Trafficking in Canada: An Interview with Tamara Cherry
Award-winning journalist Tamara Cherry has specialized in the coverage of crime stories for the last 15 years. Throughout her career, Cherry has interviewed thousands of crime victims during her time at CTV News Toronto, the Toronto Sun and the Toronto Star newspaper.
Just last year, Cherry decided to start her business by launching Pickup Communications, a public relations firm that specializes in supporting survivors of traumatic events in communicating (or choosing not to communicate) with the media.
In January of 2008, Cherry was at the Toronto Sun newspaper working a weekend shift when a news release came onto her desk about an international human trafficking ring bust, something she had never encountered before. From there, Cherry’s beat was prompted by a series of international human trafficking stories. One day, she received an email from an investigator in from Peel Regional Police, west of Toronto, about a half dozen cases of domestic sex trafficking happening to Canadian women and girls.
Cherry interviewed survivors about their experiences at the hands of their traffickers. Thanks to her exposés on human trafficking within Canada, she received several awards, including being named the first civilian recipient of the Peel Regional Police Chief’s Certificate. She has received several other professional nods for non-trafficking reporting, including a Best Local Reporter nomination at the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards.
After several years of reporting on human trafficking, Cherry was inspired to write “All the Bumpy Pebbles,” a novel inspired by the stories shared with her by survivors and those battling the problem on the front lines. In it, protagonist Roxanne Brown shares a picture of the sex trade in Toronto as a young teenage girl trying to understand the scope of her own experience. While the storyline is based in the Toronto area, the tale is also applicable to the “pimping” problems in North America and other parts of the world.
Referencing cases in her story, Cherry unzips the world of domestic sex trafficking in her book by sharing real-life experiences of survivors while providing an introduction to human trafficking.
“It feels great,” Cherry said. “I’ve already had a few people say they’ve read it in 24 hours and that they had no idea that is what is happening, which helped them bridge up a conversation with their own kids.”
“I will always be an advocate for survivors of sex trafficking. I am always happy to talk about it.”
Cherry mentions that the goal of the book is to show people what is happening and show them why they should care about something they might think doesn’t affect them at all. Through all her years of reporting on human trafficking, Cherry said the only thing the survivors she interviewed ever wanted was to make sure what happened to them didn't happen to someone else.
Now, a portion of her proceeds are going to Covenant House Toronto, which helps meet survivors’ and victims’ physical, mental and emotional needs, providing temporary food and shelter as well as longer-term support with mental health and disabilities. Covenant House also raises awareness about homelessness and sex trafficking through their participatory campaigns like “Guts + Glory Team Obstacle Challenge,” in which corporations and community leaders participate to raise money for the fight against homelessness and sex trafficking in Toronto.
“I want to do more of that—keep spreading the word on human trafficking.”
Cherry plans to continue to advocate for survivors of human trafficking and celebrate politicians and police who are working on shining a light on the domestic sex trafficking of women and girls.
Similar to the U.S. cases of sex trafficking often are seen by pimps. Traffickers often lure people in with promises of profitable wages, a better life or romantic relationships.
This past May, Cherry launched a research project to examine the impact the media has on victims and survivors of traumatic events, including human trafficking, including the effects of survivors consuming media coverage of their own cases. As the topic of human trafficking becomes more discussed in media, Cherry wants to examine in what ways media professionals can tell the stories of the survivors without re-traumatizing them.
The ongoing project plans to produce educational materials for survivor service providers, investigators and members of the media to understand and support the survivors moving forward.
“I will always be an advocate for survivors of sex trafficking,” Cherry said. “I am always happy to talk about it.”
For many years, Cherry’s sister would invite her to come to her elementary class and talk to seventh- and eighth-grade students on what human trafficking is and what healthy relationships look like.
Cherry expressed, “I want to do more of that—keep spreading the word on human trafficking.”
Human trafficking is a pervasive issue in Canada, and Cherry is a part of the growing movement of advocates doing important anti-trafficking work there. Here are some fast facts:
According to the Global Slavery Index, on any given day in 2016, there were an estimated 17,000 people living under human trafficking conditions in Canada.
Domestic sex trafficking is the most common form of trafficking in Canada, though labor trafficking is also present.
Forced marriage and imported products made with sweatshop labor are also forms of trafficking affecting Canada.
93 percent of sex trafficking victims identified in Canada are Canadian citizens, not foreign citizens.
About the Author
Daniela (D) Molina is a Cuban gal pursuing a M.S. in Journalism at Indiana University. Since she was young she knew that words had power. She absolutely loves moths and is proud to speak Spanish with whoever she meets.