The OPP has launched an initiative this month to target human trafficking.
The project is called Operation Northern Spotlight and it involves nearly 45 OPP detachments. While the West Parry Sound detachment was not on the list of police-targeted areas, many incidents go unreported while traffickers prey on vulnerable populations.
Sergeant Coyer Yateman told the My Parry Sound Now Newsroom that while human trafficking is hidden by its nature, two-thirds of reported cases happen in Ontario. He also noted that human trafficking often relates to other crimes.
“Over 90 per cent of our victims come from Ontario. Victims are from anywhere in Ontario and traffickers are travelling through Ontario with them. Whether (or not) they stop in Parry Sound and use a hotel doesn’t mean that it’s not happening in Parry Sound. It’s important for the community to be aware,” Yateman said.
While signs are not always obvious, a variety of indicators could point out that an individual is being trafficked. Yateman suggested that victims of human trafficking are predominantly teenaged girls and young women.
Signs to look out for could include:
- Distancing from family and friends
- Frequently missing school
- Refusing to disclose information or provide false information
- They are unable to indicate the last location they were at or unable to disclose an address of residence
- The victim may be travelling with limited luggage or inappropriate clothing for the weather conditions
- The victim could allow someone to speak on their behalf or not have identification or money in their possession
- The victim could show signs of abuse, malnourishment or sleep deprivation
- The victim could demonstrate signs of angst, fear or depression
Typically vulnerable females are at risk for sexual exploitation. Potential victims could be at-risk youth, new migrants or immigrant women, people who are socially or economically disadvantaged or Indigenous women and girls.
Often human traffickers will befriend the victim and gradually manipulate the individual with clothing, expensive items or with drugs and alcohol. The focus of Operation Northern Spotlight is on victims of sexual exploitation rather than labour exploitation, another aspect of human trafficking.