I was fortunate to attend a law enforcement conference in Winnipeg March 5-6 with co-author Andrea Heinz and keynote speaker April Eve Wiberg. Over and above meeting so many inspiring colleagues, Andrea and I were able to showcase our book and sell copies to other delegates. Here we are with one of our heroes, MP Arnold Viersen from Alberta.
My husband and I travelled early to spend a few days visiting his family. Andrea and April Eve planned to fly out Sun afternoon but all flights were cancelled due to a blizzard. They very bravely rented a car and made the 16-hour drive in hazardous conditions to arrive in time the Monday evening reception. Kudos to them for dedication to the cause!
It was such a pleasure to spend two days in the company of like-mined people from across Canada. The conference was Prosecuting Demand: Deterring Sex Buying and Exploitation. Winnipeg is one of few cities across Canada that takes federal legislation seriously and has harmonized their bylaws to deter sex buying.
Embarrassingly, the city of Edmonton adopted bylaws to protect sex buyers, under the guise of providing “harm reduction” to marginalized and impoverished sellers. No such hypocrisy was present in Winnipeg!
Targeting demand removes the SOURCE of harm from women; it is about disrupting entitlement.
Some highlights of the conference included:
April Eve spoke as a survivor of sexual exploitation and trafficking. She believes that what happened to her could happen to anyone and she speaks to protect the collective sacredness of all people. Her years of childhood abuse left her vulnerable to being groomed into a life of drugs and exploitation. She was trafficked across western Canada, to Vegas, and eventually to New York before being able to escape back to Canada.
Sexual exploitation involves three components: (1) traffickers whose motive is financial, (2) buyers who create the demand, and (3) exploited persons who constitute the “supply.” Without demand, there would be no need for a supply. Efforts to deter men can exist on a continuum of prevention, education, and legal enforcement. Interestingly, while we in Edmonton often champion the success of our STOP: Sex Trade Offender Program in educating men, others felt alternative measures such as “john schools” were too soft.
Joy Smith spoke of her work in helping change federal legislation. She believes human trafficking is Canada’s biggest secret and that we need to join hands as a nation to fight it. Her Joy Smith Foundation promotes awareness to help protect the vulnerable and support for law enforcement and survivors.
Dr. Kari Johnstone is the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combatting Human Trafficking with OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. She reminded us that the Palermo Protocol (endorsed by Canada in 2002) specifies that participating countries have committed to discouraging the demand. This requires a holistic approach including technology, government, awareness. education, legal enforcement, and improved services. The struggle continues.
