Reluctant witnesses a challenge in Durham sex slavery cases

DURHAM -- Crown attorneys pursuing human trafficking cases deal with challenges, including reluctant witnesses and relatively untested laws, says one prosecutor.

Prosecutors and police must gain the trust of traumatized victims, then rely on courts to hand down appropriate sentences for crimes of human exploitation, said JulieAnn Barrett, an assistant Crown attorney in Durham Region.

“They are challenging prosecutions,” she said. “They’re complicated. There’s usually been a lot of police resources and investigative time put into them for good reason. We’re dealing with vulnerable young women, so that’s a challenge in and of itself sometimes.”

There have been relatively few human trafficking charges prosecuted in Durham Region, but that’s likely to change as police aggressively pursue pimps who exploit victims, typically young women in their teens and early 20s. Durham cops say human trafficking is a burgeoning issue here, and that the problem is getting worse.  (more...)

Reluctant witnesses a challenge in Durham sex slavery cases