Prince Rupert, B.C. - Human trafficking and sexual exploitation are multi-billion dollar criminal industries with horribly human faces.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 17 and 18, law enforcement professionals and social service providers in Prince Rupert gave parents and teens an opportunity to make sure that face is never one they know.
“This is a chance for parents to get good, basic information,” said Chris Carr, of Heilan Counselling. “It's an issue we all want to know about as concerned community members.”

The Prince Rupert Youth Safe Committee hosted the two-day conference. It started Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. with a presentation for parents and service providers at the Lester Centre and was followed on Wednesday with presentations for teens in Grades 6 through 12.

“People come for a number of reasons. As parents, we are all in this together, and any kind of safety information we can get just to keep at the back our minds in our parenting is great,” said Carr.

“It doesn't mean we are dealing with these issues in our home life ... it might be someone down the block, you see a child whose off track and you might be worried about them or you might be dealing with information about your daughter's and son's classmates.”

Even though the conference was originally proposed as a proactive measure in anticipation of the growth and developments that could occur with the opening of the new container terminal, it was also an opportunity to discuss existing issues of sexual exploitation and human trafficking in the community, the country and the world.

“The one thing with the sex trade to remember is there is quite often a transportation component, whenever you have some kind of vehicle involved,” said Carr.

“In the bigger centres, it's the cars on the walks. Here, one of the main forms of transportation is people coming in and out on boats.

“It certainly doesn't mean it's every boat out there but it does mean we do have sex trade happening on the boats, sometimes on the bigger ships. That can include adults taking young people out to the boats for what they call parties and leaving them there for a period of time and coming back and getting them at the designated time and there is money involved for the adults taking them out.”

In addition, there have been instances of young people being pulled into prostitution locally in exchange for drugs, alcohol and clothing or being lured to party houses where they are sexually assaulted.

“People looking to pull these kids into the sex trade, they look for a break in teen's lives. In any teenager's life, there is conflict in the home, it can be very normal, we aren't taking about bad families,” said Carr.

There are also instances where youths have been pulled into human trafficking, the modern day form of slavery.

“Human trafficking has happened here before the port development and it will continue to happen,” Captain Nancy Sheils of Salvation Army. “The conference will help parents and youth know the signs.” Sheils wasl part of a panel that also includes RCMP put together to address the issue of human trafficking.

She spoke about a case involving a l4-year-old girl from the area who was lured away from home by drugs and alcohol and promises of an apartment in Vancouver, clothes and a car. They were really trying to snare her into prostitution.

“You know 14 or 15-year-olds, they have problems with their parents, that's just life,” said Sheils.

“These men just made it sound so perfect. This particular young girl was coming from a middle class family, living in a nice neighbourhood. Sometimes people think this won't happen to my daughter because we come from a good life, but this young girl bought what they had to say.”

Following the Tuesday evening presentation, parents had an opportunity to ask questions, talk to counsellors and pick up a resource sheet that lists the kind of services available in the community.

“It's a great resource to have even if they are not struggling with any of these issues in their own family because often friends talk to friends,” said Carr.

The steering committee includes representatives from Hartley Bay, Metlakatla, Kitkatla, the City of Prince Rupert, RCMP, School District 52, Salvation Army, North Coast Transition Society, North Coast Victim Support Services, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Friendship House and a number of provincial agencies.

“Maybe we can't eliminate (human trafficking), but we can maybe bring it to its knees,” said Capt. Sheils

“If we all put an effort into this we can make a difference not just in our community but also in our country and worldwide.”

by Leanne Ritchie
Reprinted with permission from The Daily News (Prince Rupert)