Story of former victim still ‘haunts me,’ writes Andrew Palamarchuk
BY ANDREW PALAMARCHUK TORONTO.COM
It wasn’t the most pleasant story to write, but it was the most impactful.
This year, I wrote about sex trafficking as part of a Metroland-wide series on drugs, guns and human trafficking happening along the major highways that run through our communities.
I got to speak with Scarborough resident Kaitlin Bick, who told me a story that haunts me. In January 2014, Bick thought she was going on a “fun” road trip to Calgary with her “boyfriend” and his friend.
The trip didn’t go as planned; she was forced into the sex trade.
Bick said the first stop in Calgary was to a mall to buy lingerie. The second was a hotel.
Bick said her “boyfriend” took photos of her and posted her face and body, along with a “blurb of the services I was going to provide.” The “blurb” said she was available 24-7 with “pretty much no restrictions,” said Bick, noting she worked all day and all night during her month-long stay in Calgary. During that time, she said, “every penny” she made was turned over to her “boyfriend,” who controlled her every move, including when she woke up, when and what she ate and how much drugs she used.
Bick’s recovery began in early 2015, when she started attending weekly trauma therapy sessions. She now uses her lived experience to help other survivors of human trafficking.
Sex trafficking is a story that isn’t often in the news because, understandably, most survivors don’t want to share their experience publicly.
One of the things that struck me was the extraordinary courage of Bick. She’s been through situations that most would find unimaginable. And rather than remain silent, she tells her story in the hopes that it will give hope to other young women who find themselves in similar situations.
Sex trafficking is an issue that must be talked about. Many young women are exploited for sexual purposes in the Toronto area and beyond.
The Toronto Police Service has come into contact with more than 215 sex trafficking victims (the youngest being 12) since forming the human trafficking enforcement team in 2014.
“You could drive along the 401, for instance, and every single hotel that you pass (has) sex work and/or trafficking happening (inside),” Bick said.
In order to combat this hidden exploitation, it must first be brought to public light.
I hope Bick’s story helps do that.
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with toronto.com and the North York Mirror.