63-766: West Lincoln is a township in the Niagara Region of Ontario , Canada. Main urban areas are located along the former provincial Highway 20 . The administrative centre of West Lincoln is the community of Smithville , situated halfway between Hamilton and Pelham . The township comprises the communities of Abingdon, Allens Corner, Attercliffe, Basingstoke, Bismark, Boyle, Caistor Centre, Caistorville, Elcho, Fulton , Grassie, Kimbo, Port Davidson, Rosedene , Silverdale, Smithville , St. Anns, Vaughan, Warner, Wellandport, Wilcox Corners and Winslow. Retail establishments in Smithville are congregated amongst two major nodes:
126-465: A change of 6.6% from its 2016 population of 14,500 . With a land area of 387.02 km (149.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 39.9/km (103.4/sq mi) in 2021. The Council of West Lincoln is composed of a mayor and six councillors/aldermen who serve for a term of four years. The mayor is elected at large and the councillors are elected by ward. The town is divided into three wards with two councillors elected in each ward. The mayor
189-459: A change of 6.7% from its 2016 population of 447,888 . With a land area of 1,852.82 km (715.38 sq mi), it had a population density of 258.0/km (668.1/sq mi) in 2021. Religious profile (2021): The area has a higher concentration of human trafficking compared to other regions in Canada, with 3% of recorded incidents taking place within it. The Niagara Region's proximity to
252-442: A child into prostitution or other forms of sexual activity or child pornography . Child exploitation may also involve forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, the removal of organs, illicit international adoption , trafficking for early marriage, recruitment as child soldiers , for use in begging or as athletes (such as child camel jockeys or football trafficking .) Child labour
315-546: A form of human trafficking in certain situations and certain countries, such as China and its Southeast Asian neighbours from which many women are moved to China, sometimes through promises of work, and forced to marry Chinese men. Ethnographic research with women from Myanmar and Cambodia found that many women eventually get used to their life in China and prefer it to the one they had in their home countries. Furthermore, legal scholars have noted that transnational marriage brokering
378-491: A nuanced understanding and approach to the issue - one that looks at broader socio-economic and political contexts. The adoption process, legal and illegal, when abused can sometimes result in cases of trafficking of babies and pregnant women around the world. In David M. Smolin 's 2005 papers on child trafficking and adoption scandals between India and the United States, he presents the systemic vulnerabilities in
441-497: A popular destination for human trafficking with women and girls from India, Thailand, the Philippines and China. In November 2019, two Indian nationals were convicted for exploiting migrant women, making it the first conviction in the state. Trafficking arrangements are sometimes structured as a work contract, but with no or low payment, or on terms which are highly exploitative. They may also be structured as debt bondage, with
504-404: A position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation , forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or
567-611: A surplus of legal donors and provides an instructive model for eliminating both organ trafficking and shortage. Globalization and the rise of internet technology has also facilitated human trafficking. Online classified sites and social networks such as Craigslist have been under intense scrutiny for being used by clients and traffickers in facilitating sex trafficking and sex work in general. Traffickers use explicit sites (e.g. Craigslist, Backpage, MySpace) to market, recruit, sell, and exploit women. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites are suspected for similar uses. According to
630-797: A trafficking victim, even if no force, fraud or coercion is involved, under the definition of "Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons" in the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Trafficked women and children are often promised work in the domestic or service industry, but instead are sometimes taken to brothels where they are required to undertake sex work , while their passports and other identification papers are confiscated. They may be beaten or locked up and promised their freedom only after earning – through prostitution – their purchase price, as well as their travel and visa costs. A forced marriage
693-583: Is Cheryl Ganann. Councillors and alderman include: Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario The Regional Municipality of Niagara , also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara , is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario , Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold . It is the southern end of the Golden Horseshoe , the largest megalopolis in Canada. The region occupies most of
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#1732765039875756-515: Is a form of work that may be hazardous to the physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development of children and can interfere with their education. According to the International Labour Organization, the global number of children involved in child labour fell during the twelve years to 2012 – it has declined by one third, from 246 million in 2000 to 168 million children in 2012. Sub-Saharan Africa
819-672: Is a growing tourism draw while the internationally renowned Niagara Falls is one of Canada's major tourist attractions. Along with Shaw Festival , held annually in Niagara-on-the-Lake , and the Welland Canal , the Regional Municipality of Niagara receives up to 12 million visitors each year. Niagara Region is situated on treaty land. This land has a rich history of First Nations such as the Neutral ,
