Caught in a struggle between aspirations and exploitation: how international students become targets for traffickers in Peel

Coming from small towns in India with little exposure to urban life, many international students find themselves vulnerable to sex trafficking, often at the hands of landlords and employers who exploit their inexperience and financial insecurity.

Once these students arrive in cities like Brampton, where post-secondary institutions such as Algoma University have recruited them almost solely for their money—which most have little of—offering no housing and few other supports, many find themselves vulnerable to an array of opportunists, some with criminal intentions.

Traffickers employ manipulative tactics to ensnare young international students. Some pose as empathetic figures like “caring uncles or aunts”, while others exploit these women by offering rent forgiveness in exchange for sexual favours. Many are deceived with false promises of employment, only to be coerced into sex work. In some cases, victims are blackmailed, threatened with deportation, visa cancellation, or job termination, forcing them into sexual servitude with multiple men. These tactics leave students trapped in a cycle of fear, exploitation, and abuse, making it nearly impossible to escape.

Dr. Sukhjeevan Chatha, a dentist, is an advocate against sex trafficking involving international students and has assisted some, helping them find support. 

He expresses deep concern for their plight, recounting a distressing case that highlights the cruel methods traffickers employ to target vulnerable students. He shared the story of a young woman from India who initially landed a job that promised to help pay for her education. However, after a year, her pay ceased, and she was presented with a threat: participate in sex trafficking or risk deportation and losing her visa. Forced into sex work with local truck drivers, she is among the few survivors who managed to escape and is now receiving counseling to address her trauma.

“Very, very few people break out of this. She was a very, very lucky one, and now she's getting counseling for her trauma," Chatha said in an interview with The Pointer.

Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO of Indus Community Services, which provides a range of culturally informed supports for newcomers and others across Peel, described a disturbing pattern where landlords seize control over international students by confiscating their passports. In exchange for reduced rent, students are coerced into providing sexual favours. In some cases, landlords resort to blackmail, threatening to release private photos or videos on social media or to expose them to their families back home in India. Under this pressure, students are forced to engage in sexual acts with multiple men, trapped in a cycle of exploitation and fear.

"An example of the problem that we're seeing is what would happen to a young woman who is studying here in Canada, often coming from a small town, potentially from India, and not very experienced,” Malhotra told The Pointer. “So, they're new here; they're told to trust people who will be acting as their uncle or their auntie and navigate them."

Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO of Indus Community Services, explained that human traffickers use a number of tactics to trap young women.

(Muhammad Hamza/The Pointer)

"So, an example of the type of pressure that gets put on them is that they're told, ‘Look, if you need to sleep with this person in order to have reduced rent.’ And so, out of desperation, what have you? The young person might do so or might be sexually assaulted. Then the perpetrator says, ‘I took pictures. I have photographs. I can share them with family and then put them all over social media; you now need to also sleep with these people.’"

Malhotra stressed the necessity of an impartial, outside organization where students may securely seek assistance, independent of employers, landlords or schools. To promote legislative reforms and improved safeguards for these young people who are at risk, he emphasized the significance of group advocacy.

During the council meeting on October 23, members passed a motion asking higher levels of government to support a three-year pilot program in Brampton to combat human trafficking.

(Muhammad Hamza/The Pointer)

Malhotra noted that studies indicate Peel Region experiences an annual deficit of $868 million in essential social services, compared to other cities such as Ottawa and Toronto. This lack of funding creates a gap in settlement supports, mental health assistance, senior care, children’s services and healthcare resources.

"We end up in a scenario where your neighbor doesn't have access to mental health supports for their young person, and your family doesn't have supports for senior services to help take care of the senior in the home during the day or on weekends, or what have you. That’s less support for children's services, less support around diabetes prevention, less support around long-term care for a senior."

Current limits on the allowable hours an international student is allowed to work creates significant financial insecurity, advocates state, worsening their vulnerability to trafficking. 

The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking wrote a letter to Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Marc Miller on September 13, 2023, calling for the permanent removal of the 20-hour workweek policy. The policy was changed, slightly, but Malhotra explained that now limiting international students to 24 hours of work per week forces many into hazardous, under-the-table jobs where they can be exploited with lower wages and unsafe working environments. Students will be able to obtain respectable jobs with respectable companies if work hours are made more flexible, he advocates.

In 2022, Statistics Canada released a report identifying Canada as a "source, transit, and destination country for victims of human trafficking" for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Police agencies recorded 3,996 cases of human trafficking between 2012 and 2022. In 2022, 94 percent of the victims were women and girls, and 82 percent of these occurrences took place in urban areas. Approximately 34 percent of victims were trafficked by an intimate partner, and in the majority of other cases the victim and trafficker knew each other, and sometimes were even family. Research also shows that younger people are more vulnerable, with 24 percent of victims being under the age of 17, 43 percent between the ages of 18 and 24, and 22 percent between 25 and 34. Men made up 82 percent of those accused of trafficking.

At a city council meeting on October 23, Rowena Santos proposed a motion that seeks funding from higher levels of government to provide supports to individuals in Brampton. She did not offer any financial support through the City, in a motion that was criticized by sources as little more than a PR move.

Indus Community Services joined local elected officials in calling on the federal and provincial governments to support and adequately fund a local pilot program to combat sexual exploitation and human trafficking of international students.

City council has been ineffective in dealing with the growing problem since Patrick Brown and Santos, who are close allies, were first elected and neither has publicly questioned what post-secondary institutions they have repeatedly supported, are doing to prevent the harms suffered by students. 

There have been minimal efforts to tackle the other underlying factors that contribute significantly to the exploitation of these girls, including unaffordable housing, unemployment, insufficient awareness and support networks, inadequate mental health resources and a lack of funding for survivors of sex trafficking.

The local government consistently encounters difficulties in determining its priorities. Tackling the broader problem of human trafficking will be challenging without addressing the root causes. Brown has a history of cutting badly needed funding in the city, supported by Santos, then making public statements about the need for higher levels of government to help Brampton.

The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking reported that survivors from other provinces are often encountered by law enforcement and assistance providers, with Ontario and Quebec accounting for the majority of recorded cases. Of those surveyed, 21 percent of service providers and 45 percent of law enforcement had experience working with survivors who had been trafficked across provincial boundaries. The largest need in Canada was found in Ontario, where 55 percent of law enforcement and 27 percent of service providers identified it as the primary province of origin for trafficking.

It also indicated that law enforcement officials rely on a number of crucial indicators to identify victims, which is difficult. These include signs of intimidation or fear, like avoiding eye contact or being unable to speak for themselves; disorientation or confusion regarding the victim's location; and the victim's lack of identification, which is frequently withheld by traffickers to maintain control. The tactics traffickers deploy to control and take advantage of victims in various jurisdictions are reflected in these signs of abuse.

The provincial government has pledged $20 million annually to fight human trafficking and enhance support services throughout Ontario. In addition, $7 million was allocated in 2019 to the Anti-Human Trafficking Community Supports Fund, which offers comprehensive services for survivors and improved protection for individuals at risk. These vital services encompass transitional housing, trauma-informed counseling, mental health and addiction treatment, as well as employment and job training programs. Additionally, the province earmarked $420,000 to support specialized youth-in-transition workers, providing focused assistance for survivors aged 16 to 24. This holistic strategy sought to meet the diverse needs of trafficking survivors by ensuring they have access to safe accommodations, mental health support, and opportunities for economic stability.

The PC government has also made efforts to tackle the vulnerability of Indigenous girls, who are often targeted by sex traffickers. The government allocated $3 million to the Anti-Human Trafficking Indigenous-led Initiatives Fund to create culturally appropriate services for at-risk Indigenous youth. An additional $2.9 million was earmarked for law enforcement initiatives aimed at improving investigations and enforcement actions against traffickers, while $4.8 million was set aside for victim support and the justice system, ensuring that survivors can access legal help, counseling, and various recovery services, according to the provincial government.

