Posts Tagged ‘international’
Posted on: September 17th, 2012 by Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
I wish this were a fairy tale but sadly, it’s all too true. Every so often my white bread world is, to quote a British friend, “gobsmacked” (shaken, astonished, shocked) and this was the case recently when I attended a workshop on the issue of human trafficking in Canada. The event was sponsored by the Downtown East Project and hosted by the Steps to Change Diversion Program. Mill Courtland Community Association in conjunction with the Waterloo Region Police Services, the Bylaw Enforcement Division of the City of Kitchener, along with other community associations, are partners in an attempt to alert the public and various levels of government to the prevalence and severity of human trafficking. It’s an issue that largely flies under the radar of most citizens though I hope this will change in the near future as its cost in human terms is incalculable. Human trafficking is different from human smuggling. According to the RCMP, human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of persons for the purpose of exploitation (typically as sex trade workers for forced construction labour) whereas human smuggling is a form of illegal migration involving the organized transport of a person across an international border for money.
Timea Nagy – Photo Credit: www.walk-with-me.org
Timea Nagy is a survivor of human trafficking and speaks to audiences in Canada and internationally about her experience. It is harrowing to listen to. Timea first became a victim of trafficking when she lived in Hungary. She was looking for a way to make money to help pay debts and was approached by a woman who offered her an opportunity to come to Canada where she could work as a baby sitter. The woman seemed sincere and offered Timea a contract written entirely in English. Timea neither spoke nor read English but trusted the woman. Upon arrival in Canada she was kept at Customs and questioned by officers who were seeing many Eastern European women entering the country under false pretenses. The officers, through an interpreter, explained the contract to her. She was expected to work as an exotic dancer and Timea, disoriented, exhausted and confused was just beginning a saga that would forever change her life.
She was sent back to Hungary but not before meeting up with members of the crime ring sent to meet her. They informed her of her debt incurred through the plane ticket and how she was to pay it back. That night she was taken to a strip club and raped. This was the start of the intentional dehumanization process used to control her mind and her body. Threats to her family in Hungary were made and though she was returned to Hungary, the threats continued in her home country. Feeling trapped, she returned to Canada to work to pay off her debt to the criminal organization. This world was completely foreign to her, literally and metaphorically. Timea, in her own words, was a good girl, whose mother was a police officer and Timea lived a fairly sheltered life. She was completely unprepared for the life she was to face. As she tells it, it was almost impossible to pay the debt because she was charged for ‘expenses’ such as $360.00 for an oil change or $560.00 to replace the headlight for the car used to take her to the club. If she or any of the other girls was late being picked up for their work shift (11 am to 2 am the following day) they were charged $100. 00 per minute. Girls like Timea were afraid to go to the police as some had bad experiences in their country of origin. They were broken down psychologically, almost as one in a prison camp, their dignity was stripped away and they did whatever they were told for fear of retribution but also, because many had lost the will to fight back. They were strangers in a strange land and this sense of fear was used as a form of manipulation and control.
Police forces at all levels have joined together to pursue, capture and prosecute those who traffic in human slavery. This is an international battle as criminal gangs, organized for this specific purpose, generate huge profits that cross borders every day. Many countries are moving forward with legislation and police resources but it’s not easy to get convictions if the victims are too traumatized to come forward or are kept virtual prisoners in motel rooms across the country, driven to strip bars or construction sites where few questions are asked.
Locally, the hope is to create a task force including enforcement groups and those providing recovery and support to develop a comprehensive action plan and strategic approach to help victims and also reduce the instances of this criminal activity.
We often think that slavery no longer exists but, having spent a day learning about human trafficking, it’s clear this evil continues to thrive in societies around the world. If you’d like to learn more, visit some of the links listed below and help join the battle against human trafficking.
I think you’ll be gobsmacked as well. It doesn’t feel good does it?
Additional Resources
Author: Frank Johnson is a regular guest writer for Smart on Crime in Waterloo Region. Frank is a retired principal with the local Catholic school board, a dad, and sometimes runner who possesses an irreverent sense of humour that periodically gets him in trouble. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
Frank Johnson’s writing reflects his own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views or official positions of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council.
Posted on: July 14th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
If you are a regular reader of the Smart on Crime blog, you will know that we like to share smart on crime ideas and actions, big and small. Well, this one is BIG! In their own words, here’s the big idea and plan of action from the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime.
“In the attempt to gather information on the role and action of local authorities in crime prevention and community safety in a systematic manner, ICPC is pleased to announce the official launch of the Global Survey on Safety in Cities.
The survey is the first of its kind and seeks to collect vital information about community safety and crime prevention in cities. It will offer the first database on safety in cities around the world, which will facilitate comparative analyses of local initiatives. The survey will also be a tool available for policy makers to reflect on existing practices to improve the quality of life of their citizens.
ICPC is convinced that prevention strategies undertaken by local authorities, particularly by cities, as well as available data on these strategies are essential to the well-being of populations.
The survey is valuable for ICPC’s work as it will be a tool for analysis for the Centre and will also be used in the upcoming International Report on the prevention of crime. Therefore, ICPC is requesting for your collaboration to answer to this survey and to distribute it to your networks.
The survey is designed to be responded by individuals who are in charge or work closely within local, municipal or city programmes on crime prevention, reduction or are in charge of public safety departments. The survey will require about twenty minutes of your time.”
You can access a web version of the survey here, or download a paper copy of the survey here. The survey is also available in multiple languages and you can find links for theme on the ICPC website.
