Timea Nagy escaped her life as a human trafficking victim, but others are still trapped
Photo Credit: Global News, Winnipeg
The buying and selling of human beings is happening right here in Manitoba.
Every year, countless young women become victims of human trafficking. They're purchased off websites the same way you'd buy a bicycle off Craigslist.
"I was tricked, and held and raped," said Timea Nagy, a young woman who came to Canada from Hungary for a better life 12 years ago. Instead, she was forced into the sex trade, manipulated and controlled by the people that brought her here.
"They told us everyday how they were going to beat us up if we went to the police, because police can't help us," said Nagy.
She escaped, but many did not.
Today, the same thing is happening to hundreds, even thousands of young women.
The 32 billion dollar world wide industry is growing by two million young women and children each year.
They're not only being forced to work the streets, their services are being advertised in online classifieds, a buy and sell website called Craigslist.
"When I go on Craigslist, I want to cry," said Nagy, who says it's extremely difficult to find the girls and get them away from the trade.
"We have been going after it with a vengeance," said local MP Joy Smith about Craigslist.
After much pressure, the service was shut down in the U.S and Smith says next week it could be gone in Manitoba too. Justice Minister Andrew Swan has asked Craigslist to remove the service.
"Everybody buys things off of Craigslist, bicycles, whatever; unfortunately there's an exotic part of Craigslist and they sell boys and girls," said Smith.
Human Trafficking Legislation has been around since 2005 in Manitoba, and just last month, Winnipeg police laid its first human trafficking charge against a 38-year old woman.
Saturday, Smith awarded five Canadian citizens for dedicating their lives to fighting the crime in Canada.
"I didn't realize the same place you can buy a microwave oven you can buy a 14-year old girl, and younger than 14," said journalist Tamara Cherry, recognized for writing extensive articles on human trafficking.
Recently Timea Nagy's organization, Walk with Me, in Toronto has helped save dozens of those victims.
"Forty in six months, and you know what, it could have been at least a hundred, but we didn't have time to get to them."
Every year, countless young women become victims of human trafficking. They're purchased off websites the same way you'd buy a bicycle off Craigslist.
"I was tricked, and held and raped," said Timea Nagy, a young woman who came to Canada from Hungary for a better life 12 years ago. Instead, she was forced into the sex trade, manipulated and controlled by the people that brought her here.
"They told us everyday how they were going to beat us up if we went to the police, because police can't help us," said Nagy.
She escaped, but many did not.
Today, the same thing is happening to hundreds, even thousands of young women.
The 32 billion dollar world wide industry is growing by two million young women and children each year.
They're not only being forced to work the streets, their services are being advertised in online classifieds, a buy and sell website called Craigslist.
"When I go on Craigslist, I want to cry," said Nagy, who says it's extremely difficult to find the girls and get them away from the trade.
"We have been going after it with a vengeance," said local MP Joy Smith about Craigslist.
After much pressure, the service was shut down in the U.S and Smith says next week it could be gone in Manitoba too. Justice Minister Andrew Swan has asked Craigslist to remove the service.
"Everybody buys things off of Craigslist, bicycles, whatever; unfortunately there's an exotic part of Craigslist and they sell boys and girls," said Smith.
Human Trafficking Legislation has been around since 2005 in Manitoba, and just last month, Winnipeg police laid its first human trafficking charge against a 38-year old woman.
Saturday, Smith awarded five Canadian citizens for dedicating their lives to fighting the crime in Canada.
"I didn't realize the same place you can buy a microwave oven you can buy a 14-year old girl, and younger than 14," said journalist Tamara Cherry, recognized for writing extensive articles on human trafficking.
Recently Timea Nagy's organization, Walk with Me, in Toronto has helped save dozens of those victims.
"Forty in six months, and you know what, it could have been at least a hundred, but we didn't have time to get to them."
Putting a face on human trafficking
Source: globalwinnipeg.com
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