Survivor shares story of human trafficking to raise awareness, inspire hope

A survivor of human trafficking says more Nova Scotians need training to spot the signs of the crime to prevent others from ending up in a similar situation.

According to Statistics Canada, the province has the highest rate of human trafficking charges in the country. For Vanessa Tynes-Jass, that's actually a good thing. 

"What it says to me is that the victims of this horrible phenomenon are coming forward, that they're not afraid to report and that the arrests are being made," said Tynes-Jass in an interview on CBC's Information Morning.

"So that's excellent."

Tynes-Jass was trafficked as a teenager in Halifax in the 90s.

She was trying to support herself and finish high school working part-time at McDonalds.

Creating a safe atmosphere

When she could no longer afford food or rent, she was coerced into prostitution by her rooming house landlord. She said she only realized later that he and the other girls in the building had been grooming her for "the game."

After a year and half under the control of her traffickers, the murder of her roommate, 17-year-old Kelly Whynot, and several unsuccessful attempts to leave, Tynes-Jass managed to escape in Ottawa and return to Nova Scotia.

Thanks to the support of her family, she finished high school, went to law school and became a successful lawyer. She currently practises in the Greater Toronto Area.

Tynes-Jass said training done with police and RCMP officers has helped create a safer atmosphere for victims to come forward.

In particular, she applauds the work of Cpl. David Lane, who is part of the Nova Scotia Human Trafficking Unit, which is made up of specially-trained RCMP and municipal police officers using a victim-centred approach to deal with multi-jurisdictional human trafficking cases.

Recognizing the signs

"He's made it more comfortable for victims to feel like their stories will be heard and that they will be seen and not judged when they come forward," she said. "And that's very, very important." 

Tynes-Jass argues we need to continue training people on the front lines of human trafficking — including hotel staff, Airbnb owners, teachers, social workers and doctors — to recognize the signs and know how to respond.

She also argues that it is crucial to protect youth from the poverty and housing insecurity that makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

Miia Suokonautio of the YWCA's trafficking and exploitation service system partnership agrees with Tynes-Jass' assessment.

"Housing is pivotal," said Suokonautio.

"We know young people, for example, are being exploited for basic needs like food security, for housing. So they're doing sex for housing, sex for drugs."

Students taught about human trafficking

She said through the partnership, they are leading educational sessions across the province and starting to see real changes.

Nova Scotian schools have introduced a unit on human trafficking awareness to the Grade 7 curriculum, and a lot of the larger hotels and trucking associations are already doing this training, she said. 

Statistics Canada reports that in 2019, Nova Scotia had the highest per capita human trafficking rate in the country. Halifax in particular had a rate 7.5 times the national average.

Yet, a recent survey from the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking shows that over half of Atlantic Canadians either aren't aware or don't believe that it is taking place in their communities.

Three out of four people surveyed said they wouldn't recognize the signs of human trafficking.

Suokonautio said that actually shows their efforts are making a difference. As a province, she said, we have really only been talking about this issue for a few years.

"The fact that a quarter of Nova Scotians do know is a significant achievement," said Suokonautio.

Inspiring those who feel helpless

Suokonautio said the best thing a person can do to help prevent trafficking in their communities is to spend some time on their newly launched website learning how to recognize the signs of human trafficking. 

Tynes-Jass has a message for anyone who suspects they are being groomed or who is currently trying to escape from trafficking and sexual exploitation: "This is not the end of that person's story."

She hopes her story of escaping her traffickers and reclaiming her life inspires others who might feel helpless.