By Douglas Quan, Postmedia News October 8, 2010
Members of a southern Ontario family are facing human trafficking and fraud charges after more than a dozen people said they were reduced to working for free and eating table scraps after leaving Hungary on the promise of a more prosperous life. File photo of a photo illustration. Photograph by: Google Images
They were lured to Canada from Hungary with promises of steady work, good pay and a better life.
But police say they wound up living in basements, feeding on scraps and leftovers — sometimes once a day — and forced to work construction jobs for long hours without pay.
By late Friday, the number of victims caught up in a suspected human-trafficking operation centred in the Hamilton-Niagara region of Ontario had reached 19, police said.
And all are men, it's believed.
RCMP officials said teams of investigators had fanned out to try to locate and arrest 10 members of the same family charged with taking part in the alleged operation.
The release of details in the 10-month joint investigation between police and the Canada Border Services Agency comes on the heels of an RCMP report last month that assessed the problem of human trafficking for the purposes of forced labour and sexual exploitation.
The report warned that "control tactics" used by human traffickers typically include "social isolation, forcible confinement, withholding identification documents, imposing strict rules, limitation of movement, as well as threats of violence."
"It's a form of modern-day slavery," said Benjamin Perrin, a law professor at UBC and author of the just-released book Invisible Chains: Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking.
But police say they wound up living in basements, feeding on scraps and leftovers — sometimes once a day — and forced to work construction jobs for long hours without pay.
By late Friday, the number of victims caught up in a suspected human-trafficking operation centred in the Hamilton-Niagara region of Ontario had reached 19, police said.
And all are men, it's believed.
RCMP officials said teams of investigators had fanned out to try to locate and arrest 10 members of the same family charged with taking part in the alleged operation.
The release of details in the 10-month joint investigation between police and the Canada Border Services Agency comes on the heels of an RCMP report last month that assessed the problem of human trafficking for the purposes of forced labour and sexual exploitation.
The report warned that "control tactics" used by human traffickers typically include "social isolation, forcible confinement, withholding identification documents, imposing strict rules, limitation of movement, as well as threats of violence."
"It's a form of modern-day slavery," said Benjamin Perrin, a law professor at UBC and author of the just-released book Invisible Chains: Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking.
"These traffickers know they can prey on these vulnerable individuals."
According to a June report in the Hamilton Spectator, Hungarian trafficking victims in the Hamilton area have been made to fetch drinks and massage the feet of their captors.
The current investigation started in December 2009 when one alleged victim came forward to an immigration officer and reported the family's conduct.
Others later reported similar stories to police.
These individuals had been poor and out of work in their home country, and were recruited to come to Canada with promises of a better life, said Sgt. Marc La Porte.
But when they arrived in Canada, they were forced into filing refugee claims and claims for social assistance, La Porte said.
The government cheques were allegedly diverted to the traffickers.
Routine aspects of daily life — who they spoke with, where they lived and what they ate — were closely controlled, police said. They were also taken to construction sites on a daily basis and made to work long hours without pay.
"The constant monitoring coupled with threats to the victims and their families in Hungary left the victims with no money and no way out of their situation," La Porte said.
Some of the victims had been under the control of the group for several months, police said. While some have since returned to Hungary, others are still in Canada and getting help from non-governmental organizations.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Ferenc Domotor, Ferenc Domotor Jr., Gyongi Kolompar, Lajoz Domotor, Ferenc Karadi, Gizella Domotor, Atilla Kolompar, Gyula Domotor and Zsanett Karadi.
The suspects range in age from 24 to 48. They are wanted for various offences, including trafficking in persons and fraud, and in the case of Zsanett Karadi, theft.
None of the charges has been proven in court.
The RCMP's human trafficking awareness co-ordinator said the case marks the first time charges have been laid where victims of alleged international trafficking were sought as labourers as opposed to sex workers.
Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister, told the National Post earlier this year that organized criminals send pawns to Canada to collect welfare. He referred to a deluge of apparently bogus refugee claims from Hungary. Of more than 2,500 claims submitted from that country in 2009, only three were deemed to need Canada's protection.
But trafficking for the purposes of forced labour is not uncommon, Perrin said.
In May 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada started keeping track of suspected cases of human trafficking, he said.
