Winnipeg has become ground zero in the battle against human trafficking between Canada and the United States.
Fifty stakeholder groups from Manitoba and North Dakota, including government and enforcement agencies, are meeting on Friday to discuss intelligence gathering, enforcement procedures, information sharing and victim care on both sides of the border. The goal is to develop an international protocol on how to end human trafficking.
‘North Dakota may seem like, you know, a small innocent little state that we drive through to get to somewhere else, but it really is part of where traffickers go.’ – Diane Redsky
This is the first time in Canada that a meeting like this has happened, said Diane Redsky, executive director of Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, a family resource centre that creates a place for girls who cannot find safety in Winnipeg.
She said the booming oil and gas industry in North Dakota has drawn many transient men looking for work. That, in turn, has created a demand for sex trade workers, she said.
“North Dakota may seem like, you know, a small innocent little state that we drive through to get to somewhere else, but it really is part of where traffickers go,” Redsky said.
“Organizers hope that the meeting will set the template for cross-border provincial and state collaborations” on the growing crime, states a news release about the meeting.
“With a view to ending human trafficking, this meeting will allow for detailed discussions on disrupting human trafficking efforts through innovations in intelligence efforts, response and enforcement, public education and awareness, as well as professional training for those in position to recognize the signs of human trafficking and respond appropriately,” Barb Gosse, CEO of the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, is quoted saying.
“We are hoping that this event will set the stage for similar collaborations across Canada and the United States and will help to end human trafficking in North America.”