Number of trafficked women increasing in Vancouver

While the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada have drawn the attention of the world, it may also be drawing the attention for another dubious reason -- sex trafficking, reports MNN.

After a noticeable swell in sex trafficking during the 2004 Greece Olympics and the 2006 Germany World Cup, groups like the Salvation Army and Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity (REED) began to take preventative measures against such an increase in Vancouver.

After a variety of campaigns were executed to prevent an upswing in trafficking during the 2010 Games, Canadian officials still had not planned any tightened security on prostitution during the Olympic Games.

Jamie McIntosh of International Justice Mission Canada says already with such an influx of people entering the country, border control is overwhelmed and easily misses things. "It's much easier to pass somebody off as a tourist coming to visit and view the Games, when in reality there is a trafficker lurking behind the scenes who will take them to a brothel where they will be forced to work for sometimes years on end," explains McIntosh.

Unfortunately, the security errors do not stop here. The fact that Canada has no mandatory minimum sentence for human trafficking only adds to the problem. McIntosh explains that despite the presence of advocacy campaigns, if there are no significant consequences, sex traffickers will not be deterred.

"The demand generally is heightened when there is laxity in enforcement. We can all think about it thinking about photo-radar when it comes to speeding on the highway or freeway. If you see a speed trap ahead, you might be might more cognizant of how far you put your foot down on the pedal.

"Obviously that's a very simple analogy, but the reality as it relates to human trafficking is if people know that there are significant consequences, if they feel there is a threat to their own security, if they feel that the cost-benefit analysis just does not check out...then it can diminish some things on the supply side. But also for those who are trying to engage in services of trafficked victims, if they have a likelihood of being caught and the consequences are harsh enough, that sometimes is enough to deter that sort of conduct."

McIntosh notes that it's hard to tell if there has been a significant increase in trafficked women since the Olympics began. Unfortunately, with few foreseen legal consequences, a history of success at similar events, and the promise of good business from wealthy internationals at the Games, sex traffickers are likely taking advantage of the opportunity.

Thankfully measures are underway to at least maintain a minimum sentence for sex traffickers in Canada, but as the Olympics draw to a close, there is little left to be done about the current situation. Instead, advocates are looking to the future to prevent this type of exploitation from happening in coming events. Reports have already been made about sex traffickers who plan to use the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a place of business.

To help in the fight for justice for these modern day slaves, McIntosh suggests believers pray, raise awareness in their churches, and draw encouragement from past evangelical leaders, like William Wilberforce, who have led justice movements in the name of Christ. Above all, believers need to reach out to the oppressed as Christ has commanded them to do, in action and with the truth of the Gospel.

"There is a role for the body of Christ," says McIntosh. "We need to draw near to those who are broken, those who are abused, those who are oppressed. We need to provide the same protection for them that we would want if we were trapped in that situation ourselves."

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TAGS: Canada Winter Olympics Vancouver sex trafficking Salvation Army Resist Exploitation Embrace Dignity prostitution International Justice Mission Canada

[02/26/2010]

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