As of November 2008, there were 50 cases in the database involving foreign nationals and 46 per cent involved alleged forced labour, while 42 per cent involved alleged sex trafficking, he said.
Perrin said forced labour isn't just confined to the construction industry but is found in the agriculture, cleaning, domestic work and the hospitality sectors, as well.
Many workers are threatened with deportation or violence if they don't comply, Perrin said.
That's what makes trafficking different from smuggling, he said. Typically, once you've been smuggled into a country, you're no longer bound to the person who brought you in.
Perrin said he'd like to see whistleblower protection for those caught up in trafficking —_an opportunity to be transferred into another job.
He said there also should be closer scrutiny of temporary-worker programs.
Not all human trafficking involves foreign nationals.
Last months' RCMP assessment of human trafficking revealed that there were three dozen cases before the courts and that most victims were Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
The report noted that suspects are often linked to organized crime activities, including conspiracy to commit murder, credit card fraud, mortgage fraud and immigration fraud.
With files from the National Post
According to a June report in the Hamilton Spectator, Hungarian trafficking victims in the Hamilton area have been made to fetch drinks and massage the feet of their captors.
The current investigation started in December 2009 when one alleged victim came forward to an immigration officer and reported the family's conduct.
Others later reported similar stories to police.
These individuals had been poor and out of work in their home country, and were recruited to come to Canada with promises of a better life, said Sgt. Marc La Porte.
But when they arrived in Canada, they were forced into filing refugee claims and claims for social assistance, La Porte said.
The government cheques were allegedly diverted to the traffickers.
Routine aspects of daily life — who they spoke with, where they lived and what they ate — were closely controlled, police said. They were also taken to construction sites on a daily basis and made to work long hours without pay.
"The constant monitoring coupled with threats to the victims and their families in Hungary left the victims with no money and no way out of their situation," La Porte said.
Some of the victims had been under the control of the group for several months, police said. While some have since returned to Hungary, others are still in Canada and getting help from non-governmental organizations.
Arrest warrants have been issued for Ferenc Domotor, Ferenc Domotor Jr., Gyongi Kolompar, Lajoz Domotor, Ferenc Karadi, Gizella Domotor, Atilla Kolompar, Gyula Domotor and Zsanett Karadi.
The suspects range in age from 24 to 48. They are wanted for various offences, including trafficking in persons and fraud, and in the case of Zsanett Karadi, theft.
None of the charges has been proven in court.
The RCMP's human trafficking awareness co-ordinator said the case marks the first time charges have been laid where victims of alleged international trafficking were sought as labourers as opposed to sex workers.
Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister, told the National Post earlier this year that organized criminals send pawns to Canada to collect welfare. He referred to a deluge of apparently bogus refugee claims from Hungary. Of more than 2,500 claims submitted from that country in 2009, only three were deemed to need Canada's protection.
But trafficking for the purposes of forced labour is not uncommon, Perrin said.
In May 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada started keeping track of suspected cases of human trafficking, he said.
As of November 2008, there were 50 cases in the database involving foreign nationals and 46 per cent involved alleged forced labour, while 42 per cent involved alleged sex trafficking, he said.
Perrin said forced labour isn't just confined to the construction industry but is found in the agriculture, cleaning, domestic work and the hospitality sectors, as well.
Many workers are threatened with deportation or violence if they don't comply, Perrin said.
That's what makes trafficking different from smuggling, he said. Typically, once you've been smuggled into a country, you're no longer bound to the person who brought you in.
Perrin said he'd like to see whistleblower protection for those caught up in trafficking —_an opportunity to be transferred into another job.
He said there also should be closer scrutiny of temporary-worker programs.
Not all human trafficking involves foreign nationals.
Last months' RCMP assessment of human trafficking revealed that there were three dozen cases before the courts and that most victims were Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
The report noted that suspects are often linked to organized crime activities, including conspiracy to commit murder, credit card fraud, mortgage fraud and immigration fraud.
With files from the National Post
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
Source: Calgary Herald
Related articles
- RCMP charge 10 in alleged Hungarian 'slavery' ring (calgaryherald.com)
- Hungarians treated like slaves: RCMP (nationalpost.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment