International students are increasingly at risk of being victimized by human traffickers while studying in Canada, a southern Ontario mayor says.
Brampton, a city located less than an hour north of Toronto, is home to thousands of foreign students many of whom face financial challenges, Mayor Patrick Brown said during an Oct. 23 press conference. Housing insecurity and a lack of adequate institutional support make the students prime targets for exploitation and trafficking, he said.
“Today, the City of Brampton is saying very clearly, we want to zone in on this cancer within our society and our country to combat human trafficking,” Brown said. “It happens in plain sight and obviously, here in Peel region, we are more vulnerable with the International Airport, with major highways … we are at a nexus point for this cancer within our society.”…