882-484: Is a lucrative trade because in many countries the waiting lists for patients who need transplants are very long. Some solutions have been proposed to help counter it. Most fraud factories operate in Southeast Asia (including Cambodia , Myanmar , or Laos ), and are typically run by a criminal gang. Fraud factory operators lure foreign nationals to scam hubs, where they are forced to scam internet users around
945-430: Is a marriage where one or both participants are married without their freely given consent. Servile marriage is defined as a marriage involving a person being sold, transferred or inherited into that marriage. According to ECPAT , "Child trafficking for forced marriage is simply another manifestation of trafficking and is not restricted to particular nationalities or countries". Forced marriages have been described as
1008-487: Is a related practice which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled. Smuggling situations can descend into human trafficking through coercion and exploitation. They are known to traffic people for the exploitation of their labour, for example, as transporters. Bonded labour , or debt bondage, is probably the least known form of labour trafficking today, and yet is the most widely used method of enslaving people. Victims become "bonded" when their labour,
1071-461: Is saved annually by private households that employ domestic workers under conditions of forced labour. Although only 19% of victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation, it makes up 66% of the global earnings of human trafficking. The average annual profits generated by each woman in forced sexual servitude ($ 100,000) is estimated to be six times more than the average profits generated by each trafficking victim worldwide ($ 21,800). Human trafficking
1134-517: Is the region with the highest incidence of child labour, while the largest numbers of child-workers are found in Asia and the Pacific. IOM statistics indicate that a significant minority (35%) of trafficked persons it assisted in 2011 were less than 18 years of age, which is roughly consistent with estimates from previous years. It was reported in 2010 that Thailand and Brazil were considered to have
1197-521: Is the third largest crime industry in the world, behind drug dealing and arms trafficking , and is the fastest-growing activity of transnational criminal organizations. In January 2019, UNODC published the new edition of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2018 has revealed that 30% of all victims of human trafficking officially detected globally between 2016 and 2018 are children, up 3% from
1260-469: Is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour , sexual slavery , or commercial sexual exploitation . Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. It is distinct from people smuggling , which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled. Human trafficking is condemned as a violation of human rights by international conventions, but legal protection varies globally. The practice has millions of victims around
1323-765: The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area . VIA Rail serves Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls stations as part of the Maple Leaf intercity train between Toronto and New York City, jointly operated with Amtrak . Many private bus operators operate intercity services to Niagara Region on routes connecting to cities such as Toronto, Buffalo and New York. As of 2023, private bus operators in Niagara Region include Flixbus , Megabus , Equinox, Greyhound , and Trailways . 400-series expressways: Other highways: Human trafficking Human trafficking
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#17327650398751386-535: The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area ; as well as crossing the border to use Buffalo Niagara International Airport or Niagara Falls International Airport in Upstate New York . Public transit within Niagara Region is provided by Niagara Region Transit , including scheduled local bus service within Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Thorold and Welland, on-demand transit service in other portions of
1449-605: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children , online classified ads reduce the risks of finding prospective customers. Studies have identified the Internet as the single biggest facilitator of commercial sex trade, although it is difficult to ascertain which women advertised are sex trafficking victims. Traffickers and pimps use the Internet to recruit minors, since Internet and social networking sites usage have significantly increased especially among children. At
1512-712: The Niagara Peninsula . Its eastern boundary is the Niagara River , which is also the border with the US state of New York . It is bounded on the north by Lake Ontario and on the south by Lake Erie . Unique natural landscapes make the Niagara Region an important centre for agriculture and tourism in Canada. The most important agricultural enterprise in Niagara is viticulture , or winemaking. The Niagara Wine Route , which connects visitors to dozens of wineries,
1575-798: The Super Bowl . A number of reports have noticed increase in sex trafficking during previous years of the Super Bowl. For the 2011 Super Bowl XLV held in Dallas, Texas, the Backpage for Dallas area experienced a 136% increase on the number of posts in the Adult section on Super Bowl Sunday; in contrast, Sundays typically have the lowest number of posts. Researchers analyzed the most salient terms in these online ads, which suggested that many escorts were traveling across state lines to Dallas specifically for
1638-473: The removal, manipulation or implantation of organs ; (b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in sub-paragraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used; (c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "trafficking in persons" even if this does not involve any of