Posted on: April 29th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
Each month we focus on research, blogs and news from around the world addressing smart approaches to crime prevention. We’re always on the lookout for websites and resources to draw from. Since the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy (WRIDS) Task Force is deep into the data collection phase of their project, it seems only fitting that we share some items related to substance use and addictions within communities.
The following programs and initiatives illustrate several Smart on Crime directions including Education and Learning, as they aim to educate clinicians and the public about diverse ways to deal with substance use.
- [Canada] The Calgary Drug Treatment Court (CDTC) started operations in May of 2007 having obtained funding through the City of Calgary. The program requires offenders to complete three stages: a mandatory residential treatment stage, a rehabilitation stage to help men and women re-enter the community as clean, sober, crime-free citizens, and a graduation and sentencing stage. Lasting an average of 18 months, offenders are required to appear weekly before a judge and participate in regular drug testing. A multi-disciplinary approach fosters success for participants by providing wrap-around services for those seeking help.
More information: The Canadian Association of Drug Treatment Courts
- [United States] The ‘warm line’ is a free, nationwide service launched recently on April 8, 2011 which offers peer-to-peer mentorship and resources for primary care physicians on incorporating screening and follow-up for substance-using patients into regular patient care. The ‘warm line’ service offers responses within 24 hours to physicians and other health care providers at no cost. Registration is required, and all physicians are provided with the contact information of a mentor who is a specialist in screening, brief intervention, treatment and referral for patients with substance use problems. Mentors can then be contacted, via phone or email, with specific questions about clinical situations involving alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. The initiative stresses the importance of the patient-doctor relationship in identifying unhealthy behaviors before they evolve into life threatening conditions.
Screening Tool Examples | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- [Kenya] Drug addiction? Try community therapy. The Therapeutic Community (TC) model has the ability to heal, restore and transform an addict. Research-based evidence by the International Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has documented the success of this model in treating individuals with drug problems stemming from social and psychological causes. Its success comes from peers helping peers and “community as method,” ensuring everyone in the community plays a role.
Locally, the Stonehenge Therapeutic Community in Guelph is an example of the initiative recommended for those communities dealing with addiction issues including Cost Province, Kenya.
Therapeutic Community | Stonehenge Therapuetic Community
Authored by: Tracie McGrath-Levis, BSW Practicum Student to WRCPC
What additional resources would you recommend related to women, violence and crime? Have your read anything thought provoking that you care to share? Post a comment to let us (and other readers) know about it!
Posted on: March 16th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
Each month we focus on research, blogs and news from around the world addressing smart approaches to crime prevention. We’re always on the lookout for websites and resources to draw from. March kicked off with International Women’s Day earlier this month. It seems only fitting that we share some items related to women.
- [International] In 2007, the world’s population of people living in cities reached 50% and half of that number is women and girls. In many cities, women and girls remain particularly vulnerable to violence and crime. Women in Cities International (WICI) uses participatory research methods with groups of women in Argentina, Russia, Tanzania and India to produce the baseline findings in “Learning from women to create gender inclusive cities“. WICI doesn’t mince words when they say ensuring women’s safety should be of primary concern for urban governance and city development.
Download the Report | My City! My Safety! | WICI website
Download the Report | ICPC Website
- [United States] The state of Oklahoma sends more women to prison (per capita) than any other U.S. state. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse aims to change that with its own “smart on crime” plan. Their proposal includes alternative interventions and programs at 17 different points between an arrest and incarceration. Their aim is to reduce prison costs, provide more rehabilitative options and reduce the impact of incarceration on families.
- [International] And of course, there are all the resources from the UN Women program for gender equality and the empowerment of women. They have pan-national studies, statistics and best practices beyond your imagination.
What additional resources would you recommend related to women, violence and crime? Have your read anything thought provoking that you care to share? Post a comment to let us (and other readers) know about it!
Posted on: March 8th, 2011 by Smart on Crime
International Women’s Day has come and gone 100 times and still, much remains to be done to address the inequitable status experienced by women and girls in all societies. Why does this matter for crime prevention?
Well, two World Health Organization (WHO) reports outline clearly that inequality can and does lead to violence: sexual violence, physical violence and emotional violence. All forms of violence are disproportionately experienced by women and girls in all countries across the world. The WHO advocates for an approach that addresses ALL aspects of violence where inequality is manifest; at home, in our communities, and finally in society at large.
Violence prevention: the evidence
Preventing intimate partner and sexual violence against women: Taking action and generating evidence
The WHO reports also show that in all areas, a direct connection can be made between experiences of inequality and experiences of violence. Women and girls remain less valued, less paid, less powerful than their male counterparts. When coupled with issues of problematic substance use, easy access to weapons, differential value based on gender and a family history of abuse and neglect, the consequences are all too visible in the lives of so many.
But not all is lost. And that is what makes the WHO reports so SMART. They show, through research, that as we make changes to the inequitable status of women and girls, violence decreases. School based programmes that challenge the perceptions that girls are inferior have been shown to be particularly effective. I encourage you to read the reports and look for areas where you can strive to implement more equal practices in your places of work, the community, at home and your places of faith.
Author: Christiane Sadeler, ED, Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council
Posted on: December 14th, 2010 by Smart on Crime
There are so many innovative, promising and proven practices in the field of crime prevention through social development – we can learn a great deal by taking into consideration knowledge, experience, research and wisdom from around the world.
The World Wide Wednesday feature on our Smart on Crime blog will point you to links, research, blogs and news from those thinking and acting creatively on crime prevention projects and practice around the world.
We hope you’ll share things that you find too – there’s a lot of knowledge and experience out there to share!
