'He had a gun to my head': Woman recounts being re-located to St. Thomas, Ont. to become sex trafficking victim

After meeting a man online, she thought it was the beginning of a normal relationship.

“I thought he was a boyfriend,” says a St. Thomas, Ont. woman who wished to be identified as Christine.

At first he pampered her, but then things started to go south.

“It happens so fast, you don’t realize you are in it until it’s already too late,” says Christine.

She was moved to the north end of St. Thomas and isolated in a house away from anyone she knew.

“He’d say ‘now you have to pay me back for everything I’ve provided for you’,” she said, before telling stories of sex trafficking.

“We are low on cash and this is my friend. More guys and girls started coming in and we ended up with six rooms and a hot tub room in this house that was rented. Guys would be called in and we didn’t have money or food and they were our life support. It was them or death, there were no other options,” she said.

It’s stories like this that are far too common across Canada.

In the London, Ont. area, the 401 corridor has become a hot bed for human trafficking (HT) with multiple hotels close to the highway.

It is easy access for cars to get in and out from Toronto all the way to Windsor.Det-Sgt. Katherine Dann of the London Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section speaks to CTV London on Feb. 22, 2022. (Brent Lale / CTV News)“Last year we laid 56 criminal charges and 12 people were arrested,” says Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann of the London Police Service (LPS) sexual assault and child abuse section.

“It is happening in London and our HT unit is busy connecting with women at those hotels. We met with 27 victims of human trafficking last year,” she said.

In nearby St. Thomas, there is one trafficking case before the courts.

A 59 year old music teacher was arrested last spring and charged with sexual assault and exploitation of a person under 18 years of age.

The investigation is still ongoing and police are looking into whether there are more victims.

“It’s the small towns, it’s the people next door, it’s the nice guy who helps carry out the garbage,” says Christine. “It’s not the bogeyman under the stairs, it could be anyone.”

That’s why many organizations are bringing forward awareness campaigns.

The City of St. Thomas along with Victim Services Elgin (VSE) raised a flag at city hall Tuesday morning on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

“It’s not a big city issue, it’s an Elgin County issue with the 401 surrounding us,” says Jeff Yurek, Elgin Middlesex London MPP. “The more we are aware, the safer our kids will be from these predators.”

LPS has started a #KnowHumanTrafficking campaign to educate young girls of the risks and warning signs associated with trafficking.

They released a video with young girls speaking about trafficking because females younger than 18 make up 25 per cent of HT cases.

“We wanted to educate young girls that could be at risk that trafficking does exist in London,” says Dann. “It gives them the power to recognize the signs and protect themselves.”

A few years back #ProjectMapleLeaf put up HT awareness ads in the En Route stations along the 401, and Tuesday, the London International Airport announced #NotInMyCIty (NIMC) with a goal of preventing traffickers in airports. It also helps victims identify themselves as victims and ask for help.Victim Services Elgin along with the City of St. Thomas proclaimed Feb 22, 2022 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. (Brent Lale / CTV News)“It’s unfortunate that it is hard to get an accurate representation of how prevalent the issue is because there are so many underreported cases,” says Kevin Metcalfe, support coordinator for VSE. “People are afraid to come forward for their own personal safety.”

That’s exactly why Christine couldn’t get out. It wasn’t until a police raid of her house that detectives get her in touch with VSE.

“He had a gun to my head, then the OPP came and talked him down and finally got me out that way and they called Victim Services on my behalf,” says Christine.

“It was a violent, traumatic, abusive situation where I wasn’t the only person. Somehow the police found out and they came and asked me to leave but I said I wouldn’t because I had nowhere else to go.”

She didn’t know VSE was a place to go, but they gave her another option. Within 15 minutes, there was someone by her side and held her hand, and still is there today.

In the two years since her ordeal, Christine has a new house, a full-time job, a new car and a strong support system.

She wants others to know that she was saved by community support, and others can reach out if they need help.

“Just knowing that if you are too scared to tell your mom or dad, or if you are embarrassed of a video, you can go outside of that and find someone neutral,” says Christine. “They won’t judge you, and they’ll stick by you and that’s all I needed.”