Edmonton Police Services arrested two Ontario women on Wednesday for allegedly forcing another woman into prostitution between September 2013 and September 2014 in Edmonton.
Nadine Brown, 38, of Niagara Falls and Yolanda Mohabeer, 20, of Pickering are charged with trafficking in persons, living on the avails of prostitution of an adult, assault, and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.
“Human trafficking is often a cross border crime. Both traffickers and victims are known to move all across Canada,” says Andrea Burkhart, Executive Director of ACT Alberta. “This is why cross-Canada collaboration is so important to providing assistance to victims of trafficking.”
Another Pickering, Ontario resident has been charged with human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and appeared in court this week.
Human trafficking is the act of forcing, coercing, or deceiving an individual into selling sex or labour for the personal gain of another. Globally, human trafficking is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable criminal activity and has been recognized as the fastest growing crime worldwide.
ACT Alberta works collaboratively with government agencies, law enforcement, and frontline service providing agencies to address the needs of victims of trafficking, provide public education and training, conduct research, and coordinate services in the community.
Anyone who has information about this case is asked to contact city police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.