International students / Pexels

In an exceptional and rare gesture, the City of Brampton has taken up cudgels on behalf of international students urging both the Federal Government and the provincial government to take immediate steps to end their exploitation.

In a letter Mayor Patrick Brown, Regional Councillor Rowena Santos and CEO of  Indus Community Services Gurpreet Malhotra, have called upon the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller; Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn, and Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, David Piccini, to do more to help international students who are already here and trapped in vulnerable circumstances.

Patrick Brown, Rowena Santos, and Gurpreet Malhotra said they were pleased to see the announcement that Canada will reduce its annual intake of temporary residents, including international students, but this is only part of the solution. They have also appended a recent resolution of the Brampton Council, in which the issue was discussed threadbare after some experts made their presentations.

More than 70 percent of Brampton's international student population is of Indian origin.

Going by the statistics provided by the Brampton Council, Brampton is home to thousands of financially vulnerable international students who study locally in Brampton or in other municipalities across the province/country.

Many international students have become victims of “false hope” through student visa and college enrolment scams as many of them discover after arriving in Canada,  the local cost of living far exceeds their financial means and many education institutions (private and public) do not assist students adequately to integrate, particularly as it relates to housing, leaving international students vulnerable to exploitation. 

Exploitation and human trafficking of international student girls have resulted in unwanted pregnancies, abortions, mental health and addiction issues and suicide. The City of Brampton and the Region of Peel have been working within municipal jurisdiction to address the exploitation through the development of an International Students Charter, Residential Rental Licensing Pilot (RRL), established an International Student Collaborative, and an anti-human sex trafficking strategy.

Besides, the Peel Regional Police’s Human Trafficking team was one of the first established in the province, with a total of 20 members with a variety of service providers and crown attorneys to identify, pursue, and charge human traffickers, and increase awareness, education and specialized human trafficking intervention training for targeted groups like international students.

The Council heard several presentations before deciding to take up the cudgels on behalf of international students with the federal and provincial governments. 

Sukhjeevan Singh Chattha, a social activist, in his presentation: "Hidden but Thriving - Brampton’s International Students and Human Trafficking", included a female international student impact story besides talking about visa and college enrolment scams, issues and challenges experienced by them making them vulnerable to exploitation, the support provided by the Kaur Movement Foundation to domestic violence and sexual assault victims, sex work advertisements targeting vulnerable international student girls, the impact of human trafficking and efforts to address this issue, rising number of international students in Brampton, and steps needed to address human trafficking. 

Gurpreet S. Malhotra, CEO of Indus Community Services, talked about  "Exploitation of International Students in Peel",  by referring to laws restricting the ability of social agencies to support international students, and the experiences of international students documented in the film titled "I Am No Queen".

Dani Mills, Director of Outreach Services, focussed on "Exploitation of International Students in Peel", which included information on issues faced by international students that lead to exploitation, responsibilities of post-secondary institutions to educate international students on their rights, personal safety and access to safe supports, female international student impact stories, and services provided by the Outreach.

Bob Hackenbrook, Detective Sergeant in charge of the Vice Unit, Peel Regional Police, talked about the "Peel Regional Police Vice Unit", which included an overview of the Vice Team, human trafficking statistics and reporting options and partnerships.

The letter mentioned that as the fastest-growing big city in Canada, “Brampton is home to more than 700,000 people, including thousands of international students. We are proud of these students and recognize their significant contributions to our city’s culture and economy. However, we also recognize many international students face financial challenges, housing insecurity and a lack of adequate institutional support making them prime targets for exploitation and trafficking. Specifically, we are gravely concerned that female students have been exploited by not only predatory landlords but also human traffickers, leading to cases of unwanted pregnancies, mental health crises and even suicide.

It further said: “The solution to these issues must come from all levels of government. The City of Brampton is willing to do everything we can to assist, but unfortunately, we do not have the authority to address many of the root causes at the municipal level – action from the provincial and federal governments is needed.

“On October 23, the City announced bold actions aimed at tackling the exploitation and human trafficking of international students, in recognition of the severe vulnerabilities many of these students face both in Brampton and across Canada.

“A resolution moved by the Community Services Chair Rowena Santos was recently approved by the Council. It focuses on strengthening local protections, community-driven solutions, and advocating for systemic change at the provincial and federal levels to ensure the safety and well-being of Brampton’s international student population.

“As part of this motion, City staff will explore improvements to the Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) program to better protect international students, raise awareness about human trafficking and address illegal practices within the rental market. Additionally, Brampton will work with community partners to develop a culturally sensitive pilot program to provide wrap-around services, including housing assistance, mental health support, employment resources and anti-trafficking interventions tailored to the unique needs of international students.

“The provincial government should mandate colleges and universities to provide comprehensive orientation programs for international students before they arrive in Canada. We also request that the province answer our calls to fairly adjust the “Heads and Beds Levy” on institutions and base it on the student’s place of residence. We are also asking the federal government to fund a community-based pilot program that would further enable approved local service organizations to provide needed services for international students.

“In addition to our request for the provincial and federal government to endorse Brampton’s International Students Charter, the City is also calling on the federal and provincial governments to review policies that exacerbate the vulnerabilities of international students. Current visa restrictions on work hours force many students into unsafe employment. Traffickers weaponised their deportation conditions.  Brampton is urging for legislative changes, including increasing legal working hours, removing deportation conditions tied to "sex work" and expanding access to local support programs to international students.

“Our community has worked hard to address the challenges faced by international students, but we do not have the power or financial resources to do it alone. We urgently need the help of the provincial and federal governments. Together, we can create real, lasting change,” the letter said.