Town Council bolsters anti-human trafficking bill by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 11 | Thursday, August 4, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Oakville council has thrown its support behind an anti-human trafficking bill, which was recently introduced at Queen's Park. Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott brought forward the bill, titled "Saving the Girl Next Door," in an effort to establish a coordinated, multi-jurisdictional task force to tackle human trafficking in Ontario. This task force would not only consist of law enforcement agencies, but Crown prosecutors, judges, victims' services and frontline agencies. "In the recent past we have already seen a couple of instances where this heinous crime has been active within our Town. In the last month, Halton police searched locally for a man charged with human trafficking," said Ward 5 Town Councillor Marc Grant, who moved the motion to support Scott's bill. "This motion calls on MPPs to provide our law enforcement, prosecutors and support services with the tools to combat the exploitation of a vulnerable sector and protect our daughters and sisters and friends." Human trafficking has been cited as one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada, with the average age of victims estimated to be 14 years. Reports by Public Safety Canada have indicated human traffickers disproportionately target Indigenous women and girls. "Combatting human trafficking requires cooperation and coordination between law enforcement, victims' services, frontline agencies and more," said Mayor Rob Burton. "This bill encourages that comprehensive approach, and it is council's hope that other community leaders across Ontario will join us in supporting it." Halton police have said the region is not immune from human trafficking. On a single day in December 2015 police reported there were around 45 women selling sex in Burlington alone. 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