Blog

International Women’s Day (IWD) is fast approaching.

This year’s theme - ‘Give to Gain’ - is a call to intentional generosity and collective action to advance gender equality. It also connects deeply with matters such as human trafficking and gender-based violence because these issues are both outcomes of gender inequality and barriers to achieving full equality for women and girls.

While trafficking and gendered-base violence are often viewed primarily as a criminal justice or human rights issues, they increasingly have become a concern for Canadian businesses because they can pose potential legal liabilities, reputational damage, operational disruptions, and governance challenges. 

As regulatory scrutiny and public awareness continue to grow, companies must treat anti-trafficking and gendered-based violence measures as core components of responsible business practice. By implementing strong workplace policies, supporting employees, and fostering inclusive cultures, Canadian businesses can perhaps mitigate these risks while contributing to a safer and more equitable society.

The issues surrounding human trafficking is the focus of the Cambridge Chamber’s IWD event – The Fight Against Female Trafficking -  on March 6 at Tapestry Hall when Danielle Churly, a survivor advocate with nearly a decade of experience in anti-human trafficking and gender-based violence work, will share her insights.

The Chamber spoke with Danielle, who works as a Case Manager at Elora House and contributes to survivor panels, advisory committees, and community initiative, about her work:

Q. What are some of the factors that have transformed Ontario into a major hub for human trafficking in Canada?

Danielle: Human trafficking has been around as long as Canada has been and the colonization of this land. It is very much still linked to that legacy and the impact of colonization. Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit peoples are overrepresented in who is targeted and victimized.

Traffickers also tend to victimize vulnerable populations (people in poverty, struggling with addiction, disabled, children in the child welfare system, the marginalized, or oppressed). Ontario has highly dense cities and largely populated areas that make it easier to hide in plain sight and provides access to potentially vulnerable populations.

Another reason is related to supply and demand as this is what fuels human trafficking. The 401 corridor makes it easy for traffickers to transport/ traffick victims across different cities (the supply) and it also has many people traveling every day for various reasons and makes it an easy access point for potential buyers to access commercialized sexual services (the demand). Human trafficking has always been here. I think it is just more visible now.

Q. How does human trafficking in Ontario commonly manifest, and what misconceptions prevent the public from recognizing it? 

Danielle: People often think of the movie Taken when they think of trafficking but in reality, that is not what it looks like in Canada. It is important to recognize human trafficking and human smuggling are two different things and someone does not need to be taken across borders to be trafficked.

We often hear of stories on social media of people being followed at Walmart or zip ties being attached to car doors, or vehicles being tagged by traffickers, and this really gets to me as a survivor because this is not how traffickers tend to recruit victims and these stories create fear and misinformation about trafficking.

Most victims know their trafficker whether they are a friend, family member, boyfriend, co-worker, and they are not kidnapped by some random person. Trafficking is a low-risk high reward crime, and it would be a lot higher risk and bring more attention for traffickers to start kidnapping people off the streets. It is way more likely that they find someone vulnerable and take the time to groom and coerce them into the sex trade.

I want to make it clear that while I am not saying kidnapping never happens, it is not as common and not the norm. Trafficking often happens in stages where someone is recruited (lured), groomed and gamed, coerced and manipulated, and then exploited.

Q. How effective are Ontario’s current laws, law enforcement strategies, and prosecution practices in addressing human trafficking?

Danielle: I have found the court system itself is less effective as traffickers often get a slap on the wrist and end up back in the community reoffending. The court process is long and retraumatizing and experiences can be heavily dependent on the officer involved with the case, the crown attorney, and the victim witness assistance worker someone gets.

The cases are also often heavily reliant on victim testimony and if a victim is deemed unreliable or are seen as not the ‘perfect victim’ charges may never be put through in the first place (they may not be believed or taken seriously). It is also important to note a lot of the focus when it comes to the criminal justice system is on the traffickers rather than the buyers which creates a gap as the demand is not being addressed.

Q. What role do institutions such as schools, health-care systems, workplaces, and social services play in preventing and responding to gender-based violence in Ontario?

Danielle: Institutions often are the frontlines and come across or are directly involved with, or supporting, people who are being trafficked or have been trafficked and it is so important for these places to collaborate and work together on a holistic response to prevention and intervention. Systems often fail victims and survivors from preventing the trafficking and the  vulnerabilities someone has, all the way to survivors being out, healing, and working in the field. There are so many gaps and barriers that create harm and even well-intentioned people, and places, can unknowingly cause damage. That is why listening to survivors and allowing them to lead and create change is so important.

Gender-based violence also creates a huge economic gap for those affected by it and this is often not addressed in our systems, and it creates a cycle of abuse and leaves survivors vulnerable to revictimization and exploitation. I believe that we, as a society, really need to be creating pathways out of poverty to help with prevention.

Q. What are some of the takeaways you hope attendees at our International Women’s Day event will leave with? 

Danielle: I hope that everyone will be able to see the power of survivor resilience and how everyone can play a role in preventing and eradicating human trafficking when we work together and allow survivors to lead the movement. I hope that everyone will also know what action they can take and be able to move forward with an understanding of what human trafficking actually is and what steps can be taken to help survivors heal and grow in our community.