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By Peter Edwards Staff Reporter Wed., Feb. 6, 2019 After a series of human trafficking arrests involving the same online classifieds site, a Toronto sex worker says she worries a crackdown on internet sex ads could make her more vulnerable. Toronto police have charged eight GTA residents with dozens of charges in four separate cases this year involving the website LeoList.com. In one, police say a 17-year-old schoolgirl was taken to a series of GTA motels by a man with a gun and forced to sell her body to strangers. The latest bust was announced last week, after police say a man physically assaulted a 28-year-old woman several times, including one attack that left her with broken ribs. In all four cases, alleged pimps forced women to place sex ads on LeoList.com and took all of their earnings. In one, an alleged pimp even threatened a sex worker’s pet, police said. Article Continued Below None of that violence surprises Dave Perry, a Toronto … [Read more...] about Toronto human trafficking arrests shine spotlight on popular classifieds site. Sex worker advocates fear another crackdown
Organizations to help human trafficking
Trump’s tales about gagged women are misleading Americans about human trafficking, experts say
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By Daniel Dale Washington Bureau Chief Tues., Jan. 15, 2019 WASHINGTON—U. S. President Donald Trump has been painting a wildly inaccurate picture of human trafficking in his effort to sell a border wall that would not make a meaningful difference in fighting the problem, experts on trafficking say. Over the past two weeks, Trump has repeatedly told lurid stories about women being “thrown into the back seat of a car, or thrown into a van with no windows, with no form of air,” and smuggled over undefended parts of the border with “tape over their mouths, electrical tape.” “They tape their face, their hair, their hands behind their back, their legs. They put them in the back seat of cars and vans, and they go — they don’t come in through your port of entry, because you’d see them. You couldn’t do that,” he said in his speech to the American Farm Bureau on Monday. Six trafficking experts from … [Read more...] about Trump’s tales about gagged women are misleading Americans about human trafficking, experts say
Rome gives Libya 12 boats to ‘fight human trafficking’ at sea
ROME: The Italian government will give Libya 12 boats to help them "fight human trafficking" and curb the flow of migrants into Europe, Rome announced late Monday (Jul 3). The announcement comes as several EU nations are pressuring Libya to take charge of migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, with the bloc debating how to handle the influx of migrants to the continent.The measure, adopted during a cabinet meeting, "aims to strengthen the operational capacity of the Libyan coastguard" to ensure the "proper management" of the migrant situation in the Mediterranean, a government statement said.The measure "prioritises the need to fight human trafficking, to protect human life at sea and to curb migratory pressure," the statement added.The Italian government will also take responsibility for the maintenance of the 12 boats until the end of the year and offer training to the Libyan coastguard and naval authorities.According to the Italian transport and infrastructure ministry, the … [Read more...] about Rome gives Libya 12 boats to ‘fight human trafficking’ at sea
Katie Ford on why we should talk about human trafficking
Katie Ford on why we should talk about human trafficking New York City-based Ford Models is famous for launching the careers of Dovima and Dorian Leigh, instrumental in putting a face to the ’60s swingers like Jean Shrimpton, and solidifying the ’80s supers Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington — among many other game-changing moves like elevating the Filipina model to a global stage with 2005 Ford Supermodel of the World Charo Ronquillo and, last year, signing the first transgender model Andreja Pejic. Founders Eileen and Gerard Ford also helped transform how modeling agencies work today. When they started in 1946, models weren’t being paid; their daughter Katie compares it to how the broker system works today. But the Fords thought it was natural to protect their talents — which turned out to be a good business move on both ends and has been the standard ever since. Katie took over the business in 1995 and guided models from … [Read more...] about Katie Ford on why we should talk about human trafficking
Opposing human trafficking and modern slavery
FR. SHAY CULLEN, SSC Vatican City: Church and police authorities and non-government organizations (NGOs) came together here recently under the Santa Martha Group, headed by Cardinal Vincent Nicholas, to discuss and share their experiences and listen to each other. They discussed greater cooperation in combating the global scourge and horrific crimes of human trafficking of the vulnerable people into modern slavery. Such cooperation is absolutely essential to find an efficient global response and local action to save the victims and challenge the criminals. Human trafficking is rife in both the developed rich world and in the poorer developing countries, as well as in Eastern Europe, which are sources of victims of slavery. Pope Francis has rightly called it a crime against humanity and convened the grouping in his Santa Martha residence. Anti-trafficking is now on top of the Church agenda since hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees fall victim to human traffickers as they seek … [Read more...] about Opposing human trafficking and modern slavery