MP Joy Smith Responds to Sex Industry’s Threats of Recruitment

Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan St. Paul, wrote the following article in response to the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada’s (AEAC) threat to target high school students for recruitment to their strip clubs.
The war against human traffickers that prey on our youth is now out in the open.

Those profiting from the recruitment of Canadian women and girls into the sex trade have gone public through newspapers with their strategy of targeting Canadian high school students since they can no longer import young women from abroad to sexually exploit. 

It is no surprise that the Adult Entertainment Association of Canada (AEAC) is upset with the recent initiatives to close a loop hole of human trafficking in Canada. A source of income for strip club owners is being cut off and they are angry.

Yet teachers and parents are also furious that the AEAC would target their youth for sexual exploitation.

Tim Lambrinos, executive director of the AEAC, claims he represents 38,000 strippers, 28% of whom are students. He portrays his role as helping youth pay for university. In reality, he is the spokesperson for an industry that makes millions through luring students into the adult sexual entertainment industry.

Many of these victims are terrified to talk about the reality of their experiences, and are effectively muzzled by coaching, manipulation and abuse. They are trained to take violence against them and not to bring police attention to the clubs. Ask Natasha Falle, Timea Nagy, or the hundreds of other victims who have fallen prey to the modern day slave trade. They will tell the real story.

Take Sharon, a young Canadian teenager, who described how her predator, her boyfriend, promised to take care of her and love her forever. After isolating her from her family and friends, he dramatically changed. He sold her on the sex market. Her life was a living hell until she was eventually too sick to profit her owner. Then she was discarded and left to die.

While Sharon’s pimp worked in secret, this week the key players in Canadian strip clubs and escort services publicly boasted of their strategy to target teenagers in high schools. With explicit literature written to minors about peeling off their clothes and promises of earning huge sums of money these individuals brazenly recruit our youth. I commend the Vancouver School Board for its swift refusal to entertain recruitment by strip clubs in its schools.

All around the globe, including right here in Canada, primarily women and girls are forced into sexual exploitation in the sex industry through coercion, threats, deception, or fraud. Police regularly find underage girls working in Canadian strip clubs. The average age of entry into prostitution in Canada is between 12 and 14 years of age. It’s impossible to believe that these young girls and boys are making a rational choice to sell their bodies to 20-40 men a night. Each victim can earn their “owner” as much as $280,800 annually, as reported by the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada.

Those who fall victim to human trafficking are not just the most vulnerable children, but are from every demographic. Natasha Falle came from a respectable Calgary family, and became a prostitute shortly before her 15th birthday. She was forced to recruit other victims through glamorizing prostitution and concealing the violent experiences—focusing on the promise of huge paydays and quick money. Natasha eventually escaped from that brutal world and founded an organization (SexTrade101) to rescue the very girls she used to recruit.

Prostitution, strip clubs, and massage parlours all share a common thread—the owners are making big bucks through the sexual “services” of young victims. Timea Nagy, the founder of “Walk With Me,” an organization dedicated to rehabilitating victims of human trafficking, first came to Canada from Eastern Europe on a sex trade temporary foreign worker visa.

When she arrived in Canada, she was manipulated and coerced into stripping. During those three months as a stripper, she was repeatedly raped by her agents, forced to have sex with the club’s clients and threatened with death.

Timea's story is not unique. There are thousands of victims, like Sharon, Natasha, and Timea, who have been lured and abducted into modern day slavery in Canada.

Canadians must send a strong message to the pimps and the owners of strip clubs and escort services that our children will not be bought or sold.

Prostitution profiteers silencing rescuers?

Here's a story that has newspaper and magazine publishers salivating.

A Salvation Army campaign against human trafficking that depicts prostitutes as slaves and victims of brutal violence isn't sitting well with some people here in Lotusland.

The Sally Ann recently launched a campaign called “Truth Isn’t Sexy” with graphic images of women being throttled or having their heads bashed against a sidewalk. The images can be seen around Metro Vancouver on billboards, in public washrooms and on transit shelters.

The Vancouver Sun recently published this article quoting a shill spokeswoman for a group called the Sex Industry Worker Safety Action Group, who claims the campaign is “misleading, debasing to women and nothing short of sensational.”

