A dedicated human trafficking unit is needed in New Brunswick, survivors, advocates say

Kelly Tallon Franklin has made it her lifelong mission to help end human trafficking in Canada and around the world, and her passion is personal.

As a young woman in the 1980s, she was a victim of human trafficking and was trafficked to New Brunswick and eventually to North America, she said.

All this happens that friends or family don't know about, “because they teach you to hide it so you don't get hurt.”

Decades later, Tallon Franklin founded Courage for Freedom, an Ontario-based charity that supports survivors and educates the public about human trafficking.

Her advocacy work brought her to Fredericton this week at a conference that included survivors, lawyers, policy makers and community members, a collaborative effort to find ways to combat human trafficking and support survivors, who were transported or forced into work, often a form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.

The conference in Fredericton heard from RCMP Staff Sgt. Tyson Nelson, who said traffickers will generally control situations, 'whether it's speaking for someone, paying for things, holding IDs, holding payment cards and credit cards.' (Allyson McCormack/CBC)

Tallon Franklin said that “bullying and grooming and grooming is happening in this state.”

“I have worked with young women and girls who reached out to get help when they were in another city or another province, who were trafficked from here,” he said. “So it was important that we come back to support this community.

A human trafficking unit is needed, says an RCMP officer

RCMP Staff Sgt. Tyson Nelson, New Brunswick's human trafficking response coordinator, represented the province's dedicated unit.

Nelson said there have been additional investigations and charges brought before the courts in the past few years in New Brunswick, but there have never been convictions.

“There are other files that are not as successful. And part of the reason I believe is that we don't have a dedicated human trafficking unit in the province.”

He said human trafficking is the first in New Brunswick now.

That is part of the reason for the lack of provincial statistics.

Cpl. David Lane, an RCMP detective in Nova Scotia, was one of the people tasked with establishing the province's human trafficking unit in 2019.

Lane said the unit is dedicated to helping survivors and victims, but also targeting traffickers and lawbreakers.

Even though it is a provincial unit, Lane said he transferred them to Canada because “these smugglers do not know the borders.”

That's why Lane would like to see the rest of the country follow this example. He said it will help in the exchange of information, exchange of resources, and will make the investigation successful.

Data specific to New Brunswick is still lacking

Julia Drydyk, executive director of the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking, said the crime is “understood and underreported in New Brunswick.”

The center operates the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, a confidential, multilingual service that operates 24/7 to connect victims and survivors with social services, law enforcement and emergency services. It also receives tips from the community.

Julia Drydyk, executive director of the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking, says people often don't understand what human trafficking is like. 'They don't know well. They still think human trafficking is like the movie Taken.' (Allyson McCormack/CBC)

In the first three years of operation of the hotline, Drydyk said they have identified 1,500 cases involving 2,170 victims and survivors across Canada. Only 2 percent of those come from Atlantic Canada.

“So even though we don't have statistics specific to New Brunswick, we know it's happening,” he said.

in states where the government has worked on public awareness, education and services, more cases are reported, said Drydyk.

Part of the problem is that “no one knows what to look for,” she said.

“They don't understand it. They still think human trafficking is like a movie Taken. And it's not until we build that education and awareness that we'll start to see an increase in reporting.”

Nelson admits there are misconceptions about what human trafficking can look like and said education is key to seeing more cases reported in New Brunswick.

“I did not see cases of human trafficking when I started my work,” he said.

He said if it takes someone six or seven years in police work to realize that, it will be difficult for the victims and the general public to see it. But there are signs to look out for.

“The smuggler is used to and almost always in control of the situation — whether it's speaking on behalf of someone, paying for things, carrying IDs, carrying payment cards and credit cards,” he said.

“Putting someone in a vulnerable situation is necessary.” Traffickers often take victims out of their community, making sure they have no money or identification on them.

“Those are the two things you need to get on a bus, train or plane. So if you don't have an ID and you don't have money, you don't pay back. You don't know how to do it. You go around the city, you don't know anyone here.”

Best practices already exist

Tallon Franklin said New Brunswick could take examples from provinces that already have units to set up in the province.

“There are precedents set,” he said. “You can borrow this without reinventing the wheel.”

CBC News reached out to the provincial government for a discussion about a dedicated human trafficking unit. No one was found.