1 00:00:10,847 --> 00:00:13,290 [You might] notice I'm holding cue cards. 2 00:00:13,419 --> 00:00:14,702 I'm holding cue cards 3 00:00:14,702 --> 00:00:17,435 because they are going to help me to focus on my message 4 00:00:17,435 --> 00:00:19,288 while at the same time 5 00:00:19,688 --> 00:00:23,990 shielding me from painful memories and intrusive thoughts. 6 00:00:25,300 --> 00:00:28,106 Because my story isn't an easy one to tell. 7 00:00:28,966 --> 00:00:32,549 In fact, every time I tell my story, 8 00:00:32,549 --> 00:00:34,298 I'm retraumatized. 9 00:00:34,698 --> 00:00:36,673 But if sharing my story 10 00:00:36,673 --> 00:00:41,163 means that one more girl has a chance at freedom, 11 00:00:41,163 --> 00:00:43,200 then it's worth it for me. 12 00:00:44,130 --> 00:00:46,808 Growing up in my family wasn't easy. 13 00:00:47,678 --> 00:00:50,584 Mental health problems and abuse 14 00:00:51,594 --> 00:00:53,603 can destabilize a family. 15 00:00:53,893 --> 00:00:57,129 But abuse doesn't just exist in a vacuum. 16 00:00:57,289 --> 00:01:01,345 It doesn't just start or stop in one individual's life. 17 00:01:01,565 --> 00:01:06,248 It permeates every action and activity of their being. 18 00:01:07,050 --> 00:01:09,486 Mental health problems and abuse 19 00:01:09,486 --> 00:01:10,876 led to neglect, 20 00:01:11,206 --> 00:01:14,356 and neglect left me on the streets of Scarborough 21 00:01:14,356 --> 00:01:16,170 a very young girl. 22 00:01:18,470 --> 00:01:21,770 I distinctly recall going back to school. 23 00:01:21,770 --> 00:01:24,453 I remember each year, the teacher would ask us, 24 00:01:24,453 --> 00:01:26,687 "Write down what you did that summer." 25 00:01:27,767 --> 00:01:32,393 I was so ashamed; I was paralyzed. 26 00:01:33,233 --> 00:01:35,400 I didn't go to summer camp. 27 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:37,689 No, I didn't go to the cottage. 28 00:01:37,689 --> 00:01:41,535 I was the kid that played outside all day long. 29 00:01:42,665 --> 00:01:44,465 There was no regular structure. 30 00:01:44,465 --> 00:01:47,370 There was no routine for most anything. 31 00:01:47,747 --> 00:01:51,246 One summer, I was raped by a stranger; 32 00:01:51,796 --> 00:01:56,465 another, abused and degraded by the neighborhood boys. 33 00:01:56,865 --> 00:01:59,965 I was always in fight-or-flight mode. 34 00:01:59,965 --> 00:02:04,867 It seemed like danger was lurking around every corner. 35 00:02:06,197 --> 00:02:08,101 What I learned that summer 36 00:02:08,631 --> 00:02:12,445 was how to remain hypervigilant, how to avoid attack - 37 00:02:12,445 --> 00:02:16,592 something that no young girl should ever have to learn. 38 00:02:17,812 --> 00:02:20,256 But it didn't stop with the neighborhood boys. 39 00:02:20,576 --> 00:02:25,772 I would later be abused at the hands of a multi-generational pedophile. 40 00:02:26,292 --> 00:02:29,574 And it was his words that kept me trapped. 41 00:02:30,174 --> 00:02:31,718 When he said, 42 00:02:32,858 --> 00:02:35,946 "Your parents won't love you anymore if you tell on me," 43 00:02:36,706 --> 00:02:40,170 in my isolated environment, I believed him. 44 00:02:41,220 --> 00:02:46,484 And my behaviors started to reflect the environment that I lived in. 45 00:02:47,524 --> 00:02:50,080 I don't remember a time back then 46 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,462 when my body ever felt like my own. 47 00:02:54,772 --> 00:02:59,337 At 17, I started moving from club to club. 48 00:02:59,337 --> 00:03:01,233 I first started stripping. 49 00:03:01,673 --> 00:03:05,456 Then later, I worked for a smut magazine, 50 00:03:05,886 --> 00:03:06,900 where I would meet 51 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:10,295 some of the most dangerous people I've ever encountered. 52 00:03:11,385 --> 00:03:16,266 Still, I was on this never ending quest 53 00:03:16,266 --> 00:03:20,316 to have some form of agency over my own body, 54 00:03:20,316 --> 00:03:23,789 a source of power I had never had before. 55 00:03:25,499 --> 00:03:27,514 One day, my phone rang. 56 00:03:27,514 --> 00:03:30,774 I was looking at my gas gauge, sitting on empty. 