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By Lori Pederson
THE FIGHT against human trafficking has made some progress in recent weeks.
On September 30, Parliament passed a private member’s bill which will allow for more punitive measures against traffickers.
MP Joy Smith’s Bill C-268 is a proposal to amend the Criminal Code to provide a minimum
sentence for the trafficking of anyone under the age of 18. The bill is now
under review in the Senate – where it was debated October 22.
Smith, the MP for Kildonan–St. Paul in Manitoba, is known publicly as a Christian. So is one of her allies
in the cause, B.C.-based Senator Yonah Martin.
As sponsor of the bill, Martin delivered an opening speech which included a
statement by a survivor of human trafficking.
She then stated: “I ask all honourable senators to take to heart these profound words, from
someone who has suffered the effects of one of the worst crimes our society
faces.”
Smith stated afterward: “Law enforcement, NGOs and victims are counting on this legislation. From the
letters, emails and phone calls I continue to receive, Canadians are also
expecting the Senate to pass C-268 in a timely manner.”
‘Buying sex is not a sport’ was the theme at an event held October 14 at the University of British
Columbia. Co-sponsored by the UBC Faculty of Law, the presentation was aimed at
the increase in sex trafficking which many anticipate will accompany the 2010
Olympics. Also notable was the fact that one of the speakers is a Christian
activist.
Michelle Miller, executive director of Vancouver’s REED (Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity), which co-sponsored the event,
told the audience she was speaking “as a follower of Jesus.”
Christ, she said, “calls us without hesitation or fear to name injustice and work for the
liberation and equality of all people – but especially those who have been marginalized and are suffering from
oppression.”
Vancouver, she pointed out, “is already a hot spot for trafficking, and a known child-sex tourism
destination. We already have a problem with the demand for paid sex fueling the
exploitation of women . . .
“Now imagine what will happen when we add hundreds of thousands of visitors to
this mix. In 2004, when the Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greek police
found double the number of trafficking victims. The following year – once the Games were over – the number dropped 24 percent . . .
“What will we say to Olympic visitors? Come on in, our women and children are for
sale?”
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) also weighed in on the issue
recently, with a newly released booklet, Not So Ancient: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery.
According to an EFC release, “Readers will learn to recognize the many forms of human trafficking, realize
that human trafficking is encroaching across Canada, and begin to understand
God’s heart and desire to see his children take action in a way that ‘activates’ God’s mission and call in our lives.”
The booklet “is for those who are tired of the status quo and are ready to live out God’s call for justice.”
One group which has had success in fighting human trafficking is International
Justice Mission (IJM). The organization’s personnel collaborate with local authorities in 13 developing countries
worldwide, to free both adults and children from forced labour and sex
trafficking.
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IJM Canada, one of its affiliates, works to raise Canadians’ awareness about modern-day slavery, and partners with IJM’s international offices in efforts to combat the problem in Bolivia, Cambodia,
Uganda and South Asia.
Churches in North America have actively given compassionate assistance to the
poor and marginalized, but IJM maintains that Christians need to be even more
involved in the area of pursuing justice for oppressed victims worldwide.
“IJM’s frontline professionals are nationals who are experts in their fields, highly
professional and deeply dedicated to the work. But they can’t do this job alone,” said Ed Wilson, IJM Canada’s director of development and operations.
“We have found that when Canadians learn of the great need to combat the violence
suffered by the poor around the world, they are eager to join the fight.”
IJM Canada’s largest project is its field office in Bolivia. “We have a very intentional commitment to support the work of that office,” said Wilson, “to reduce the incidence of sexual violence against children in La Paz and El
Alto through the provision of financial resources . . . as well as through
providing volunteer teams of professionals who can assist the staff in bringing
long-term change to those communities.”
Mark Wollenberg, former pastor of North Langley Vineyard, is IJM Canada’s western Canada representative. “My job is to help people move toward seeing injustice,” he told BCCN, adding: “God’s Spirit is calling the church to wake up and see God’s incredible invitation to join him in bringing justice to the world. God’s heart is clearly against injustice.”
Wollenberg would like to see churches build a justice component into their
mission trips. He also suggests that individual Christians ask themselves how
they could most effectively get involved.
Several in B.C. have done so. On September 1, Langley resident Michelle Kong
held a garden party to celebrate her 17th birthday, to raise funds for IJM.
Freedom 151 is a group of youth at Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna, who are
raising funds to help free young people in South Asia from slavery. Business
people in Summerland have just started a year-long initiative to raise $50,000
to help IJM’s work in Bolivia.
IJM president Gary Haugen will be speaking November 3 at a benefit banquet in
Vancouver. Contact: ijm.ca
freedom151.com
embracedignity.org
50thousandforfreedom.com
– additional reporting by David F. Dawes
November 2009
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