www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, May 6, 2016 | 10 Easier for police to help child than adult victim continued from p.8 He noted before the unit was assembled the gun and gang unit's members, not specifically trained in such cases, would deal with human trafficking victims. HTU members have some training but Dick said they know they are not the best people to deal with the victims once they have been freed from servitude. "We try to have a total victim model so that if we identify a victim and one comes to us (for help) we can deal with them from Day 1. "In relation to victim care, that is not our specialty. That's where the Elizabeth Fry Society and Children's Aid (for minor victims) come into it." The HTU also works with Oakville-based Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS), area hospitals, the Halton Women's Place shelter and the Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK). Even Habitat For Humanity HaltonMississauga has helped out by providing and furnishing a room for a victim. "We have a dentist on board who will fix a victim's teeth at no charge," said Dick. He said they come across young adult victims of human trafficking, but not usually older than 23. The youngest are often 14 or 15. They are always women in Halton. Any males being trafficked are usually foreigners being taken advantage of in the I like the safety and prevention piece (espoused by the Human Trafficking Unit) a lot. My daughter was 14 when she was approached (by a possible trafficker), so it hits close to home. Halton Regional Police Services Board Chair Oakville Mayor Rob Burton manual labour industry, another burgeoning problem. Average recruitment age is 13 Most people believe the victims are females from other countries, but Dick says the majority of charges against sexual traffickers in Canada involve almost exclusively Canadian female victims. "The average age of recruitment into the sex trade in Canada is 13, so there are girls younger than that." Human traffickers earning $200K weekly It can be a very lucrative market, said Dick, noting they are working with Peel police on tracking down 20 sex traffickers making $200,000 a week. Typically, traffickers will contact a female either in person or via social media to develop a relationship, what Murray calls the Romeo strategy. "Once she is broken then she's doing it (sex acts for money) for the `love of my life'. She's looking for someone (the trafficker) to say, `I love you', that he is the man who is going to save them," said Murray. "The mental cruelty aspect holds a lot of these individuals," said Dick. "They (traffickers) give and then take and give more and take back. "We also deal with Aboriginal girls. They are drawn to the bright lights of the big city." One way to try to prevent someone from being drawn into the sex trade is to educate youth, teachers and guidance counselors, but Murray said it's not easy to get permission to go into schools in Halton to address the issue. Police services board chair and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton stressed that education is key. "I like the safety and prevention piece (espoused by the HTU) a lot. My daughter was 14 when she was approached (by a possible trafficker), so it hits close to home," he said. The HTU does have some success stories. Detectives will use the Internet to pose as potential clients and arrange to meet a female. If they meet, for what they call Knock and Talks, the HTU officer identifies himself as police. "We are not judging them. If they are a victim, we can help. If they are not ready (to leave the trade), they can call us when they are," said Dick. "Unless they are a child (under 18), you can't force them to take it (help)," said Dick. Murray noted that a girl contacted them in 2015. She was being trafficked and becoming a heroin addict as her trafficker was feeding her the drug. "What's going to happen if she can't get medical help?" asked Murray, noting the unit is working on getting victims access to medical beds. Recently the HTU was able to get two minor teenage females in Halton, and a woman from outside Halton working here, out of the sex trade. Their alleged traffickers have been identified, but detectives are still working on the case in order to try to lay charges. "We've certainly had a few very good results," which Dick defined as someone "able to live their life fully and normally." "There are a lot of times though when you have people who are truly broken and have no trust in anyone including police officers. "We find it frequently that we believe individuals are in bad spots but through fear, coercion or (misplaced) loyalty, they can't or don't want to leave." He said it's also true that there are "plenty" of sex trade workers that are "truly independent". "We are there to help those that are not free to make their choice," said Dick. Top Rated Tire & Auto Shop By Yellow Pages NEW MILLENIUM TIRE & AUTO CENTRE OAkvIllE Trilingual. None of which includes OMG. The way kids communicate today it's nice to know your child will learn languages that will actually help them in the real world. Our program includes English, French and Mandarin right from preschool. The only downside... you still may not understand what they're saying. Book your tour today. fernhillschool.com MANUfACTUREs REbATEs hAvE sTARTEd! (MOsT brands On sale) $70 ViSA PREPAid CARd $50 REBATE (some conditions apply) $40 REBATE $80 iN REBATES ChOsen One Of Oakville's bEsT AUTO sERvICE CENTREs ANd TIRE shOp $65 PREPAid MASTER CARd UP TO $100 iN REBATES UP TO Alignment Special* 10% OFF *Some additional charges apply to complex adjustments $70 MAiL iN REBATE Family owned and operated. 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