Hello? What is misleading or sensational about the notion that prostitution is debasing to women? However, vested interests would like us to think it's a viable career choice ... vested interests who profit from debased and demoralized women trapped in the lifestyle.

Of course, those interests would have us believe that most "sex trade workers" do it by choice. According to this article in Macleans magazine, a spokeswoman for another Vancouver-based "prostitution advocacy group" called FIRST said that that "sex trade workers have been hurt by the campaign" and wants the Salvation Army to "draw a greater distinction between victims of trafficking and those who choose to work in the sex trade."

Right. The Salvation Army does a terrible disservice to women by trying to prevent them from making a "career choice" in which they are very likely to end up in a "work" situation like this ... one highly doubtful that anyone would choose willingly.

You'd think that newspapers and magazines might actually run those Salvation Army ads for free as a public service. But on second thought, that's pretty naive. Business is bad for publishers these days. Very bad. Sex sells, and so does controversy ... so it would be out of the question to pass up the opportunity to publish articles containing both components. What could fit the bill better than pitting good people trying to rescue victimized women from the street against self-appointed "representatives" of prostitutes saying they object to the imagery ... and the notion that prostitution is not a desirable career choice for women?

Who has more to lose when women leave the streets, or stay away from them, than pimps and human traffickers... the ultimate capitalist exploiters?

So what are the chances they'd consider bankrolling a few "prostitution advocacy groups" and offering a nice incentive to a few well-spoken "sex trade workers" to be their spokeswomen?

I'd say fair to middling. Because, if you were a sex-trade worker, wouldn't you rather make money by talking to reporter than servicing a creepy john? And if you were a pimp or human trafficker, wouldn't you be willing to make that small investment to protect the revenues that provide your nice cushy lifestyle?

As for the newspapers and magazines, they probably can't afford to pay reporters enough danger pay to do serious investigative journalism into who runs these "prostitution advocacy groups."

So all we can do in the meantime is draw our own conclusions.

Justice at last - but just a drop in the ocean of pedophilia

Finally some justice for East European kids victimized by creepy "sex tourists" from North America.

A US customs agent, a single mother, managed to put away two predophiles who preyed on innocent children in Eastern Europe.

One of them liked "violent sex with virgins."

Well lah de dah. Great for the pr--k enjoying it. Not so great for the virgin whose whole life was destroyed in a matter of minutes by some scumbag getting his rocks off.

But the immediate self-gratification of guys with money seems to be a higher priority for a large segment of humanity than the dignity of women and children and the sanctity of their bodies. How else can you explain the dirtbag's wife pleading for leniency 'on behalf of their children"?

Good grief. If I found out I was married to a pedophile, he'd never see those kids again.

The reason pedophilia and human trafficking seem like such insurmountable issues is because so many prefer to look the other way than demand accountability from the perpetrators.

Thank God for those who do demand it.

That American customs agent is one tough cookie with amazing levels of determination, resolve and integrity. And that's just for starters.

She also showed a lot of class when she apologized to one of the victims on behalf of her country for the abuse she suffered. There are a helluva lot more apologies due from this part of the world... from both the perpetrators, and their enablers.

Let's hope this story is a harbinger of an avalanche of similar convictions.

Full story here.

Canadians trying to help combat AIDS in Ukraine

This article raises the question of how much money, not to mention human suffering, could be saved if "sex tourists" from other parts of the world stayed home, or at least kept their pants zipped up whenever they are near a woman in Ukraine.

Not that it's likely to happen, of course. Just saying.

Meanwhile, until that unlikely day, people who are more responsible and caring can only do what they can to help alleviate the suffering caused by the more primitive and less progressive humans among us.

Dr. James Blanchard, director of the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Global Public Health, and Wendy Schettler, head of public health programs with Winnipeg’s International Centre for Infectious Diseases, are in Ukraine this week to help develop a model HIV/AIDS prevention program there in partnership with UNICEF. ...

A 2008 report by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and UNAIDS estimated the number of people in Ukraine living with AIDS had more than doubled since 2001 to 440,000. ...

Ukraine’s HIV epidemic was originally linked to intravenous drug use, but increasingly the infections have been transmitted through heterosexual intercourse and from pregnant mothers to their children. For female sex workers, the prevalence of HIV is 10 times the general population.

Full article here.

Study on sexual exploitation of children in Canada

It is very encouraging to see government officials taking the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation seriously.

