Right now, a girl is being sold for sex against her will. It’s called sex trafficking and it's happening in our communities, to our children and often right in front of us. Sex trafficking is one of Canada’s most lucrative, and misunderstood crimes. In Canada, 90 per cent of sex trafficking victims come from Canada with girls as young as 13 being lured online, from schools, malls and other places young people meet.
It thrives, goes undetected and is under-reported.
Traffickers prey on young people, mostly young women, focusing in on their vulnerabilities such as their need for belonging, love and connection or basic necessities. Then, they’ll lavish them with gifts and attention which can feel a lot like care, like being understood for the very first time. But very quickly – before a teenage girl knows it – she is trapped in the world of sex trafficking, a world of abuse that is confusing, controlling and very difficult to get out of.
We can stop sex trafficking before it starts.
Education, awareness and dialogue are essential to help keep young people safe. Forty-seven per cent of Canadians aren’t confident they could recognize the warning signs of someone being lured into sex trafficking. Covenant House research shows that the more youth and their parents know about the issue the better equipped they are to protect themselves. This is why we are asking Canadians to learn and talk about sex trafficking because if we understand what it is, how it happens and how to spot it, we can help prevent it from happening to our children in our communities.
Take the pledge and help protect youth from sex trafficking.
Every single voice counts.
