STAYING CURRENT Human Trafficking October 2009 in Review

This document compiles and summarizes reports, headlines and other items that relate to human trafficking which OCTIP has obtained through colleagues, partners and online resources.

The views and opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect those of the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Please click on the blue text for more information on each story.

– CANADA –

►FIRST HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHARGE FOR YORK AREA Marlo Williams went to court in Ontario on October 23rd 2009 after being charged a week earlier with human trafficking. Mr. Williams allegedly forced a 19 year old woman from Alberta to work in a strip club in the Mississauga area. The woman was forced to stay in Williams’ apartment between shifts and hand over all her earnings, and was beaten when she tried to escape. Police believe Williams has connections to North Preston’s Finest, a Halifax‐based gang well known for its ‘pimping culture’. Williams’ defence lawyer says he will be contesting the charges, meanwhile Williams has been denied bail.

►BILL C268 ADOPTED BY HOUSE OF COMMONS Bill‐C268 has passed its third reading in the House of Commons, with a vote of 239 in favour and 46 opposed, and will now move to the Senate. Bill C‐268 imposes a mandatory minimum sentencing of five years for trafficking in minors. If approved by the Senate, the Bill will be proclaimed into Canadian Law.

►NANNIES SUE AGENCY, CLAIMING THEY ARE VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING Three live‐in‐caregivers are suing the nanny recruitment agency that brought them to Canada for breach of contract, false imprisonment and mental distress. The nannies allege that Rachel Spivak, who runs the Rakela Care Agency, charged them each around $5,000 in recruitment fees, but when they arrived to Canada the jobs they had been promised had been taken by others. The nannies claim they were confined in Spivak’s basement and sent out to work illegally, their passports having been confiscated.

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Staying Current, October 2009 Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons Page 1 of 4

– USA –

►INNOCENCE LOST NATIONAL INITIATIVE In 2003 the Innocence Lost Initiative was launched by the FBI, the Departmenf of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Initiative is aimed at addressing the domestic sex trafficking of children in the US. Over the past five years the Initiative has completed several operations to rescue sexually trafficked children and arrest and convict pimps, madams and their associates.

Most recently, as part of the Initiative the FBI has completed Operation Cross Country IV, a 3 day and 36 city law enforcement action that led to the recovery of 52 children who were being victimized through prostitution.

►CHILD SEX TRADE IN THE US A New York Times article explores the concern of runaway children and youth in the United States. Nearly a third of the children who run away, or are kicked out of their homes, end up selling their bodies for food, drugs or a place to stay. This often leads to more entrenched prostitution and according to law enforcement officials and social workers almost all of the youth who are involved in the sex trade in the United States are controlled by a pimp. The article explores the relationship between pimp and prostitute, quoting interviews with convicted pimps and traffickers.

The recently released film Playground, directed by Libby Spears, explores the reality of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States and around the world. The film states that 25% of the child sex tourists in the world are American, but the number one destination for Americans seeking sex with a child is the USA. The film also states that in America, there are 300,000 children in the sex trade.

– GLOBAL –

►IOM CAMPAIGN – BUY RESPONSIBLY The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched a new campaign against labour exploitation and human trafficking. The campaign is targeted at consumers, arguing that human trafficking is driven by the demand for cheap labour and goods from around the world. The IOM is encouraging the public to ask the question ‘What Lies Behind the Things we Buy?’. A new website www.buyresponsibly.org will help consumers learn about human trafficking and what they can do to help.

► START FREEDOM – YOUTH LED ANTI‐TRAFFICKING CAMPAIGN The United Nations and Stop the Trafficking have partnered to sponsor START FREEDOM, a youth‐led education focused campaign against human trafficking. The campaign website www.startfreedom.org features youth focused videos, lesson plans for teachers, and a messaging board which youth can sign in to. The goal is to empower young people around the world to make a difference. In March 2010, START FREEDOM week will highlight counter‐trafficking activities created by young people.

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Staying Current, October 2009 Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons Page 2 of 4

► IOM AND OAS SIGN AGREEMENT ON MIGRATION The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed an agreement pledging to work in closer cooperation on issues related to migration. This includes human trafficking, the human rights of migrants, and labour migration concerns. Canada is a member of the OAS, a regional organization which aims to achieve peace, justice, collaboration, and democracy across the Americas.

► HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM The British newspaper The Guardian has recently featured a series of articles criticizing the United Kingdom’s government and law enforcement efforts to investigate and interrupt human trafficking. The Guardian accessed the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre’s Report on Operation Pentameter Two a six month police‐led national operation which focused on trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation.

The Guardian’s analysis of the report suggests that Operation Pentameter Two failed to find any sex traffickers and very few victims of sex trafficking, arguing that the problem of human trafficking has been exaggerated in the UK.

Countering the Guardian articles, Independent commentator Joan Smith suggests there are complications in assessing the scale of human trafficking purely from data on criminal investigations and prosecutions. She argues that human trafficking is a real problem in the UK and points out that the Poppy Project, which runs a refuge for trafficked women, has received more than 1300 referrals since 2003.

►AT THE END OF SLAVERY The International Justice Mission has produced a new film At the End of Slavery: The Battle for Justice in our Time. The film, narrated by actor Danny Glover, explores the issue of modern‐day slavery using footage from undercover police operations, testimonies from former slaves, and interviews with investigators, lawyers, social workers, and other anti‐trafficking experts. The film was shot in the Philippines, India, Cambodia and the United States. For more information please go to www.attheendofslavery.com.

– PUBLICATIONS –

The Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons has a comprehensive library of documents related to human trafficking. For information, please contact us at [email protected]

► UNODC ANALYSIS ON TRAFFICKING IN EUROPE In conjunction with the European Union’s Anti‐Trafficking Day on October 18th, The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has released a new report Trafficking in Persons: Analysis on Europe. The report highlights data on human trafficking cases, showing that there is significant domestic and regional trafficking within Europe, as well as an increase in victims from China and Central Asia. The report also assesses improvements in laws and data collection in European countries.

The UNODC has also launched a 13 minute training video called Affected for Life which is oriented towards legal professionals and identifies key facets of human trafficking.

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Staying Current, October 2009 Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons Page 3 of 4

►REPORT FROM UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON TIP On October 23rd 2009 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, presented her report to the General Assembly, covering the period from October 1st 2008 to September 30th 2009. The report addresses the identification and protection of victims of trafficking, examining applicable standards and practices and the role of States and non‐State actors in addressing situations of trafficking. It offers a child‐focused approach and also explores the unique needs of trafficked persons who are refugees, asylum‐seekers, returnees, stateless, and internally displaced persons. The report includes narratives of trafficked persons and offers recommendations for effectively identifying and providing services to trafficked persons.

►GUIDE TO ETHICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN COUNTER TRAFFICKING The United Nations Inter‐Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) coordinates the policy and operational responses to human trafficking within the Greater Mekong Sub‐Region in Asia. Recently UNIAP held a workshop in Thailand where they presented the Thai version of the 2008 Guide to Ethics and Human Rights in Counter Trafficking. This guide is geared towards policy makers, practitioners, and researchers and advocates for the prioritization of personal safety and security, informed consent, adequate selection of interpreters, and compassion, among other ethics. Ratchada Jayagupta, the Thailand Project Coordinator for UNIAP, says that if certain principles and ethics are not used more damage than good may be done when working with trafficked persons.

►PACIFIC TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS FORUM The Australian Institute of Criminology, the Salvation Army of New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, and the Pacific Immigration Director’s Conference hosted the Pacific Trafficking in Persons Forum in New Zealand in September 2009. The forum focused on the situation of trafficking in the Pacific Region. A report on this forum has been produced and summarises the key themes presented: human rights, background and causal factors, responses to trafficking and capacity to respond, labour trafficking, child trafficking, sex trafficking, and non‐government organizations’ responses to trafficking. The forum identified key research priorities such as the impact of sex industry legalization, the role of parenting norms in the Pacific Islands, and the context of culture and gender imbalance in the region.

OFFICE TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

Main Business Line: 250‐953‐4970 Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm

Toll Free 24 Hour Line: 1‐888‐712‐7974 For Assistance with human trafficking cases, including Emergency Services, Accessing Shelter, Interpretation and Translation Services Other Services as Required

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Staying Current, October 2009 Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons Page 4 of 4