Child labour? Forced marriages? Alberta is not immune to polygamist cult accused of moving children between provinces and countries.

The United Nations, and Canadian law, define human trafficking as an act where someone recruits, transports, transfers, receives or holds a person, or controls their movement, for the purposes of exploiting them.

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations in North America. The FDLS is noted as one and one of the largest organizations in the United States and Canada whose members practice polygamy.

There have long been suspicions that the FLDS sect in Bountiful, BC has been trafficking girls across the US border for years, to force them into ‘holy’ marriages to much older men[1]. What is less known is the alleged trafficking of boys and young men from BC to other Canadian provinces, including Alberta, for cheap labour.

“It’s a myth that human trafficking only affects women,” says Andrea Burkhart of ACT Alberta. “we are increasingly working with male victims and are distressed to learn that boys have been trafficked from BC into Alberta for labour exploitation.

The Edmonton Journal’s Sheila Pratt exposed child labour trafficking, wherein young boys from Bountiful have been sent to Alberta businesses, owned by FLDS and affiliates, for cheap labour.

Some of these victims got out. The ones who did reveal that psychological and spiritual abuse kept them locked in exploitation.

Working 40 hours per week and being paid $30 perhaps felt like little compared to the threats of going to hell that victims heard daily from their exploiters.

A judgment is expected soon in the B.C. court reference that will determine the legality of polygamy under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

For Sheila Pratt’s comprehensive look at this issue, please see

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Journey+from+Bountiful+Sundre/5454819/story.html

ACT Alberta is a nonprofit organization that works with government ministries, nongovernmental organizations, survivors of trafficking and members of the public concerned to identify and respond to human trafficking in Alberta. ACT Alberta serves the needs of trafficked men, women and children and addresses both international and domestic trafficking, for both labour and sexual exploitation.

To learn more about human trafficking, please join ACT Alberta and the University of Alberta for more in an educational series.

http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/details.cfm?ID_event=26855&y=2011&m=9&d=30