This week, Listen Up focuses its lens on the problem of human trafficking. The buying and selling people for profit – against their will - is alive and well in Canada. A bevy of academics, governments, police and activists conclude that human trafficking is the fastest growing illegal trade activity.

The economic impact is staggering. Profits from the trafficking industry are estimated to be in excess of 32 billion dollars. As Parliament and the courts wrestle with how best to protect the vulnerable, we go behind the headlines to bring you stories of the enormous cost to human lives.

GET INVOLVED: To voice your concerns and to become pro-active in this discussion, write to the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and your local MP by clicking here. To copy a form letter to send to the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and your local MP, click here.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Is Canada doing enough to combat human trafficking? Send us your thoughts at listenup@listenuptv.com.

Listen Up is "news that takes you deeper." Go deeper with us by exploring our "Traffic Denied" guest and resource page here.

Guests

Major Brian Venables
Salvation Army, British Columbia
Organized “The Truth Isn’t Sexy” ad campaign to combat human trafficking
www.thetruthisntsexy.ca

Joy Smith
MP, Kildonan – St. Paul, Manitoba
Led formal study on human trafficking in Canada and introduced Bill C-268 to Parliament
http://www.joysmith.ca/

Brian McConaghy
Former RCMP
Human trafficking specialist & Founder, Ratanak Foundation

Michelle Miller
REED, (Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity)
Founder of Buying Sex Is Not A Sport campaign
http://embracedignity.org

Benjamin Perrin
Assistant Professor, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law
Canada's leading expert on human trafficking
www.thefuturegroup.org

Detective Cam Brooks
Calgary Police Service
Formerly with the Vice Unit that investigated international human trafficking
http://www.calgarypolice.ca/

Trisha Baptie
Former prostitute
Founder, Honour Consulting
http://honourministries.com

*Listen Up would like to give a special thanks to volunteer photographer, Sonja Spaetzel, for her work in documenting our field shoot exploring human trafficking. You can find Sonja's photography here.

Resources

How you can get involved:
REED: 21 Things You Can Do Today to End Sex Trafficking!
C.F.H.T.: Political Action

Other agencies working to combat human trafficking:
ICAP-International Christian Alliance on Prostitution
C.F.H.T.-Canada Fights Human Trafficking
Humantrafficking.ca - A resource for NGOs and victims of human trafficking in Canada

LORNA'S WRAP
Human trafficking is selling people against their will to make a profit. The buying and selling of people is simply not a Canadian value. But as a country, we can be blindsided by legal challenges underway in our courts on this. Before we know it, we’ve allowed the creation of laws that makes it easier for people to be sold. That argument comes through propaganda that says in order to protect girls who are prostitutes we must institutionalize the selling of sex. Make it a Charter right even.

That case is currently before the Ontario and British Columbia courts. It would legalize the sale of sex so that prostitution could blossom into an industry. The sex industry is a market with a demand for which the supply must be created. Vulnerable people will be hunted to fill that market.

Politicians of all parties need to hear our opinion on this. What kind of legal landscape does Canada want when it comes to sex for sale? Do we want to be known as a country that allows the open market of sex for sale?

I say we protect the vulnerable, and prosecute those who purchase and profit from sex for sale. We have left links and information on our website on how to get your views to our lawmakers. They want to know what Canadians think about this issue, we need to speak our mind.

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