Durham police say human trafficking and child exploitation are two of the fastest-growing crimes in the country and the region.
Despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, crimes of that nature haven’t slowed down, police say. Before the pandemic, Jasminder Sekhon was going into classrooms across the region educating students about human trafficking and child exploitation.
She says COVID-19 has resulted in a change in how victims are approached. “Traffickers are actually using COVID-19 as an opportunity to lure young people online, to build trust with young people online, to gain pictures, videos, things of that nature,” said Sekhon, victim services Durham Region human trafficking facilitator.