Slavery charge issued against B.C. woman

[bcrdukes]

While I'm sure there are many instances of such cases that go unheard, this is disgusting.

Slavery charge issued against B.C. woman
Captive woman fed table scraps, police say

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a West Vancouver woman accused of keeping a slave.

The Crown laid one charge of human trafficking and a charge of human smuggling against the woman after investigating a report from a 21-year-old female who was allegedly recruited from Africa with a promise of a job in a West Vancouver hair salon, said RCMP Const. Michael McLaughlin.

"When she got here the reality was very different," McLaughlin said Monday. "She was working up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week in a private home. She wasn't paid. Her identity [papers] and passport were kept by the owner of the home and she wasn't getting enough food."

McLaughlin said the woman was fed table scraps, had to wash the cars of people who came to visit the house and wasn't allowed to go to bed until the owners had retired.

The young woman left the home in June 2009 after living there for one year and made her way to a woman's shelter, police said.

Such charges rare

The shelter was able to provide immediate support for her while an RCMP human trafficking team started its investigation with help from West Vancouver Police, said McLaughlin.

Charged is West Vancouver resident Mumtaz Ladha.

McLaughlin said Ladha, 55, is not currently at her residence, prompting the warrant for her arrest.

The victim's allegations have not been proven in court.

McLaughlin said it's only the second time such charges have been laid in B.C.

Source: CBC News

[StylinRed]

what


the


FUCK

[Vansterdam]

Preety messed up
Posted via RS Mobile

[StylinRed]

little more info

B.C. woman charged with human trafficking
Andrea Woo, Postmedia News
Published: Monday, May 16, 2011

WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. - A British Columbia woman has been charged with human trafficking after she was accused of bringing a young woman over from Africa and forcing her to work - in demeaning and slave-like conditions - in her West Vancouver home.

Mumtaz Ladha, 55, is now wanted on a warrant for hiring the 21-year-old African woman, police said Monday afternoon. RCMP claim Ladha promised the victim a work visa and a job at a Vancouver-area hair salon, but instead forced her to work 18 hours a day, seven days a week, in her home.

"This was work well beyond you would expect reasonable working conditions to be in Canada," said Const. Michael McLaughlin, a spokesman for the RCMP's E Division. "Things like hand-washing underwear of all the people in the house, hand-washing cars, hand-washing the cars of guests who came over.

"She wasn't given enough food. In some cases, she was forced to eat whatever was left over from a meal - table scraps, in other words. She had no money, her identity documents weren't with her, and it's our information that she often was only allowed to sleep when the other people in the home were all sleeping."

The victim was first brought over during the summer of 2008 and lived in a "state of fear" for about one year at the home, McLaughlin said.

In June 2009, she learned the conditions she was living under were not acceptable and was able to seek help at a women's shelter.

"I can't talk about the exact circumstances, but ultimately, she finally understood through having a conversation with somebody that the conditions she was living under were not acceptable," McLaughlin said.

"She had so little idea, you would be shocked. She was very depressed, she was very upset, she thought she was stuck, she thought there would be no way out of this situation."

The victim is now at a safe place in B.C., but police are keeping her identity private to protect her. Police would not disclose where in B.C. she is, or where in Africa she was originally from.

Police have not yet been able to make contact with Ladha. They believe she is not at home, and possibly not in the country.

"She does have connections outside of the country. We want to make sure she comes and presents herself to the courts."

A woman named Mumtaz Ladha, who lives in West Vancouver, had posted several job openings in 2010 for a live-in caregiver.

According to the job description, the permanent, full-time job looking after a senior "requires working days, evenings and weekends."

The worker would be required to "prepare and serve nutritious meals, perform light housekeeping and cleaning duties (and) maintain a safe and healthy environment in the home."

The posted listed the salary as $8 per hour, for 40 hours a week. Room and board charges were listed at $325 per month.

http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=4793683



From the sounds of it they only issued a warrant because they can't find the accused

the accused had also subsequently sought a live-in caregiver for $8/hr

so it sounds like she needs a live-in caregiver and expects an amount of time & work that we would find unreasonable (but she doesn't)

the lady she found to take on this role sounds like the circumstances were part of a trade off "ill help you immigrate to canada if you work for free" (know of quite a few deals like this among asians)

given the time it took to investigate and the information provided I honestly doubt any charges would stick

and we only have the story from the supposed victim
after all she wasn't chained and allowed to go out; eating scrap food sounds bs too

"She wasn't given enough food. In some cases, she was forced to eat whatever was left over from a meal - table scraps, in other words.

a play on words

[dangonay]

^ You really are naive about "live-in caregivers" aren't you? This sort of thing happens all the time and the circumstances between cases are all very similar:

- Post a job for a live-in caregiver (when you really want a slave). This is because there is a specific program within Immigration Canada that allows people to come here to work as caregivers, making it very easy to get someone from another country here.
- Retain their documents (especialy passports), which is illegal to do.
- Have them work far more hours than they are required by law, and have them perform duties that are outside the scope of a caregiver (which is to look after someone, like a nanny for children or to assist the elderly or handicapped).
- Threaten them with deportation if they don't comply (this is a very real threat to someone who is happy to have greatly improved their situation by getting to Canada and doesn't understand their rights).

