Human trafficking in London region on the rise, police and experts warn

As human trafficking numbers increase, police and those who help survivors want the public to be aware about how to recognize the signs of abuse.

"The more that we can do to create awareness and to prevent vulnerable young people from being trafficked, the better it is, because once young people have been lured into the game, it's much more difficult to help them exit safely," said Wendy Goldsmith of the London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC).

She was among dozens of police representatives, community stakeholders, and frontline workers who came together Sunday for a symposium aimed at educating the public about sexual exploitation, extortion, trafficking, and violence, and to provide support to survivors.

The event, Hope Together: Supporting Survivors, was hosted by London police and featured five presentations touching on Internet child exploitation, sextortion, human trafficking, and recognizing the signs of abuse. One presentation dealt with how to respond to a disclosure of sexual violence from a loved one.

LAWC has seen "a definite increase" in the number of women and girls being trafficked, Goldsmith said.

"We're also seeing a lot of women coming in who were trafficked in the past, so historical trauma. They're just able to name it now, so they're starting to work through the trauma that they've experienced."

London is considered a hub for trafficking due to its location between Toronto and Windsor on Hwy. 401, Goldsmith said. The highway, and the hotels along it, provide traffickers a way to shuttle victims to other major cities in Ontario and Quebec.

Roughly 73 per cent of police-reported sex trafficking cases involve children, youth, and young women, with the average age of victims recruited being between 11 and 13. At least 51 per cent of sex trafficking victims in Canada are Indigenous women and children, she said.

Young victims are often lured through social media in the form of a "Romeo pimp" situation, in which the trafficker uses the victim's vulnerabilities to develop a romantic relationship they can exploit, she said.

"We're seeing a rise in our youth that is being trafficked and targeted for exploitation. It's definitely the most concerning," said Det. Cst. Cassandra Lee of the London police human trafficking unit.

Her presentation addressed human trafficking with a lens on local trends. An increase of labour trafficking has also been seen in the city, she said.

"We are visiting schools more frequently, doing educational pieces. We will do presentations for awareness, but also educational pieces for vulnerable persons or persons… flagged as at risk," she said of police efforts targeting youth.

Last year, the department reported that its Internet child exploitation unit had helped to arrest 18 people in 2022, and to lay 113 charges. That same year, the human trafficking unit arrested 25 people and laid 155 criminal charges, the report said.

"I don't think it's ever going to be enough," Goldsmith said of educational efforts like the symposium.

"We need to continue to educate, and go back to the places we've already spoken with folks. To the hospitals, to the hotels, because there's a staff turnover. We need to do everything we can to get the word out."

Twelve local organizations, including Anova, Atlosha, Beacon House, Canadian Mental Health Association, Muslim Resource Centre, and Western University were also present with information tables set up near the entrance.