57 00:03:31,054 --> 00:03:34,237 It was my old co-worker from the magazine company. 58 00:03:34,237 --> 00:03:38,649 He called me to tell me he was running Toronto's largest massage parlor, 59 00:03:38,649 --> 00:03:41,423 and he wanted me to come and join his stable. 60 00:03:42,283 --> 00:03:46,272 The word "stable" didn't even give me pause. 61 00:03:47,932 --> 00:03:52,496 Well, on the outside, it looked like a normal business, 62 00:03:52,496 --> 00:03:54,775 except it wasn't. 63 00:03:55,445 --> 00:04:00,368 This massage parlor had 10 rooms, and they were always busy. 64 00:04:00,978 --> 00:04:05,726 There were between 40 to 60 women and girls on rotation in the spa. 65 00:04:06,526 --> 00:04:10,158 A massage was between 40 and 50 dollars. 66 00:04:10,418 --> 00:04:12,550 We'd get a 10-dollar commission 67 00:04:12,910 --> 00:04:15,304 if you didn't have a fine. 68 00:04:15,824 --> 00:04:19,223 And you could have a fine for just about anything: 69 00:04:19,223 --> 00:04:21,875 being late, talking back 70 00:04:22,085 --> 00:04:25,385 or not having a perfectly primped body. 71 00:04:28,415 --> 00:04:30,074 It was expected 72 00:04:30,074 --> 00:04:33,860 that the girls could earn considerably more money 73 00:04:33,860 --> 00:04:35,325 by doing extras. 74 00:04:35,751 --> 00:04:37,568 And by doing extras, 75 00:04:37,568 --> 00:04:43,827 I am talking about some of the most unimaginable and degrading acts. 76 00:04:45,417 --> 00:04:46,417 Police raids, 77 00:04:46,417 --> 00:04:48,543 they occurred in these places, 78 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:54,621 but no police officer, no bylaw official ever offered me help. 79 00:04:54,881 --> 00:04:57,538 No one ever said, "Hey, 80 00:04:57,538 --> 00:04:59,550 is there somewhere else you'd rather be?" 81 00:04:59,763 --> 00:05:01,729 or "I know somebody you can call. 82 00:05:01,729 --> 00:05:03,529 Can I connect you two?" 83 00:05:04,479 --> 00:05:09,293 And this would be my life for the next nearly nine years. 84 00:05:12,063 --> 00:05:14,010 Maybe you're listening to my story 85 00:05:14,010 --> 00:05:18,302 and you're thinking, "How foolish is this girl!" 86 00:05:18,962 --> 00:05:21,140 But I wasn't foolish. 87 00:05:21,140 --> 00:05:22,358 I was vulnerable, 88 00:05:22,808 --> 00:05:24,171 I was naive 89 00:05:24,171 --> 00:05:26,260 and I was a perfect target. 90 00:05:27,070 --> 00:05:29,390 I didn't have a sense of belonging. 91 00:05:29,390 --> 00:05:34,664 I didn't feel wanted or valued for anything other than my body. 92 00:05:35,704 --> 00:05:37,800 I had started to deceive myself: 93 00:05:38,070 --> 00:05:41,128 "This is my choice. I'm making this money." 94 00:05:41,468 --> 00:05:43,221 But in hindsight, 95 00:05:43,851 --> 00:05:46,584 there wasn't much choice involved at all. 96 00:05:46,584 --> 00:05:49,825 This wasn't work; it was trafficking. 97 00:05:50,435 --> 00:05:52,425 I was told how to dress, 98 00:05:52,425 --> 00:05:53,700 who to have sex with, 99 00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:55,009 where to live - 100 00:05:55,009 --> 00:05:56,389 everything. 101 00:05:57,629 --> 00:06:00,901 I felt scared almost all the time. 102 00:06:02,331 --> 00:06:04,070 The man who recruited me, 103 00:06:04,420 --> 00:06:05,420 he manipulated me 104 00:06:05,420 --> 00:06:09,350 into thinking and believing that he was my protector, 105 00:06:09,830 --> 00:06:11,356 my boyfriend, 106 00:06:12,329 --> 00:06:14,076 except he wasn't. 107 00:06:14,076 --> 00:06:18,967 He was my trafficker, and I was little more than his property. 108 00:06:19,927 --> 00:06:22,959 Over time, he made me a manager - 109 00:06:23,219 --> 00:06:24,574 made me. 110 00:06:24,704 --> 00:06:27,226 This was not an act of saving me. 111 00:06:27,226 --> 00:06:30,534 This was not a promotion. 112 00:06:30,924 --> 00:06:35,813 This was him trying to build his status and grow his power. 113 00:06:36,973 --> 00:06:38,260 On paper, 114 00:06:38,260 --> 00:06:41,655 he ran a licensed body rub parlor. 