Human trafficking is a hot topic in trucking and the Government of Canada. We often feel that Canada is immune to issues we hear South of the Border but in reality Canada is a leader in cargo crime only behind California and is now becoming increasingly a problem with other crimes such as human trafficking. Human trafficking has been increasing since 2009 and usually involves women from 20-30 that end up working in the sex trade. The Globe and Mail recently wrote an article about the issue which you can read by clicking the link. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-more-than-30-people-arrested-in-multi-province-human-trafficking/
An increase in crimes such as cargo theft is a sign that other crimes may be increasing in other areas. Cargo crime specialist Todd Moore of ISB Global Services has presented many times on cargo securement and says that general cargo crimes are seed money for other crimes with human trafficking being one of them. Organized crime is behind much of the cargo crime in Canada and as mentioned in the article above by the Globe and Mail organized crime is also behind human trafficking showing a constant link that I am sure is strong signal to law enforcement.
With an increase of refugees and other immigration issues at the forefront human trafficking has been increasing around the World. Truck drivers are often used in these crimes as was reported with people found in trucks in England, the United States, and Canada with refugees trying to escape their homelands.
Past presentations I have seen on human trafficking include being aware of those in public locations such as truck stops being aware of those that may look like they are being controlled by someone else, frightened, or being watched from afar. Lately the people being trafficked have been found in the back of trailers so now the focus has been on people buying large amounts of products like water, food, or other supplies as a possibility to human trafficking.
If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking and how it may be affecting your operation or the industry in general the Truck Training School Association of Ontario will be hosting a presentation on human trafficking by Heather Fry, Canadian Director of Truckers Against Trafficking, and Jim Dimech of Praxair Canada Inc on what can be done about the issue and what agencies are doing about the problem. Here is the press release for the event on December 11th, 2019.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years. He is the author of the books Driven to Drive, Running By The Mile, and host of The Lead Pedal Podcast. TTSAO also known as the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario has certified member schools in the truck training vocation ensuring quality entry level drivers enter the transportation industry. To learn more about the TTSAO or to find a certified school in your area visit www.ttsao.com