What the police have described with this individual is exactly like so many other cases I've heard about. I find it very believable.

[StylinRed]

uhmm we described the same things...

my emphasis is the trade-off she got to come to the country &

she wasnt truly enslaved as she was allowed to leave the residence (hence the conversation with others leading her to feel/realize she was being used)


i even noted how this was rather common

[drunkrussian]

wtf!!!!
Posted via RS Mobile

[bcrdukes]

Update:

West Vancouver family denies slavery allegations

The brother of a West Vancouver woman charged with human trafficking says police have got it all wrong and the African woman making the allegation was never forced to work as a slave in Canada.

On Monday police issued a Canada-wide warrant for Mumtaz Ladha for allegedly keeping a slave in her West Vancouver home for a year.

Police say Ladha hired a 21-year-old woman from Africa to work in her hair salon but instead forced her to work in her home 18 hours a day without pay, confiscated her passport and fed her table scraps.

The young woman left the home in June 2009 after living there for one year and made her way to a women's shelter, police said.

But Ladha's brother Nizarali Somji says his sister's hair salon is not in Vancouver but in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, and the woman was an employee she brought here to work on her English:

"I am really surprised … West Van police knows all about these things," he said. "They interviewed the sister and the daughter and yet came up with these charges. I'm really, really surprised."

Elizabeth Empatin, the new caregiver at Ladha's West Vancouver residence, says Ladha is a good employer.

"She is very nice to me. Maybe she likes me too much," said Empatin.

The two say Ladha isn't in the country but should be returning from Africa next month.

The Crown has laid one charge of human trafficking and a charge of human smuggling against Mumtaz, RCMP Const. Michael McLaughlin said on Monday.

Source: CBC News

[optiblue]

So many sides!
Posted via RS Mobile

[TheNewGirl]

The police wouldn't be pressing human trafficking and smuggling charges unless there was substance to it.

There was a really fantastic interview with one of the investigators on CBC this morning.

[mmmk]

Originally Posted by TheNewGirl

The police wouldn't be pressing human trafficking and smuggling charges unless there was substance to it.

There was a really fantastic interview with one of the investigators on CBC this morning.

U can be drunk on Granville St, accidentally bump into a few police offers, speak to them with attitude cuz you're drunk.
Then later be arrested and charged with resisting arrest and assault causing bodily hard.
This "substance" you speak of is a load of shit. Sorry, but it's BS.
There is always 2 sides to a story. But it's instinct to be sympathetic towards the victim.

[TRDeol]

Wow can't believe it! Someone as well off as this family shouldn't need to do this, according to the article if they own a 3.1 mil dollar house with a pool inside, why not shell out the money for a actual caregiver, sick fucks
Posted via RS Mobile

[matrixfwd]

but how do you guys know already that she's guilty?

[$_$]

Slavery is very much alive today. There is a series called Unreported World with an episode about modern day slavery:

Jenny Kleeman travels from Italy to Africa to reveal how human traffickers are using black magic to coerce and trap Nigerian women into a life of prostitution in Europe.

They get the African women to go through this ritual in which they believe they are put under a "juju spell" (black magic) that's suppose to be protecting them. But failure to pay their hosts in Europe will "curse" them. Women often work for years and years out of fear of the magic that is put on them because they were brought up to believe it as the absolute truth. One thing I have found out about Africans is that they are very frank, upfront, and honest about what they do. They may have no moral values, but they don't lie. In the documentary it shows the man that sponsored her to go to Europe talking easily about letting her "so called girlfriend" go to Europe in order to prostitute herself to make money for her family. When asked by Kleeman why he is doing this, and if he felt remorse, he replied "No. I need money, and everyone needs money. It has to be done."

The episode is called : Unreported World 21x03 Nigeria: Sex, Lies and Black Magic and can be found on icefilms.

[alwaysideways]

Since when did slavery become illegal?

[dangonay]

"I am really surprised … West Van police knows all about these things," he said. "They interviewed the sister and the daughter and yet came up with these charges. I'm really, really surprised."

David Bacon is adamant that his three sons are not the hard-core gangsters police make them out to be.

In fact, Bacon told a Vancouver Sun reporter this week that he is confident his eldest Jonathan, 27, will be found not guilty

Yeah, like I'm going to believe the word of a family member. I'll take the word of the police and their investigation, thank you.

Slavery is alive and well, and very common in the The Lower Mainland.



What I find funny is to see the responses of RS'ers to police investigations.

