That organization is holding its fourth summit April 27 to 30 in downtown Montreal, under the theme, \u201cIntelligence Without Borders: Global Partnerships in Disrupting Human Trafficking.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the United Nations definition, \u201chuman trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.\u201d<\/p>\n
While it may be better hidden in Canada than in some other countries, human trafficking is shockingly common here. There were more than 4,500 incidents of human trafficking reported to police services across Canada between 2013 and 2023.<\/p>\n
Women and girls made up 93 per cent of the victims in those reported cases, and 23 per cent were under the age of 18. Another 42 per cent were between 18 and 24. Most (91 per cent) knew their trafficker and 34 per cent were trafficked by an intimate partner.<\/p>\n
For the past four years, Brandt\u2019s organization has brought together police officers and lawyers to share knowledge and best practices at the Maddison Sessions, which he describes as a national operational summit to combat human trafficking in Canada. <\/p>\n
The summits are named after Maddison Fraser, a Canadian victim of human trafficking who lost her life at only 21, after getting pulled into sexual exploitation as a teen. <\/p>\n
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0428-city-trafficking_302811534.jpg\")
Superintendent Matt Baker of the Calgary Police Service, left, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the London, England police department and Paul Brandt, with hat, founder of #NotInMyCity, listen to Commander Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Martineau of the Montreal police service during Monday\u2019s press conference. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
Commander Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Martineau leads the Montreal police service\u2019s Human Trafficking, Procuring and Internet Child Exploitation investigation units. He said the summit is particularly helpful for the 50 officers in those units who investigate about 300 incidents of human trafficking per year. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince sexual exploitation is a crime without borders, it is important that the different actors dedicated to the fight against this scourge get together,\u201d Martineau said at a news conference to launch the summit Monday.<\/p>\n
More than 90 per cent of victims of human trafficking in Canada are Canadians.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat generally shocks most people,\u201d said Brandt, \u201c\u2026 because they think about people coming from somewhere else. When people think about human trafficking, they think about chains. They should be thinking about trust. Human trafficking is an incredible violation of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said sexual traffickers are very motivated, since each victim brings in an average of $280,000 per year. Exploiters invest time and money finding and grooming a \u201ctarget\u201d. They frequent areas where young people congregate \u2014 malls, parks, etc. \u2014 and they also \u201cshop\u201d for their victims online.<\/p>\n
Many traffickers use gifts and loving attention to lure victims into a relationship. Then they use threats, blackmail and violence to coerce them into sex work.<\/p>\n
Warning signs<\/p>\n
There are signs parents can look for, he said. For example, the young person becomes evasive and difficult to reach by phone or text. They suddenly have new clothes, haircuts or expensive manicures, with no obvious source of income for these.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe your child suddenly has two cellphones, or comes home with expensive gifts, or has a new friend who does what they can to try to move them away from family and friends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He advises parents to be aware, ask questions and watch for shifts in behaviour.<\/p>\n
Victims often bond with their abusers and are influenced by them not to cooperate with law enforcement, their families and social services. <\/p>\n
Exploiters use physical and sexual violence to trap their victims, threatening to harm the victim\u2019s friends or family, or to share explicit photos. Drugs and alcohol often play a key role in trafficking, with the victim using substances to cope, or the trafficker feeding the victim\u2019s addiction to retain control. This is commonly referred to as a \u201cchemical leash,\u201d the #NotInMyCity website<\/a> notes.<\/p>\n While anyone can be a target of sexual exploitation, there are some risk factors that seem to make some more vulnerable. These include: a history of child abuse, a history of mental illness (in particular body image disorders), living in poverty, living in foster care or group homes, involvement with the juvenile justice system, social isolation, disabilities or developmental disorders.<\/p>\n #NotInMyCity trains members of the public, as well as employees of airports and malls etc., to identify warning signs that someone might be being groomed for or involved in human trafficking. These can include: appearing malnourished, sleep deprived or in need of medical care, not having control of their own ID, and travelling with minimal luggage.<\/p>\n If human trafficking is suspected in a public place, authorities say not to intervene, but to take notes and call 911, or Canada\u2019s National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.<\/p>\n Brandt said his goal is not to make people fearful, but to develop a \u201cnetwork of hope\u201d across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we give people practical things they can do or say or teach their children, we actually can prevent human trafficking from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n