Here is a letter from a Manitoba MP who has an outstanding track record in working on progressive legislation:

Dear friends,

I would like to bring to your attention a study being undertaken by the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights on the sexual exploitation of children in Canada. This study is currently scheduled to be completed by March 3, 2010.

If you or your organization would like to appear as a witness or make a submission, I would encourage you to contact the clerk of the committee, Adam Thompson. His contact information is as follows:

Phone: (613)990-6160
Fax: (613) 947-2104
Email: rights-droits@sen.parl.gc.ca

Mailing Address:
Senate Committee on Human Rights
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A 0A4

Please note that witnesses will be chosen by the members of the committee’s steering committee. You can find a full list of committee members here.

I strongly believe that Canada must take significant steps to protect our children from exploitation and predators. This study is an excellent opportunity to make key policy recommendations that will result in better protection for our children.

Sincerely,
Joy Smith, M.P.
Kildonan – St. Paul
Chair of the Standing Committee of Health

If you can take part in this study please consider making a contribution.

Crashing western economy good news for "Natashas"?

I know some disagree with me about the connection I see between economic excess and sexual exploitation.

My reasoning has been that the drive behind the odious flesh trade can be attributed as much to the cavalier attitude of affluent pervs driving the demand as to the greedy thugs supplying that demand and reaping obscene (literal and figurative) profits.

Well, I guess time will tell if there is anything to my theory. But, coincidentally, it seems that suddenly the banking industry has a little economic incentive to ditch its cavalier attitude, according to this article in MacLeans magazine on the "new frugality."

... Deutsche Bank recently informed managers it would no longer pay for visits to strip clubs.

“Deutsche Bank does not approve of any adult entertainments, and such expenditures will not be reimbursed,” said a memo obtained by the German magazine Der Spiegel. “The mood of the super rich is going to change during the next year from ‘How To Spend It’ to ‘How Not To Flaunt It,’ ” wrote Christopher Wood, an analyst with CLSA, in his newsletter Greed & Fear.

“Certain people, particularly the Russians, have not got the point yet. But the backlash is undoubtedly coming.”

Full article here. here.

18,000 women and children trafficked into UK sex trade

Articles like this are, sadly, hardly a surprise anymore. But they still make my blood boil.

Up to 18,000 females, including girls as young as 14, are working in brothels across Britain after being smuggled into the country to meet the booming demand for prostitutes.

Not that Canadians have the right to point fingers. It's going on right in my own fair city. In Vancouver, money-grubbing sexual exploiters have been trying to drum up public support for legalized brothels. A whack of Olympics sex maniacs will be needing to get their rocks off, and would have us believe we are obliged to provide prostitutes for their pleasure (and the exploiters' profit). But, I digress.

Mr Brain also revealed that a large number of residential properties were being used to sell sex (of the 822 premises raided, nearly 600 were private homes). "In some of the cases, neighbours have not suspected any kind of unusual activity," he said.

How's that?? My next-door neighbour knows when I sneeze. So if I were ever inclined to have an affair (I'm not, btw) I wouldn't dare. At least if I wanted it kept a secret. So what kind of neighbours living near a residential property being used to sell sex wouldn't "suspect any kind of unusual activity"? (Customers, maybe?)

Prostitution and people-trafficking is now the third most lucrative black-market trade in the world after gun-running and drugs-smuggling. It is being driven by growing demand for prostitutes in the UK, with websites promoting sex flourishing and local newspapers carrying advertisements for prostitutes. ...

And those newspapers accepting those ads use what excuse? Or does anyone bother to ask for one? If not, um, why on earth not?

Full article here.

My only question is, where are the feminist lobbyists? You'd think they might band together to fight the rampant sexual exploitation of these women and children. But, nary a peep out of them.

That's another thing that makes my blood boil. To paraphrase a saying: True evil is when good women do nothing.

Hitting a nerve?

Recently I've had to remove a few comments from some of the posts on this site.

Just as a reminder, that will always be the case for posts with profanity, flaming or any type of abusive comments. That, btw, includes lengthy posts that are irrelevant and/or incomprehensible.

If posts on this site are moving someone to go to the trouble of posting abusive comments here, then clearly the information on this blog and how it's presented is making someone uncomfortable.

As it is intended to.