115 00:06:41,990 --> 00:06:46,707 This allowed him to look like a legitimate businessman. 116 00:06:47,437 --> 00:06:49,060 This license 117 00:06:49,060 --> 00:06:54,725 allows you to rub, knead or stimulate any muscle in the human body. 118 00:06:55,345 --> 00:06:56,805 Officially, 119 00:06:56,805 --> 00:07:00,805 these words don't mean that sex is on the menu, 120 00:07:01,155 --> 00:07:06,052 but my experience and that of thousands of others 121 00:07:06,052 --> 00:07:07,797 suggest differently. 122 00:07:08,982 --> 00:07:11,811 Somewhere between the letter of the law, 123 00:07:12,161 --> 00:07:17,293 the predatory practices of massage parlor owners and operators, 124 00:07:17,893 --> 00:07:21,599 the willingness for police to look the other way, 125 00:07:22,209 --> 00:07:27,172 our city has created the licensed brothel system. 126 00:07:29,572 --> 00:07:32,040 A massage parlor keeps the schedule, 127 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,155 manages all of the advertising 128 00:07:34,155 --> 00:07:36,268 and fields all of the calls, 129 00:07:36,988 --> 00:07:40,277 freeing up a trafficker to look for another victim. 130 00:07:40,987 --> 00:07:42,150 Buyers, 131 00:07:42,150 --> 00:07:44,675 they don't have to go to a seedy motel. 132 00:07:46,020 --> 00:07:48,919 Massage parlors and holistic centers, 133 00:07:48,919 --> 00:07:53,940 the ones on the way to and from your home and work, 134 00:07:54,550 --> 00:07:56,900 they provide a facade 135 00:07:57,850 --> 00:07:59,809 of acceptability, 136 00:08:01,679 --> 00:08:03,974 safety and option 137 00:08:03,974 --> 00:08:05,566 on a woman's part. 138 00:08:06,549 --> 00:08:08,673 But even worse, 139 00:08:09,233 --> 00:08:14,878 the fact that all of this happens inside of a licensed system 140 00:08:14,878 --> 00:08:18,432 means that we are enshrining a man's right 141 00:08:18,432 --> 00:08:22,332 to buy a living, breathing human being. 142 00:08:22,332 --> 00:08:24,531 That's what we're talking about. 143 00:08:26,581 --> 00:08:29,630 This is what sex trafficking looks like in Canada. 144 00:08:29,630 --> 00:08:32,979 It is the brothel hidden in plain sight, 145 00:08:32,979 --> 00:08:36,661 where women are trapped and, many, enslaved. 146 00:08:38,151 --> 00:08:40,305 And here, all of us, 147 00:08:40,305 --> 00:08:42,993 all of us are deceived into believing 148 00:08:42,993 --> 00:08:45,939 that what's happening is a woman's choice. 149 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:53,453 You see, our cities license these parlors and holistic centers. 150 00:08:53,453 --> 00:08:55,303 And in their point of view, 151 00:08:55,303 --> 00:08:59,314 they're not officially granting a license for a brothel, 152 00:09:00,024 --> 00:09:04,030 but they are well aware of what's happening behind closed doors. 153 00:09:04,980 --> 00:09:07,682 Not all massage centers are like this. 154 00:09:07,682 --> 00:09:12,149 No, legitimate owners, they're not open until 4:00 am. 155 00:09:12,149 --> 00:09:16,040 They don't advertise their staff in scantily clad clothing 156 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:17,984 on escort websites. 157 00:09:19,944 --> 00:09:22,998 So how are these types of massage parlors, 158 00:09:22,998 --> 00:09:25,243 how are they able to thrive? 159 00:09:25,778 --> 00:09:29,560 Here in Canada, each municipality 160 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:35,236 has the power and control to grant the licenses for their area. 161 00:09:35,926 --> 00:09:40,425 The higher levels of government, they know that these problems exist, 162 00:09:40,425 --> 00:09:43,500 yet they take no responsibility 163 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,373 by saying that they don't make the decisions, 164 00:09:46,373 --> 00:09:48,352 the municipalities do. 165 00:09:49,772 --> 00:09:54,098 Even one of our more celebrated and successful politicians 166 00:09:54,098 --> 00:10:00,903 was found inside a massage parlor, with no negative impacts to his career. 