1701-638: The "demand for trafficking" discourse more broadly, have never been proven empirically and have been seriously questioned by a number of scholars and organisations. To this day, the idea that trafficking is fuelled by demand remains poorly conceptualised and based on assumptions rather than evidence. The U.S. State Department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report for 2016 stated that "refugees and migrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals ; religious minorities; people with disabilities; and those who are stateless" are
1764-681: The European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (or Hague Adoption Convention) is an international convention dealing with international adoption, that aims at preventing child laundering , child trafficking, and other abuses related to international adoption. The Optional Protocol on
1827-618: The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women found that sex worker organizations around the world assist women in the industry who are trafficked and should be considered as allies in anti-trafficking work. Criminalization of sex work also may foster the underground market for sex work and enable sex trafficking. Difficult political situations such as civil war and social conflict are push factors for migration and trafficking. A study reported that larger countries,
1890-706: The Haudenosaunee , and the Anishinaabe , including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation . There are many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people from across Turtle Island that continue to live and work in Niagara today. As a census division in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , the Regional Municipality of Niagara had a population of 477,941 living in 195,914 of its 207,926 total private dwellings,
1953-532: The ILO estimated that 21 million victims are trapped in modern-day slavery. Of these, 14.2 million (68%) were exploited for labour, 4.5 million (22%) were sexually exploited, and 2.2 million (10%) were exploited in state-imposed forced labour. The following is the breakdown of profits by sector: $ 99 billion from commercial sexual exploitation; $ 34 billion in construction, manufacturing, mining and utilities; $ 9 billion in agriculture, including forestry and fishing; $ 8 billion
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2016-556: The Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict seeks to prevent forceful recruitment (e.g. by guerrilla forces) of children for use in armed conflicts. The International Labour Organization claims that forced labour in the sex industry affects 4.5 million people worldwide. Most victims find themselves in coercive or abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous. Trafficking for sexual exploitation
2079-640: The Region, and regional bus service between communities in the region. WEGO is an additional local bus network within Niagara Falls, targeted at visitors rather than residents. The WEGO Green Line is operated by the Niagara Parks Commission and requires separate WEGO tickets, while the remainder of WEGO routes are operated by Niagara Region Transit and accept both Niagara Region Transit and WEGO tickets. GO Transit provides regional train and bus services from Niagara Falls and St. Catharines to
2142-735: The Super Bowl, and found that the self-reported ages were higher than usual. Twitter was another social networking platform studied for detecting sex trafficking. Digital tools can be used to narrow the pool of sex trafficking cases, albeit imperfectly and with uncertainty. However, there has been no evidence found actually linking the Super Bowl ;– or any other sporting event – to increased trafficking or prostitution. Corrupt and inadequately trained police officers can be complicit in human trafficking and/or commit violence against sex workers, including trafficked victims. Human traffickers often incorporate abuse of
2205-591: The United Kingdom, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 incorporated trafficking for sexual exploitation but did not require those committing the offence to use coercion, deception or force, so that it also includes any person who enters the UK to carry out sex work with consent as having been "trafficked". In addition, any minor involved in a commercial sex act in the US while under the age of 18 qualifies as
2268-675: The annual Trafficking in Persons Reports issued by the U.S. State Department : Belarus , Iran , Russia , and Turkmenistan remain among the worst countries when it comes to providing protection against human trafficking and forced labour. In 2015, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline received reports of more than 5,000 potential human trafficking cases in the U.S. Children comprise up to one-third of all victims, while women make up more than half. Singapore appears to be
2331-554: The arrest or fear of arrest creates stress and other emotional trauma for trafficking victims. The challenges facing victims often continue after their removal from coercive exploitation. In addition to coping with their past traumatic experiences, former trafficking victims often experience social alienation in the host and home countries. Stigmatization , social exclusion , and intolerance often make it difficult for former victims to integrate into their host community, or to reintegrate into their former community. Accordingly, one of
2394-457: The border and large amounts of hotels are considered to be contributing factors to this issue. Niagara Region contains three airports used primarily for general aviation : Aside from scheduled commuter flights between Niagara District Airport and Toronto City with FlyGTA , for commercial flights Niagara residents use Toronto Pearson International Airport , Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , or John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in
2457-506: The downtown core, and the Village Square Mall. Smithville also has a Farmers Market that runs every Friday afternoon in the summer. The market features a carefully selected variety of vendors showcasing local produce, preserves, meat, honey, flowers and baking. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , West Lincoln had a population of 15,454 living in 5,295 of its 5,422 total private dwellings,
