Human sex trafficking is a reality in the Pembina Valley.

"It would certainly be naïve to think that there is nobody in southern Manitoba that hasn’t been affected in some way by sex trafficking," Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt says.

It's a startling reality local stakeholders tackled head-on recently, inviting the country's foremost expert in the field of anti-trafficking in Canada to speak. Former MP Joy Smith led a presentation at the Bunker in Winkler February 26 in response to the growing frustration around the secretive nature of the human trafficking network that runs through the Pembina Valley and the difficulty in exposing it.

Winkler Police Service Constable Arnie Klassen took part and says traffickers have continually tried to keep the local public in the dark, "if no one realizes or acknowledges it's happening, the traffickers can go about their criminal 'business.'"

Because those purchasing sex services don't want to be exposed for obvious reasons (it's illegal to pay for sex in Canada), he notes police services' only source of information and evidence is the victims themselves.

Trafficked victims are under tremendous control, Klassen explains, usually under threat of serious harm to themselves or their families. "If victims do disclose their experiences of being trafficked, they only confide in someone they trust. The information they disclose has to be handled with sensitivity and confidentiality for the safety of the victims."

Smith made Canadian history for changing the criminal code, twice, after being shocked to find Canada had no laws against sex trafficking. She's also started the Joy Smith Foundation to continue to raise awareness and funds for frontline efforts to stem the human suffering of trafficking.

"From this day on, you can't say you don't know," Smith says

Smith notes child predators can earn up to $280,000 a year, per victim. "Kids are being bought and sold... it's the modern day slave trade."

While her website has become a resource for parents and stakeholders, she now travels the country raising awareness. "I've seen more results from education than anything else," she says.

Smith also provided a number of warning signs parents should look out for. "Learn how they work and that it's taking place. That is enough."

Traffickers will often pose as a doting boyfriend, showering a young girl with compliments and gifts, Smith explains. It's part of an insidious grooming process that begins with "falling in love" and quickly turns into physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Victims are often transported across the country and brainwashed through manipulation and torture. Stockholm Syndrome can become common in victims as well, she notes.

"These people are so deceptive... it's pure evil itself," Smith says, warning traffickers can be hard to spot, and can be male or female.

Other warning signs parents should watch for in their children include:

-Coming home with two cell phones

-Wearing expensive clothing or other items

-Stories of older boyfriends taking them out to fancy restaurants

-Relationship moves very quickly

-Frequent sleepovers at a friend's house

-Child suddenly drops their circle of friends

-Change in attitude towards school or falling grades

"I don't want you to be paranoid, just educated," Smith says. "I've been praying for Winkler... that every young girl and boy is protected."

She says the next best step is to speak at local schools, "not to scare them, but to tell them... it can happen in any community."

However, Smith says she was disappointed her offer to speak at Garden Valley School Division had been passed over.

"Human sex trafficking is a horrendous crime with powerless victims who endure unspeakable abuse, and it's happening here in our city," Klassen adds. And while it's difficult to know exactly how prevalent the issue is, he says the recent presentation was an important first step.

"From this day on, you can't say you don't know," Smith says, quoting famed abolitionist William Wilberforce.

To learn more visit the Joy Smith Foundation here: http://www.joysmithfoundation.com/