167 00:10:01,653 --> 00:10:05,350 It's as if we're saying, "We're okay with this." 168 00:10:06,030 --> 00:10:09,132 But I refuse to believe that; I just simply don't. 169 00:10:09,752 --> 00:10:11,372 I was in a meeting 170 00:10:11,372 --> 00:10:16,635 with the most high senior officials from Municipal Licensing. 171 00:10:17,365 --> 00:10:19,774 I specifically asked. 172 00:10:20,414 --> 00:10:24,632 I said, "You guys know that this isn't just massage, right?" 173 00:10:25,162 --> 00:10:26,441 Their response? 174 00:10:26,441 --> 00:10:31,176 "Yeah, we know that these are just fronts for brothels." 175 00:10:32,111 --> 00:10:34,777 Everyone knows about this problem, 176 00:10:34,777 --> 00:10:38,757 yet no one is taking the lead to solve it. 177 00:10:41,127 --> 00:10:43,789 I eventually escaped my circumstances. 178 00:10:44,509 --> 00:10:47,260 I literally slept for three days straight. 179 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:49,918 It was my soul that hurt, 180 00:10:49,918 --> 00:10:52,318 for where there was no hospital. 181 00:10:53,358 --> 00:10:56,556 Discovering my faith in a supportive community 182 00:10:56,556 --> 00:10:58,764 guided me to seek counselling, 183 00:10:58,764 --> 00:11:01,544 where my journey to recovery began. 184 00:11:02,204 --> 00:11:05,519 Because you see, getting out is one thing, 185 00:11:05,519 --> 00:11:08,940 but staying out, that's just as hard. 186 00:11:10,150 --> 00:11:13,452 With this understanding, I started BridgeNorth. 187 00:11:14,452 --> 00:11:17,418 I want to be a part of the solution. 188 00:11:17,418 --> 00:11:21,469 I want to help end sex trafficking in Canada. 189 00:11:22,199 --> 00:11:24,300 We offer services to women. 190 00:11:25,070 --> 00:11:28,365 They'll contact us for peer mentorship and support, 191 00:11:28,365 --> 00:11:31,290 medical care, food assistances, 192 00:11:31,300 --> 00:11:33,355 many other services as well. 193 00:11:34,930 --> 00:11:37,071 We also provide- 194 00:11:38,361 --> 00:11:41,595 I'm sorry, we also provide public education, 195 00:11:41,595 --> 00:11:44,088 and we advocate to change our laws 196 00:11:44,438 --> 00:11:48,556 because this problem is still so hidden in plain sight. 197 00:11:51,476 --> 00:11:54,681 There really are more victims out there than you think there are. 198 00:11:55,591 --> 00:11:58,858 Some enter this dangerous world like I had; 199 00:11:59,218 --> 00:12:01,393 others, children and youth, 200 00:12:01,643 --> 00:12:06,406 they're lured out of foster care, group homes, shelters, 201 00:12:06,406 --> 00:12:08,423 or from their own families. 202 00:12:09,473 --> 00:12:10,997 The common thread 203 00:12:10,997 --> 00:12:16,337 is that traffickers look to exploit the vulnerabilities of their victim - 204 00:12:16,337 --> 00:12:18,384 common thread, all the time. 205 00:12:19,554 --> 00:12:24,438 Where I was trafficked, there were up to 60 women working. 206 00:12:25,468 --> 00:12:29,908 The massage parlor I was at made under just two million a year. 207 00:12:30,488 --> 00:12:32,998 That doesn't include any of the money 208 00:12:32,998 --> 00:12:36,020 made in the rooms by the girls - 209 00:12:36,020 --> 00:12:38,865 that's what we know as the trafficker's cut. 210 00:12:38,865 --> 00:12:42,720 It doesn't include any money made by going to after-hours parties 211 00:12:42,970 --> 00:12:45,981 or by other things, like selling drugs or weapons. 212 00:12:48,481 --> 00:12:51,878 Imagine for a second, that's just one. 213 00:12:51,878 --> 00:12:54,911 Imagine thousands of these places across Canada. 214 00:12:56,311 --> 00:12:59,900 Well, as a survivor, 215 00:12:59,900 --> 00:13:03,260 I believe we have to tackle the systemic problems 216 00:13:03,260 --> 00:13:06,795 that foster trafficking in the first place. 217 00:13:07,925 --> 00:13:11,060 That's why in 2014, 218 00:13:11,944 --> 00:13:14,690 I spoke out against sexual exploitation 219 00:13:14,690 --> 00:13:17,390 before the Justice and Human Rights Committee. 220 00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:20,638 I helped to lobby for the passing of a bill, 221 00:13:20,638 --> 00:13:25,233 called "Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act." 222 00:13:26,653 --> 00:13:32,012 We advocated for Canada to adopt the leading practices from Sweden. 