Despite the recent funding, significant gaps remain in the systems meant to help survivors. The PCs, notably, have failed to adequately support the creation of transitional housing for survivors, something numerous studies have shown to be the most crucial support for assisting a survivor when they escape their trafficker. And Indigenous communities, despite receiving targeted funding, still do not have sufficient culturally appropriate services.

As the five-year federal action plan aimed at addressing human trafficking and sexual exploitation approaches its conclusion at the end of 2024, advocates from the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCET) are calling for the immediate creation of a renewed strategy and ongoing funding from the federal government. To determine how to extend the expiring plan and secure uninterrupted funding for essential projects, the Liberal government still has significant work ahead. The Pointer previously reported that when the last strategy lapsed in 2016, it took nearly three years for the government to roll out a new version, significantly delaying the fight against human trafficking and jeopardizing crucial programs that support survivors.

It is important to highlight the critical policy shortcomings of the Liberal government, including insufficient funding and considerable delays in updating "The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking." The presence of data gaps hinders effective tracking of trafficking incidents, while the Survivor Advisory Committee, an essential element, was never put into place. The lack of coordination in offering services tailored for Indigenous communities, along with federal immigration policies, has left vulnerable groups, such as international students, susceptible to sex trafficking and exploitation.

The Government of Canada’s official website clearly states that while anyone can become a victim of human trafficking, specific groups are more at risk. Aboriginal women and youth, migrants and newcomers, at-risk youth, homeless children, and those facing social or economic hardships are often the primary targets of this crime.

 A still from the movie I Am No Queen, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.

(I Am No Queen)

While newcomers including international students—particularly young women—are often targeted by sex traffickers, the short film “I Am No Queen" vividly depicts this grim reality. Based on real incidents, the film narrates the story of “Rani,” a teenage international student from India, who gets caught in the trap of human trafficking. Through Rani’s disturbing experience, the film reveals the manipulation and exploitation that victims face, highlighting the hidden perils encountered by vulnerable young women in pursuit of a better life abroad.

Minu Basi, the casting director of the film, told The Pointer about how the movie draws inspiration from real-life incidents of sex trafficking involving international students. She explained that the concept for the film emerged when she began hiring young people to work for a health and wellness company that provides mental health support to the vulnerable community. Numerous victims recounted their experiences of sexual exploitation in Canada.

"They started telling me how girls were even willing to sell themselves for a bag of milk."

She emphasized how vulnerable international students are forced into sex trafficking by financial exploitation and unpaid work; traffickers even target them outside places of worship.

"Some of these girls have worked for individuals and businesses that never paid them, and so they're being exploited financially and from the stress back home, trying to sell their land and mortgage their homes just to come for a better life here, only to find out that they don't have enough finances in place to make ends meet," she said.

"So, sex trafficking is something that's very accessible to them, and it's so sad that there's actually posters on this outside of worship places, and while leading these kids, they are our future."

Basi said the film appeals to a worldwide audience, particularly Indian parents, by educating them about the dangers their kids may encounter overseas and pushing them to think twice about moving without enough planning.

Minu Basi, producer of the film “I Am No Queen," heard from young women who were trafficked.

(Muhammad Hamza/The Pointer)

"We are dubbing it in Punjabi and Hindi, so that parents in India are better educated before sending their kids abroad, to know that you know what my daughter or son might be in trouble. Let's really reevaluate and perhaps look at the messaging of sometimes it's better to bloom where you've been planted and take your resources from your own country and grow in that way, instead of chasing something and coming to Canada, unprepared and unplanned."

In discussing the obstacles faced by victims when coming forward, she said cultural norms can create fear of shame and social stigma, discouraging many from voicing their experiences of exploitation.

"The biggest barrier is our community as being of a South Asian descent; we were like, there’s girls that, growing up, are not even allowed to have a boyfriend before they get married," she said.

"You know, we come from a culture of arranged marriages, and so that itself is the barrier—the level of self-respect they may lose if they come out and discuss this, how they will be labeled."

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