Human Trafficking will be the focus of this week’s YMCA Empowerment Session
It’s one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and it should be no surprise that human trafficking can happen anywhere, even in Northumberland County.
Police say highways across the GTA provide access for traffickers with a criminal reach stretching from the Windsor corridor to Montreal.
With Cobourg being along the 401 corridor it’s an ideal location to recruit victims according to Detective Randall Curr.
Detective Constable Danielle McKeen will give a talk on March 28th at the Port Hope High School beginning at 6pm.
Detective Randall Curr told us more about his colleague’s talk.
Traffickers identify and target a young person’s vulnerabilities to gain trust and form a bond.
Curr told us it’s not a snatch and grab scenario, but a process where traffickers, or their proxies will develop a relationship with an intended victim. They identify and fulfill that young person’s needs, and then use that dependence to control and exploit them.
Detective Constable McKeen’s presentation will provide an overview of what human trafficking is, as well as how and where it happens. It aims to educate others on the indicators and warning signs for trafficking, provides information about the laws surrounding trafficking, and discusses strategies to help prevent and assist those that may be victims.
For more info on the session, visit 2023 YMCA Northumberland x RTOERO Empowerment Series – YMCA Northumberland (ymcanrt.org).
Written by Joseph Goden
