Human Trafficking happens everyday in communities all across Canada, including our own backyards.
Traffickers target our youth, gain their trust, and slowly weave their way into their lives. It happens in urban and rural areas daily.
Traffickers come on to the young people as their friends. Their goal is to gain the trust of their victim, and gain control over them. Traffickers try to persuade their target that they are the only ones who cares for them.
Initially, they show a great deal of interest in what their victim is interested in. They gain their friendship and trust very quickly. As the relationship progresses, often they will become romantically attached to their target. They tell them they love them, and they will build a life together.
Numerous young people fall in love over the internet. Research shows that a young person can be groomed in 45 minutes by the Trafficker. During the pandemic, online usage as increased more than 36%.
Even though the internet and social media are widely used by all of us for business and social communication, it is also used by human traffickers to find vulnerable youth, target them and groom them for sex trafficking.
Our youth need to be aware how sophisticated software out now has the ability to change a person’s face and voice, so the recipient of the video through email believes they are speaking to someone who is a young teenager, when in fact, they could be much older.
Basic online practices your child needs to know:
- Never have online conversations with someone they do not know personally.
- If someone online asks personal questions or their communications makes your child uncomfortable, they have no obligation to answer back.
- You can always report someone who is sending offensive messages.
- You can block online users on any online platforms.
- You should never receive or send sexual pictures. Once it is online it is very difficult to get removed and could negatively impact on that individual getting into post-secondary schools, or even getting hired later on when they are in the work force.
Our youth need to take power and control over their online communications. It will keep them safe.
For more information visit: joysmithfoundation.com
Joy Smith, B.Ed M.Ed OM, is the founder and president of The Joy Smith Foundation.
