What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking is the modernized form of slavery. Under the Convention of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, it means "the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of 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 of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs"1. These people exploit women and men of all ages. Sometimes it's one person who is involved and, at other times, it is a family. Victims may come from a foreign country and be brought into another country or they can be recruited and work in the same country.

There are several strategies for the recruitment of a victim over the Internet. In the coming weeks, I will try to present a portrait of each of them. Recruitment strategies are best known are:

·       Online Seducers / Seducers;

·       Online Predators / Predators;

·       Fake sites or ads on the Web;

·       Fake employment agencies;

·       False contest;

·       Illegal adoptions.

As we will see in my future articles, the use of social media is very useful for the recruitment of victims but also for the management and publishing of false bids. We all know that the Internet has become an important vehicle for its ease and speed in communications, but the use of social media in the context of human trafficking has given new impetus to the horror of trafficking in the world. Do not believe this is happening to thousands of miles from home or in a poor country. Here in Quebec, in Montreal … human trafficking exists. This is not because you do not see it that it does not exist. It is unfortunately present here, in 2011.

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1 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, Warsaw,16.V.2005 [Online] http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/EN/Treaties/Html/197.htm (Accessed March 21, 2011).