Human Trafficking on the Highway of Tears?

WhyaDuck?

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With so many women missing, never to be seen again, are we dealing with a human trafficking issue?

Please discuss this theory and information here.
 
I was doing some reading and some feel the sheer number of missing would indicate a viewpoint that the indiginous peoples are somehow, less than and therefore it is alright to treat them as less than. A racist sort of attitude. Similar to the racism experienced by natives and blacks here on this side of the continent. I think it is a very logical theory given that sex traffickers usually chose young, female victims who are least likely to be actively investigated such as those from poor areas, those who could be suspected as runaways, those who are society's "disposable" victims.
 
With so many women missing, never to be seen again, are we dealing with a human trafficking issue?

Please discuss this theory and information here.

During the Pickton investigation, it seems there were rumours among the DTES stws of women being taken on boats. So, IMO, HT is certainly something to be considered.

One theory I've mulled around is that the bodies that are located are the victims who fought and lost their lives, but that some of those still classified as "missing", are alive and have been transported elsewhere, thus no bodies being found.

My database is far from complete ... 450 names/details covering the missing/murdered in Saskatchewan, Alberta, BC (including Highway of Tears of course), NWT and Alaska. I have at least 100 more names to add and in many of those cases, nothing more than the name, not even a province :(

My cursory, very unscientific look at all western Canada victims, sorted by "Body Located" vs "Body not Located", there are 238 located, 183 not located. Certainly not all age groups would be considered as potential victims in HT operations, but 183 bodies not located, in and of itself, is highly curious.

Of 34 victims of Highway of Tears (18 on the "official" list, and 16 on my "non-official" list), only 18 bodies have been recovered (those 18 being comprised of victims on both official and non-official). Could be due to it being more of a remote area, and possibly just a matter of time before others are recovered.

Apparently there are at least two HT rings being investigated in Canada. That alone tells us there are certainly victims of HT ... we just don't know who they are. Jessie Louise Foster is considered to be one, but as for other names, if they are known to LE, they are not shared with us.

The original original article from the Edmonton Sun that reported on the Edmonton HT investigations seems to have vanished, but googling +"kevin galvin" +"human trafficking", here's a link that contains the relevant info:

http://fightforjustice.blogspot.com/2009/02/canada-not-immune-to-illicit-trade.html

There is a separate "Human Trafficking Awareness Thread" here at WS; sadly it is not very active:

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91597"]Human Trafficking Awareness Thread - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]
 
Very good post, SB. And add to those numbers all the missing women who are not even reported missing, of which there are likely quite a few.

I think more towards killers here, but I certainly don't think we should ignore the HT possibility, as I feel there are a number of things going on in these disappearances.
 
it seems a good possibility that some of the women are victims of human trafficking.
human trafficking has become an international problem, even in suburban areas.

it could be a combination between a serial killer (s) and human traffickers "hunting" that area. the fact that the rcmp doesn't seem to care and the area is remote makes it ideal.
 
http://www.actalberta.org/about-act#title1

ACT Alberta Philosophy

ACT Alberta aims to mobilize various stakeholders in Alberta to identify and respond to human trafficking in our province by (i) reducing both the vulnerability of potential victims and the demand for exploitation in all its forms; (ii) ensuring adequate protection and support to those who do fall victim, and (iii) supporting the efficient prosecution of the criminals involved, while respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons.

http://www.facebook.com/ACTAlberta
 
There is also trafficking in body parts for transplants.
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/01/09/not-just-urban-legend.html

Thanks for that article dotr. Very chilling, isn't it? And these are the black market cases that are known about. Interesting that the issue went from "urban legend" back in the 1990s to what is now a recognized human rights abuse.

from:
http://www.canadaandtheworld.com/organtrafficking.html

And, of course, there’s plenty of money to be made. Sellers of kidneys are said to be paid about $2,500 to $3,000, and recipients pay anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000.

That's pretty big money in the pockets of organized crime .. and 2 kidneys quickly doubles the profit.
 
Big news, not sure in which thread to post.(Will post in Alberta thread also.)
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2012/09/24/20229086.html

VANCOUVER -- Mounties in B.C. will announce on Tuesday a significant investigation into 18 missing and murdered women along the so-called Highway of Tears, in a plea for more information.

It has long been speculated that one or more serial killers might be at work along the stretch of road on Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George in southern B.C.

The announcement is expected to span two days, with initial details revealed Tuesday morning and subsequent announcements by investigators in Prince George and Kamloops detachments the next day
 

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