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