All stakeholders met recalled that given the illegal nature of human trafficking, most cases go unreported to the authorities.
Authorities have noticed an increase in human trafficking cases in recent years, according to Luc Dumont, detective sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Human Trafficking Unit.
Despite inquiries from Radio-Canada, police were unable to accurately quantify the phenomenon. However, the OPP confirms that, on average, Ontario reports more human trafficking cases per year than other Canadian provinces.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 60% of human trafficking cases reported to authorities were reported in this province in 2020.
Kawehnoke is located in the Akwesasne Indigenous Territory near Cornwall Photo: Radio-Canada / Félix Desroches
To handle the growing volume and complexity of cases, Ontario implemented a strategy in 2021 bringing together 21 city police services and First Nations.
This diverse team, which has tripled in size in three years, includes full-time investigators and analysts trying to unravel multi-territorial organizations.
Dumont says it’s difficult to attribute the increase in reported cases to any one factor. However, he mentions that greater awareness means that the population is more likely to recognize and denounce the problem.
Patrick Dussault, for his part, emphasizes the importance of cooperation between the interprovincial bodies.
A young woman from Akwesasne went missing just before New Year 2023. Within minutes, she was reported missing to the Mohawk Police Department. Ten minutes later, she was tracked down through an escort website in Ottawa. It is thanks to the American authorities that we were able to find this woman from our community, he explains.
However, the retired police officer is alarmed by the ingenuity of criminals, who primarily use social networks to recruit their next victims.
“It seems that every time you find new social networks or new online recruitment platforms, two more come out. We are always a few steps behind. »
– A quote from Patrick Dussault, Human Trafficking Liaison Officer at Akwesasne Wellness Family Center
Akwesasne Band Council Grand Chief Abram Benedict is concerned that well-organized groups keeping an eye out for technological trends are targeting members of his community.
Although the Ontario government is allocating increasing resources to combat human trafficking, it believes those resources remain small given the complexity of its territory.
Akwesasne Band Council Grand Chief Abram BenedictPhoto: Akwesasne Band Council
Much has been invested in policing to combat the arms trade, but much less to combat human trafficking. “We are therefore lobbying the government to ensure that the Mohawk Police Department has more resources for law enforcement, but also for prevention,” he emphasizes.
He adds that the organization would need more modern equipment and more police personnel.