City hall voted to recognize London as a hub for some of the worst human trafficking in north america. The crisis has developed as law enforcement has cracked down on the illegal trade of guns and drugs. A side effect of this has been that nasty crime rings have resorted to ever more desperate tactics to bring in cash. Unfortunately that has meant the most vulnerable of people have been swept up in a brutal north american slave trade.
London sits along the 401 corridor which has become a highway for traffickers looking to sell Ontario’s women and children. This special geography has meant that London police service and city hall have been forced to act on a province wide crisis. Homeless women are a favoured target of traffickers and women’s shelters like Anova have been working tirelessly to protect them.
Anova has been a critical organizations in addressing this issue in London. They presented city council with a series of new recommendations they believe will help address human trafficking in London. the commendations aim to help those who are most vulnerable become safer. Transforming the LTC into an organization that officially looks to help women in dangerous situations is just one of the goals. Using a gendered lens when making policy decisions for the city or when making infrastructure plans will also become a common practice at the city.
The recommendations aren’t just targeting trafficking, addressing domestic violence and building a safer place to grow up is also on the list. Anova and the city will regularly discuss the progress the city is making on male violence against women at the town and gown committee. The hope is that having regular conversations about this kind of violence will open up a broader dialogue in the city about these inequalities.
Last year 41 women and girls were killed in Ontario between January and June, highlighting the severity of violence women are exposed to. Further, the province has been tracking an increase in the number of trafficking cases its police services have taken on. In 2010 the number of cases per 100 thousand population was 26, in 2016 that figure increased to 340 cases. The government found that 95% of all trafficked person were women and of that 26% were under the age of 18, the median age being between 18-24. The information is public and is available here.
The city hopes that by setting up this frame work they can open the doors to further community intervention.
