that no one knew and who appeared for a period of three or four days at private parties, to the point where it infuriated the local prostitutesrelate JoAnne Van Hooser.

For its part, the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline notes that the Risk is increased among particular groups, such as Indigenous women and girls, vulnerable youth or those who have previously been involved in the child welfare system, LGBTQ2+1 people, migrants, and others who live social or economic marginalization.

Although human trafficking for sexual purposes is not specific to Aboriginal people, there are nevertheless some particularities linked to this group of victims which make the problem more complex to resolve.

This is what Amnesty International highlighted in a report published around twenty years ago (new window)but whose conclusions still remain relevant. The report mentioned in particular that Canadian police often provide insufficient protection to Indigenous womeneven if she says the opposite.

The social and economic marginalization of indigenous womento which is added the history of government policies that disintegrated Indigenous families and communitiesmakes thata disproportionate number of these women find themselves in dangerous situations, such as extreme poverty, homelessness and prostitutionadds the report.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous men take advantage of this vulnerability, either by racism […] or because they believe that society’s indifference to the well-being and safety of indigenous women will allow them to escape justiceconcludes Amnesty International.

12% of convictions

According to Statistics Canada (new window)12% of human trafficking cases that came before the courts between 2011 and 2021 resulted in a guilty verdict. During this same period, 81% of cases resulted in a stay, withdrawal, rejection or absolution. The acquittals total 6%.

And that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg, given that Indigenous people are more often than average hesitant to report criminal acts to the police (new window).

If there was an Amber Alert every time an Indigenous person went missing, our phone would ring 10, 12 or 15 times a day.

In this context, JoAnne Van Hooser firmly believes in the importance of dialogue and prevention. Moreover, in its workshops not only ordinary citizens participate, but also social workers, judges, lawyers, border agents and directors of schools and universities.

She tells them what she has learned over the 30 years she has worked with young Aboriginal people in precarious situations, as well as the tactics of criminals to lure, isolate, hold and exploit their prey.

She mentions in particular disturbing cases, which it was however impossible to corroborate with the police authorities, of women kidnapped after being drugged by a note or a wallet deliberately left near their car after having been soaked in a solution anesthetic.

On the importance of educate yourself

Director of Justice Services with the Kahnawake band council, Kevin Fleischer was one of around thirty people who participated in the three-hour workshop given by JoAnne Van Hosser on Tuesday.

The department he heads launched a new support service for victims of crime last year. The recent arrival of two new employees – one dedicated to information and education, and the other to direct support for victims – should, according to Mr. Fleischer, allow victims to navigate more easily through the mazes of the justice system, but also to receive the help and compensation to which they are entitled.

Even though we haven’t necessarily had cases of human trafficking within our community, we now feel better equipped if it were to happen.he confided after following the training. Mr. Fleischer now says he is even more convinced of the importance of educating yourself to this type of reality, in order to open your eyes and to be able to better support victims who, faced with trauma, may feel a lot of shame.

Human trafficking is one of the themes addressed in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released in 2019, and several of the 231 calls to action address this issue.

In the process, Ottawa presented its National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (new window) 2019-2024, with an envelope of $75 million.