The pride of the western world

This sure makes a person proud to be part of a "developed democracy" whose "tourists" are the driving force of this "industry."

It's not so much the scumbags that pay money to violate these children that are the most disgusting, or even the slimeballs that prey on the vulnerable and provide them.

It is the apathy and total indifference of the majority in the "developed world" who allow this travesty to continue.

Watch this and weep.

Canadian government not so progressive ...

It's a good thing the Conservative Party took the word "progressive" out of its name because its policies are anything but progressive when it comes to attitudes towards human sexuality and violence against women.

Granted, the Conservative-run government is to be commended for rejecting a ludicrous proposal to have legal brothels for "sports fans" visiting Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics, as this article reports:

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has flatly rejected calls to decriminalize prostitution and dismissed as a non-starter a Vancouver group's hopes of opening a "co-op" brothel in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics ...

That's sensible, but the basis for that decision is reactionary rather than progressive as it simply maintains an old status-quo. As such, it merely politicizes the issue and leaves it unresolved.

Nicholson was responding directly for the first time to a majority recommendation from the committee that federal prostitution laws be amended to stop charging prostitutes and start prosecuting only those procuring sex, or exploiting the prostitutes, such as pimps and bawdy house owners.

Pressed to weigh in on a B.C. coalition's idea of creating a legal brothel in time for the Olympics, Nicholson told the committee the government's opposition is total, and that it is currently demonstrating its commitment to enforcing federal prostitution laws by defending them against constitutional challenges now before the courts in B.C. and Ontario.

This stodgy stance is very disappointing, as a strong lobby can just as easily pressure government to legalize brothels. With the possibility of an election soon, that could actually happen. The problem is that so few seem to comprehend (or care) that by far prostitutes are victims of violence and desperation rather than uncontrolled nymphomaniacs willingly participating in illicit sex acts. Fewer still are willing to follow Sweden's lead in changing the laws to protect and rehabilitate prostitutes who are trapped in the "lifestyle." I agree entirely with Liberal MP Maria Minna who said:

"He doesn't get it ... The men don't get charged. Who gets the record and gets thrown in the clink, it's the woman. She's the victim."

Nicholson is not the only one that doesn't "get it."

Nicholson was joined at the committee by Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Immigration Minister Diane Finley. They described the government's three-pronged approach to tackling human trafficking as prevention, protection of victims, and prosecution of those who coerce others into what has been described a modern day form of slavery.

Day acknowledged that prostitution tends to increase around such major sporting events as the Olympics, but the minister said he does not anticipate a significant increase in the cases of women, children and others being trafficked into Canada during that period. He argued traffickers will be deterred by the tight security, plus strict passport and visa requirements, that go with the Olympics.

Right. Those security measures have really been effective in other countries where the Olympics have been held, haven't they? How bloody lame is that.

Of course, when you live in an ivory tower and refuse to come out into the real world, you wouldn't know that traffickers, um, have ways to get around security measures. That they easily issue fake passports and/or confiscate bona fide ones and drop the facade once they're past security.

And especially you wouldn't (want to) know that trafficking happens routinely on our own continent, in the U.S. and in Canada, as these articles (here and here) illustrate. And in cases like the one of a Montreal-based prostitution ring trafficking 12-year old children (yes, right here in the true north strong and free), border security is beside the point.

There are those out in the real world who know that Vancouver already is a major hub for organized crime gangs ... and are trying to educate an indifferent public and political elite that human trafficking is the world's 3rd most lucrative criminal activity and that the link between organized crime and prostitution is undeniable.

It's a tough row to hoe, and progress is slow.

UK newspaper initiative progressive and pro-active

This is very encouraging ... and about time.

The Newspaper Society is updating its guidelines on those adverts which should be accepted on classified pages.

It wants its members to be especially aware of the link between organised prostitution and human trafficking.

The society has already advised its members on how to spot adverts which might be promoting sexual services. ... The society, which represents most local and regional papers, is suggesting they simply refuse such ads.

It also suggests that payment be made by card or cheque so accounts can be traced, and that papers consult with police.

Bravo to Britain's Newspaper Society for this initiative. This common-sense approach should be standard in every civilized country.

Full article here.

Tell advertisers not to help human traffickers

I just was at a website and saw one too many ads for "Ukrainian girls."

