Honourable senators, across this country, there are police officers working tirelessly investigating crimes of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. It is difficult and challenging work both from an investigative perspective but also for the toll this work takes on individual officers.

Human trafficking is a multi-jurisdictional crime, but many people see it as a big city issue. Victims are sourced from any part of the country and transited through many small towns and along our highways to get to the destination where they will be sexually exploited by the perpetrators. They move these victims to maintain control but also to elude law enforcement.

Who are these victims? Ninety-five per cent of them are young women and girls. Traffickers enter any child’s bedroom through the Internet and engage in conversations that lead to supposed relationships and then on to human trafficking. Indigenous girls and women are over represented as victims of human trafficking.

The dedicated police officers have seen a victim as young as 11 years old. Let me repeat that: A victim of human trafficking as young as 11 years old.

The exploitation of children has been emboldened by the Internet. Constant changes and advances in technology such as encryption has created a significant demand on Internet sexual exploitation investigations.

In the first two and a half months of 2019, the OPP Child Exploitation Unit led by Inspector Tina Chalk received investigation requests from the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre equivalent to 18 months of their previous work.

This crime knows no boundaries. Every image and video is a real child being sexually assaulted. There are recordings of violent exploitation of children. They are not just photos. Every person who possesses or shares these photos is victimizing these children again and again.

Child exploitation victims are getting younger and younger. Some include babies and toddlers. Honourable senators, the OPP, municipal and First Nation officers in this province do this work with compassion and determination, but they need the support of all of us to address this problem.

Today the Canadian Human Traffic Hotline was launched at 9:30 this morning. If Ontario, and indeed Canada, cannot take care of their most vulnerable, then who are we as a province and a country? Please join in supporting their work and getting the word out so 11-year-olds do not have to fear being trafficked and babies and toddlers are not sexually exploited. Thank you.