2520-575: The formal sector also push women into informal sectors. Long waiting lists for organs in the United States and Europe created a thriving international black market. Traffickers harvest organs, particularly kidneys, to sell for large profit and often without properly caring for or compensating the victims. Victims often come from poor, rural communities and see few other options than to sell organs illegally. Wealthy countries' inability to meet organ demand within their own borders perpetuates trafficking. By reforming their internal donation system, Iran achieved
2583-597: The global commercial sex trade. In the same year, a study classified 12.3 million individuals worldwide as "forced laborers, bonded laborers or sex-trafficking victims". Approximately 1.39 million of these individuals worked as commercial sex slaves, with women and girls comprising 98% of that 1.36 million. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), forced labour alone (one component of human trafficking) generates an estimated $ 150 billion in profits per annum as of 2014. In 2012,
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2646-569: The inter-country adoption system that makes adoption scandals predictable. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at Article 34, states, "States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse". In the European Union , commercial sexual exploitation of children is subject to a directive – Directive 2011/92/EU of
2709-465: The labour which they themselves hired and the tangible goods they have bought are demanded as a means of repayment for a loan or service whose terms and conditions have not been defined, or where the value of the victims' services is not applied toward the liquidation of the debt. Generally, the value of their work is greater than the original sum of money "borrowed". Forced labour is a situation in which people are forced to work against their will under
2772-546: The legal system into their control tactics by making threats of deportation or by turning victims into the authorities, possibly resulting in the incarceration of the victims. Anti-trafficking agendas from different groups can also be in conflict. In the movement for sex workers' rights , sex workers establish unions and organizations, which seek to eliminate trafficking. However, law enforcement also seek to eliminate trafficking and to prosecute trafficking, and their work may infringe on sex workers' rights and agency. For example,
2835-515: The means set forth in sub-paragraph (a) of this article; (d) "Child" shall mean any person under eighteen years of age. There are many different estimates of the number of victims of human trafficking. According to scholar Kevin Bales, author of Disposable People (2004), estimates that as many as 27 million people are in "modern-day slavery" across the globe. In 2008, the U.S. Department of State estimates that 2 million children are exploited by
2898-938: The most at-risk for human trafficking. Additionally, in its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children , the United Nations notes that women and children are particularly at risk for human trafficking and revictimization . The Protocol requires State Parties not only to enact measures that prevent human trafficking but also to address the factors that exacerbate women and children's vulnerability, including "poverty, underdevelopment and lack of equal opportunity." Human trafficking victims face threats of violence from many sources, including customers, pimps, brothel owners, madams, traffickers, and corrupt local law enforcement officials and even from family members who do not want to have any link with them. Because of their potentially complicated legal status and their potential language barriers,
2961-569: The most geographically dispersed group around the world. There are significant regional differences in the detected forms of exploitation. Countries in Africa and in Asia generally intercept more cases of trafficking for forced labour, while sexual exploitation is somewhat more frequently found in Europe and in the Americas. Additionally, trafficking for organ removal was detected in 16 countries around
3024-652: The nature of sex trafficking as an economic supply and demand model. In this model, male demand for prostitutes leads to a market of sex work, which, in turn, fosters sex trafficking, the illegal trade and coercion of people into sex work, and pimps and traffickers become 'distributors' who supply people to be sexually exploited. The demand for sex trafficking can also be facilitated by some pimps' and traffickers' desire for women whom they can exploit as workers because they do not require wages, safe working circumstances, and agency in choosing customers. The link between demand for paid sex and incidences of human trafficking, as well as
3087-546: The period 2007–2010. The Global Report recorded victims of 137 different nationalities detected in 142 countries between 2012 and 2016, during which period, 500 different flows were identified. Around half of all trafficking took place within the same region with 42% occurring within national borders. One exception is the Middle East, where most detected victims are East and South Asians. Trafficking victims from East Asia have been detected in more than 64 countries, making them
3150-424: The products that can be produced by forced labour are: clothing, cocoa, bricks, coffee, cotton, and gold. Trafficking in organs is a form of human trafficking. It can take different forms. In some cases, the victim is compelled into giving up an organ. In other cases, the victim agrees to sell an organ in exchange of money/goods, but is not paid (or paid less). Finally, the victim may have the organ removed without
3213-480: The richest and the poorest countries, and countries with restricted press freedom are likely to have higher levels of trafficking. Specifically, being in a transitional economy made a country nineteen times more likely to be ranked in the highest trafficking category, and gender inequalities in a country's labour market also correlated with higher trafficking rates. The annual U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report for 2013 cited Russia and China as among