So I decided to send Google a piece of my mind. I clicked on "Ads by Google" at the bottom of the page and then on "Send Google your thoughts on the site or the ads you just saw." A feedback form popped up, with a link to "Also Report a Violation" which allows you to comment on the ads.

Here is the comment I left:

Displaying ads for "girls" is tantamount to aiding the slave trade. The vast majority of these girls are trafficked and the criminals trafficking them are using you to legitimize their activities. These ads are highly offensive to those who understand this fact of life.

I plan to do that as often as I can whenever I come across such ads. Please join me. It only takes a minute and sends a very strong message.

Who's behind the push for legal brothels in Vancouver?

Interesting point raised in this article in the Montreal Gazette:

This bizarre notion that laws on prostitution should be altered, even temporarily, to accommodate the sexual desires of fans at large sporting events is not unique to British Columbia. ...

Germany, host of the 2006 World Cup, campaigned against "forced" prostitution, based on trafficked women and children, and the head of FIFA, soccer's world body, urged soccer fans to use only prostitutes who were "voluntarily" in the business. But voluntary was hardly the order of the day, with reports that as many as 40,000 women and children were trafficked into Germany to service the [sex-obsessed soccer fans].

In an essay this year, [University of Ottawa sociologist Richard] Poulin criticized proposals to relax prostitution laws for sports events ... [He] argued that simply removing prostitution from the streets, as Vancouver's Susan Davis suggests, does not turn prostitution, the business of selling one's body to strangers, into a safe activity. ...

With an estimated 90 per cent of prostitutes having been forced into the sex trade, increasing the number of prostitutes is not a good idea. ...

No kidding. Makes one wonder who exactly Susan Davis is working for. Because very few prostitutes are allowed to work for themselves, especially if there is big money involved.

Which raises the question of whether Vancouver's mayor can't grasp that concept or just doesn't want to. Or, worse, is being influenced by well-placed vested interests to legitimize the very profitable criminal activity of pimping and trafficking.

Anti porn site has excellent resources

It was gratifying to come across this website and have my instinctive take on pornography validated by some very highly credentialled people.

It's called simply Against Pornography and among the many excellent educational resources are autobiographies of porn "stars" Linda Lovelace and Traci Lords. They throw ice water on the notion that these women exercised any "freedom of choice" in their careers in the so-called "sex industry."

There are many thought-provoking articles and summaries of books on the subjects of pornography and prostitution, especially in the context of the feminist movement's failure to grasp, much less address, the inherent harm (to men as well as women) of the "sex industry."

Highly recommended. It can be found here.

Public system fails to adequately inform

My step-daughter, who is recovering from over a decade of heroin addiction (and yes, all it entails), made a very good point in a recent conversation we had. She was explaining a huge gap in the public discourse regarding recovery from addiction.

Incidentally, she is putting her life back together quite admirably. It hasn't been easy, but she's doing what has to be done. That includes learning about the harm of addiction .... over and above what she learned from harsh personal experience.

The government ministry in place to help recovering addicts is great with providing info on the former. However, she is rather troubled that there is nothing either on TV programs or in the education system dealing with the realities of the latter.

One of those realities is withdrawal symptoms. Knowledge about that, she feels, is something that could deter young people from even trying drugs. If they only knew what awaited them, and that absolutely no one can recover from addiction without going through the agonies of withdrawal, it would turn them completely off.

So that begs the question. Why aren't the consequences of addiction, presented accurately and realistically, mandatory in public and private schools? Surely this should be part of the curriculum for health and wellness studies on an ongoing (and obviously graduated) basis from K-12.

The same goes for the dangers of human trafficking. Sadly, there are some powerful vested interests that would rather these social problems remain unresolved. And unfortunately, some of those "interests" can be found in government ministries across the board, including public safety and public education.

That's why, I believe, it is up to individuals to take a deeper interest in these issues and hold accountable those elected, as well as appointed, to office. Remember, they're inclined to give us what we as voters demand.

So the first step is simply to let your MLA and MP know what issues matter to you, and why. (If you can offer a solution, all the better.) And they are just a mouse click away.

Sexual Terrorism site blocked by Sudan government

It's deja-vu all over again. Corrupt officials keep trying to stifle the screams of women subjected to commercial rape. Now they're doing it in cyberspace by blocking access to sites like this that expose injustice and corruption.