223 00:13:32,352 --> 00:13:34,533 This Nordic model, 224 00:13:34,948 --> 00:13:37,478 it penalizes the buyers 225 00:13:38,233 --> 00:13:42,022 while helping women to exit. 226 00:13:43,832 --> 00:13:47,598 This bill was passed and is now law, 227 00:13:47,598 --> 00:13:51,197 yet still, we're not seeing very much action at all. 228 00:13:51,197 --> 00:13:54,177 We're not seeing arrests of buyers, 229 00:13:54,197 --> 00:13:56,676 we're not seeing adequate funding 230 00:13:56,676 --> 00:14:00,707 for services that women need to heal and recover. 231 00:14:01,627 --> 00:14:04,437 So, here and now, we have this legal framework 232 00:14:04,687 --> 00:14:08,090 but we don't have it in use. 233 00:14:09,050 --> 00:14:10,468 From Canada, 234 00:14:10,468 --> 00:14:15,163 who is normally such a leader on so many fronts, 235 00:14:15,398 --> 00:14:20,030 a country that's known for women's empowerment 236 00:14:20,030 --> 00:14:21,763 and for gender equality, 237 00:14:21,763 --> 00:14:26,472 yet still, we need action to match our intention. 238 00:14:27,762 --> 00:14:29,300 So where do we start? 239 00:14:31,020 --> 00:14:35,488 Well, first, we need to abolish sex trafficking. 240 00:14:35,798 --> 00:14:37,694 Its harms are inherent 241 00:14:37,694 --> 00:14:43,048 and simply cannot be licensed or legislated in a better way. 242 00:14:44,108 --> 00:14:50,671 Second, women trapped should be given support to help them exit. 243 00:14:51,406 --> 00:14:58,096 These women, they need to be safe from the repercussions of bad actors. 244 00:14:58,981 --> 00:15:03,140 And finally, we need more support from people like you, 245 00:15:03,140 --> 00:15:05,474 just like you. 246 00:15:06,289 --> 00:15:10,861 I have spoken to numerous federal and municipal government officials, 247 00:15:10,861 --> 00:15:14,050 and they all say the same thing to me: 248 00:15:14,460 --> 00:15:19,995 "I can only address what my constituents bring to my attention." 249 00:15:22,775 --> 00:15:24,510 Write them, 250 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:26,743 call them, 251 00:15:27,393 --> 00:15:33,253 tell them that women being exploited and trafficked inside of massage parlors 252 00:15:33,253 --> 00:15:35,347 is not acceptable. 253 00:15:36,907 --> 00:15:38,632 In conclusion, 254 00:15:39,652 --> 00:15:42,706 it takes just one person - it really does. 255 00:15:44,186 --> 00:15:47,160 I share my story today because I'm free, 256 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,793 and that freedom I cannot take for granted. 257 00:15:50,793 --> 00:15:54,676 I believe everybody in our country should have that same right. 258 00:15:55,766 --> 00:15:57,717 I'm sharing my story today 259 00:15:57,717 --> 00:15:59,630 because I am hopeful. 260 00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:02,398 I have seen, I have witnessed 261 00:16:02,398 --> 00:16:06,332 the strength inside of the women we're talking about. 262 00:16:06,332 --> 00:16:09,351 These women are future leaders, 263 00:16:09,351 --> 00:16:11,031 entrepreneurs, 264 00:16:11,031 --> 00:16:12,281 moms; 265 00:16:12,711 --> 00:16:14,496 they are game changers. 266 00:16:15,796 --> 00:16:19,220 All they need is a chance, just like the one I had. 267 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:22,667 It took one person. 268 00:16:23,687 --> 00:16:25,516 Her name was Kathy; 269 00:16:25,826 --> 00:16:27,902 her husband, Jim. 270 00:16:28,792 --> 00:16:31,801 They each extended a hand of love to me. 271 00:16:32,611 --> 00:16:37,120 They both had shown me again what humanity was all about, 272 00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:40,639 and they assisted to bring back my self-worth. 273 00:16:40,639 --> 00:16:45,209 And that is something that you can do for someone else too. 274 00:16:45,949 --> 00:16:47,780 (Applause) (Cheers) 275 00:16:47,780 --> 00:16:48,969 Thank you. 276 00:16:48,969 --> 00:16:52,823 (Applause) (Cheers)