Key takeaways:
- Human trafficking is a ‘massive issue’ in B.C. that’s ‘not usually spoken about,’ says a support worker.
- Alexandra Stevenson states it took her years to realize she was being trafficked.
- Today she supports other targets of human trafficking.
Alexandra Stevenson never suspected what she thought was a caring relationship would turn vicious — or that she would eventually become prey of human trafficking.
At the time, Stevenson, staying in Oakville, Ont. remembers how her boyfriend unexpectedly used threats and brutality to control her, at one point saying she had to sell her body to cover the price of her drug addiction.
“All of a sudden, overnight, it changed. He did become very fierce with me … there was no chance for me to leave. And he made it very obvious that, should I decide to leave, my life would be at stake,” she told CBC News.
Also read: Out of control’ wildfire extends outside Lytton, B.C.
Stevenson, 35, is among thousands of British Columbians.
They have been forced into sexual exploitation, with online apps and messaging services confusing the problem by providing more platforms on which predators can seek their victims.
Researchers now expect technology can help them fight back — using artificial brains to determine those most likely to be targeted.
Source – CBC News