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#17327650398753276-407: The same time, critical scholars have questioned the extent of the role of internet in human trafficking and have cautioned against sweeping generalisations and urged more research. While globalization fostered new technologies that may exacerbate human trafficking, technology can also be used to assist law enforcement and anti-trafficking efforts. A study was done on online classified ads surrounding
3339-593: The sex workers union DMSC (Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee) in Kolkata, India, has "self-regulatory boards" (SRBs) that patrol the red light districts and assist girls who are underage or trafficked. The union opposes police intervention and interferes with police efforts to bring minor girls out of brothels, on the grounds that police action might have an adverse impact on non-trafficked sex workers, especially because police officers in many places are corrupt and violent in their operations. A recent seven-country research by
3402-468: The threat of violence or some other form of punishment; their freedom is restricted and a degree of ownership is exerted. Men and women are at risk of being trafficked for unskilled work, which globally generates US$ 31 billion according to the International Labour Organization . Forms of forced labour can include domestic servitude, agricultural labour, sweatshop factory labour , janitorial, food service and other service industry labour, and begging. Some of
3465-456: The victim not being permitted or able to pay off the debt. It may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage , or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. Trafficking of children involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. Commercial sexual exploitation of children can take many forms, including forcing
3528-417: The victim's knowledge (usually when the victim is treated for another medical problem/illness – real or orchestrated problem/illness). Migrant workers, homeless persons, and illiterate persons are particularly vulnerable to this form of exploitation. Trafficking of organs is an organized crime, involving several offenders: Trafficking for organ trade often seeks kidneys . Trafficking in organs
3591-1008: The world into fraudulently buying cryptocurrencies or withdrawing cash, via social media and online dating apps. Trafficking victims' passports are confiscated, and they are threatened with organ theft, organ harvesting or forced prostitution if they do not scam sufficiently successfully. A complex set of factors fuel human trafficking, including poverty , unemployment, social norms that discriminate against women, institutional challenges, and globalization . Poverty and lack of educational and economic opportunities in one's hometown may lead women to voluntarily migrate and then be involuntarily trafficked into sex work. As globalization opened up national borders to greater exchange of goods and capital, labour migration also increased. Less wealthy countries have fewer options for livable wages. The economic impact of globalization pushes people to make conscious decisions to migrate and be vulnerable to trafficking. Gender inequalities that hinder women from participating in
3654-412: The world. The UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children , which has 117 signatories and 173 parties, defines human trafficking as: (a) [...] the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of
3717-465: The world. The Report raises concerns about low conviction rates – 16% of reporting countries did not record a single conviction for trafficking in persons between 2007 and 2010. Significant progress has been made in terms of legislation: as of 2012, 83% of countries had a law criminalizing trafficking in persons in accordance with the Protocol. According to the 2018 and 2019 editions of
3780-411: The worst child sex trafficking records. Traffickers in children may take advantage of the parents' extreme poverty. Parents may sell children to traffickers in order to pay off debts or gain income, or they may be deceived concerning the prospects of training and a better life for their children. They may sell their children into labour, sex trafficking, or illegal adoptions, although scholars have urged
3843-422: The worst offenders in combatting forced labour and sex trafficking, raising the possibility of US sanctions being leveraged against these countries. In 1997 alone as many as 175,000 young women from Russia, the former Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe were sold as commodities in the sex markets of the developed countries in Europe and the Americas. Abolitionists who seek an end to sex trafficking explain
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#17327650398753906-579: Was formerly thought of as the organized movement of people, usually women, between countries and within countries for sex work with the use of physical coercion, deception and bondage through forced debt. However, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (US) does not require movement for the offence. The issue becomes contentious when the element of coercion is removed from the definition to incorporate facilitation of consensual involvement in prostitution. For example, in
3969-601: Was never intended to be considered trafficking by the drafters of the Palermo Protocol. Labour trafficking is the movement of persons for the purpose of forced labour and services. It may involve bonded labour , involuntary servitude , domestic servitude , and child labour . Labour trafficking happens most often within the domain of domestic work , agriculture , construction , manufacturing and entertainment ; and migrant workers and indigenous people are especially at risk of becoming victims. People smuggling
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