A couple of months ago access was blocked to citizens of the United Arab Emirates, as I reported here. Hardly an isolated case, tho. I just got this email from a cyberfriend in the Middle East ...

"A Sudanese contributor just alerted us that our Sexual Terrorism website is now blocked in Sudan (in addition to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.)

As usual, it is NOT because of the "sex" in the domain. It is due to its controversial content.

'Sorry, this page has been blocked by National Telecommunication Corporation.'

We'll see which country comes next. My bet is on Kuwait."

These gals are working so hard and often, not surprisingly, get discouraged. Please take a moment to go to their website and leave an encouraging comment. And while you're there, educate yourself a bit more on the issue. They'd appreciate it.

How victims are trapped

A video clip on the UN.GIFT website (United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking) shows how easy it is for traffickers to ensnare women, especially those who are young and destitute.

The video is very short, about a minute or so long. It's basically a crash course in the routine operations of this odious "trade."

It can be viewed here.

(H/T to Sexual Terrorism.)

More blogs springing up to help raise awareness

More "good" news ... at least on the consciousness-raising front.

There are increasingly more blogs springing up highlighting the scourge of human trafficking.

In addition to the one linked to in the previous post, I would recommend a visit to Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation.

It's based in San Diego, California ... but trafficking is a universal, global problem so chances are the information there would be very useful wherever you may be located. Lots of good links as well.

US declares January 11 Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Good news (here) for those of us trying to raise awareness of human trafficking. What it will do to help eradicate the odious flesh trade remains to be seen, but it's a start.

A resolution passed by the US Senate on June 22, 2007 has forever marked January 11th as a day of awareness and vigilance for the countless victims of Human Trafficking across the globe.

Shared Hope International (SHI) - a leader in the worldwide effort to eliminate sexual slavery – and founder Congresswoman (1994-1999) Linda Smith has launched assessments in 10 U.S. cities that examine the condition of America's trafficked youth. These assessments analyze the identification and treatment of victims of "domestic minor sex trafficking" (DMST) and will empower communities to take action. SHI will also launch a nationwide awareness campaign -featuring amazing undercover footage and emotional survivor interviews - about the epidemic of American youth being trafficked in cities across the United States. ...

Full article here.

Let's hope other countries quickly jump on this very worthy bandwagon.

Canadians, please write to your MPs and demand that our government be among the first.

You can find your MP here. Emails are quick and snail mail is even more effective ... postage free if you send it to your MP at the House of Commons in Ottawa. If you need ideas for what to write, check out the excellent Human Trafficking Watch blog (here).

Ukrainians and other Slavs (and their diaspora communities) need to do the same in (and for) their respective countries. Ditto the Middle East. There isn't even one Middle East country on Shared Hope's list, and the only one East European one is the Czech Republic ...

Help Vancouver's mayor understand the danger of legal brothels

The Temple Committee Against Human Trafficking at Montreal's Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom (which includes the senior rabbi) is calling on all concerned individuals to send (literally) this message to the mayor of Vancouver:

We are concerned about a proposal that seeks approval to open legal brothels in Vancouver in time for the Olympic Games of 2010.

We are concerned that Mayor Sam Sullivan believes that this would reduce violence against women enslaved in these brothels.

Prostitution is an inherently violent activity against women. Legal brothels will open the door to more human trafficking, as witnessed in places such as Germany, The Netherlands, Australia and Las Vegas.

More human trafficking means more exploitation, enslavement and abuse of women.

Prostitution is not sex between two consenting adults. Research shows that most of these women are duped or coerced into this most heinous human rights abuse.

If you agree with the above, please copy it, sign and email to Mayor Sam Sullivan of Vancouver on December 5, 2007.

Please follow your email with a hard copy to the Mayor’s office:
Mayor Sam Sullivan,
Vancouver City Hall
53 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1V4

They will be sending the Mayor a package of information on human trafficking on December 5th. It would be good if he also received a flood of messages and letters "helping" him to see the error of his ways, since he seems to have some problem doing so on his own.

A standard letter mailed within Canada is $0.52. A first-class letter mailed from the United States (less than 1 ounce) is $0.69.

A few minutes and less than $1 in postage seems hardly much to ask of those fortunate enough not be sharing the fate of the enslaved.