Complexity of the perpetrator–victim relationship

The challenges faced by victims who find themselves in a trafficking situation are exemplified in the 2018 Ontario Superior Court case of R v Lopez,2018ONSC 4749. In this exemplar, the sex trafficking victim was a 19-years-old female (the complainant). Lopez (the offender) became her boyfriend and soon after she suggested that she engage in the sex trade and have Lopez act as her manager. They agreed on a profit sharing split and she firmly believed that this business arrangement would strengthen their overall relationship and that her boyfriend would appreciate the money. At the time the complainant was emotionally attached to himand she thought the money would keep him around. Within weeks the profit sharing soured, and Lopez kept the $1,000 - $2,000 of weekly earnings and provided the complainant with only bare essentials. Within months the relationship spiraled down further. The victim now had to work until Lopez deemed she had earned enough. If the complainant did not want to work he would tell her there would be violence. He was increasingly slapping, threatening and punishing her at this point. Lopez was even charged with assault with a weapon but the complainant still loved him and was especially distraught anytime he had relationships or traveled with other women. When Lopez went on vacation to the Dominican Republic with another woman the complainant felt hurt, upset, and betrayed. She finally decided she was done with him but was concerned she would be unable to get rid of Lopez and went to the police.

The complainant’s victim impact statement revealed she was in love with Lopez but he had taken all she had emotionally and financially. She felt she would always be scared and looking over her shoulder and that she would never be able to forge a normal relationship again because she would be unable to trust anyone.

There are many ways in which a victim can become involved in a trafficking situation. Traffickers employ different strategies to entrap victims: Perpetrators may use aversive tactics such as blackmail, violence, abduction, and forcing or tricking a victim into using drugs (Baird & Connolly, 2021). Other methods may resemble what occurred in the R v Lopez case in which the complainant outlined a dynamic with the accused that consisted of a combination of emotional and romantic involvement, as well as coercion and physical abuse. Extensive interviews by Kennedy and colleagues (2007) involving former sexual-service providers, vice officers, social workers, parents of sexual-service providers, and women actively involved in the sex trade revealed that traffickers who use a combination of abuse and affection are able to manipulate victims far better than simply using violence alone. Violence is found to evoke little loyalty from victims, whereas intermittent affection and attention can sustain a perceived relationship.