- When the teen in Delta was killed and months later the police finally arrested a suspect everyone on RS was saying it's good they finally caught the guy and even hoped he "got what he deserved" in prison. Many even outright stated they hoped he'd get killed in prison. All this before he's even been found guilty, based only on the word of the police that they in fact got the right person and have evidence to prove it.
- When the police charged two in the Maple Ridge rave rape case, a large number of people on RS were saying the charges were trumped up by the girl and the police had no real evidence, or that the police only made an arrest because it "looked good to the public", and not because they had any real evidence.
- When this woman says she's being kept as a slave, people are already saying there's no evidence or proof and that we need to hear "both sides of the story", despite the police filing charges and even issuing a warrant.


I find it quite funny that RS'ers will believe the police and the results of their investigations in some cases, yet refuse to believe the police in other cases. What's the difference?

[StylinRed]

^^ the police will place charges where they can and find suitable to do so; whether a person, charged, is guilty or not is another matter entirely

what i find deplorable is the assumption that the public has that a person is Guilty regardless of what the Judge decides

look at the attitude of many on rs, seemingly even you; instead of Innocent unless proven guilty its "guilty when charged"

[dangonay]

^ Clearly you have a short memory of my position on this matter. I always said a person should have their day in court to let the facts and evidence speak. And in past cases where the judges have given someone a mild sentence (in the opinion of RS'ers) I always defend the judge's decision as they had all the evidence before them.

I've mentioned it before, but David Milgaard's family is also associated with our family (I was too young to know him personaly, but know his mother). In case you forgot, he was sent to prison for the rape and murder of Gail Miller in Saskatoon in 1969, and was eventually released when DNA proved he didn't commit the crime. Larry Fisher (who lived upstairs from the friend Milgaard was visiting) turned out to the be real rapist/murderer.

So yes, the police can make mistakes. This is one big reason why I'm against capital punishmnet.


But let's get real for a second: When someone is charged chances are exceptionally good that the person is in fact guilty. I've worked with officers for years in my previous job and I know the police usually get it right, which is why I tend to believe them.

This woman will still get her day in court to show evidence as she has that right. I never said she should be locked up and/or punished without a trial, although I believe she will be.

[Presto]

Update to this case:
Lahda Not Guilty

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A Tanzanian businesswoman accused of bringing a young woman to British Columbia to work as an unpaid maid has been found not guilty of human trafficking and employing a foreign national.

Mumtaz Ladha was charged in BC Supreme Court with human trafficking under the Immigration Act, employing a foreign national without authorization, misrepresenting facts to the High Commission of Canada in Tanzania, and misrepresenting facts to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The 60-year-old was accused of lying to the young woman, whose name is banned from publication, and then lying to immigration officials to bring the woman to Canada illegally in August 2008.

But Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon says the young woman gave evidence that was not credible and the Crown did not prove that the woman was coerced into coming to Canada or was working for the family here.

The judge heard that the woman worked for Ladha at a hair salon in Dar es Salaam, and believed she was coming to Canada to work in a salon here.

In 2009 the young woman left the mansion in upscale West Vancouver and went to a women’s shelter.
http://www.news1130.com/2013/11/22/m...n-trafficking/

[bcrdukes]

W T F

[GS8]

Once again, our laws fail the most vulnerable...

[Acura604]

...money talks...and hires the best lawyers...

[bing]

It's stunning how people in here pass judgment without hardly knowing any of the facts. I'd rather side with the judge here who has actually heard the evidence and possesses an intellect not found in more than 5% of the population.

"I am left, rather, with the conviction that the allegations made by (the complainant) are improbable. On the evidence before me, it appears far more likely that the complainant took advantage of Mr. Ladha's generosity in order to come to Canada and then took advantage of an opportunity she saw to remain in this country, showing a callous disregard for her benefactor and the truth in the process."

Several witnesses testified to seeing the young woman carrying bags, washing windows or otherwise working around the house.

"Their evidence is consistent with the complainant working as a maid, but it is also consistent with a house guest helping out while on an extended visit," Fenlon said.

The judge laid out a litany of discrepancies and unlikely claims by the complainant, and several claims the woman made and then retracted on the witness stand when presented with photographic or other evidence.

"I conclude that the complainant is not a credible witness in many respects," Fenlon said.

On the other hand, the judge said Ladha's statement to police upon being informed of the allegations had the "unmistakable ring of truth."

In it, she expressed shock and defended the complainant as "an innocent child who must have been pushed to do this."

Ladha had no motive for luring the complainant and forcing her into servitude, Fenlon said.

"Mrs. Ladha is a wealthy woman, who has employed housekeepers in the past. Two testified at trial. They both signed contracts, worked eight-hour days and were paid. Why would Mrs. Ladha suddenly need to bring in a foreign national to work 18-hour days without pay?" Fenlon asked.

"In contrast, the complainant had a motive to lie about her circumstances so that she could remain in Canada."

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11...n_4325067.html