''Invisible Chains: Canada's Underground World of Human Trafficking'' is a 2010 book about

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

by Benjamin Perrin. Perrin wrote the book after researching human trafficking for ten years. In ''Invisible Chains'', Perrin recounts a variety of stories of

human trafficking in Canada Human trafficking in Canada is prohibited by law, and is considered a criminal offence whether it occurs entirely within Canada or involves the "transporting of persons across Canadian borders. Public Safety Canada (PSC) defines ''human traffickin ...

, including that of the prostitution of a child in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

whose sexual services were advertised in the adult services section of Craigslist. The book was timed to be published within three weeks of the release of

Joy Smith Joy Ann Smith (born February 20, 1947) is a Canadian politician. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba between 1999 and 2003, and was in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015. Education and business career Smith was born ...

's proposal for the

National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking is a four-year action plan that was established by the Government of Canada on June 6, 2012 to oppose human trafficking in Canada. In 2004, the government's Interdepartmental Working Group o ...

. Perrin advocated adopting Smith's proposal, saying that ''Invisible Chains'' "shows that while traffickers have a plan, Canada doesn't," and that the victims are the ones who suffer from the lack of a national

action plan An action plan is a detailed plan outlining actions needed to reach one or more goals. Alternatively, it can be defined as a "sequence of steps that must be taken, or activities that must be performed well, for a strategy to succeed". Process ...

. Perrin promoted the book in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

in October 2010. Mark Milke of the ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' said that Perrin's book is "not an enjoyable read. It's depressing... but it's a necessary read," going on to say that ''Invisible Chains'' "will do much good."

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

professor Joan Durrant praised ''Invisible Chains'', calling it a powerful book.

Chester Brown Chester William David Brown (born 16 May 1960) is a Canadian cartoonist. Brown has gone through several stylistic and thematic periods. He gained notice in alternative comics circles in the 1980s for the surreal, scatological '' Ed the Happy Clo ...

condemned ''Invisible Chains'', saying that it purports "that johns are evil monsters." In response, Brown wrote ''

Paying for It ''Paying for It'', "a comic strip memoir about being a john", is a 2011 graphic novel by Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown. A combination of memoir and polemic, the book explores Brown's decision to give up on romantic love and to take up the ...

'', a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

written "from the john's point of view, since of course, I don’t think of myself as an evil monster." Perrin's book was nominated for a

George Ryga George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is '' The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''. Early y ...

Award for Social Awareness in Literature, but lost to ''One Story, One Song'', an

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

collection by

Richard Wagamese Richard Wagamese (October 14, 1955 – March 10, 2017) was an Ojibwe Canadian author and journalist from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in Northwestern Ontario. He was best known for his novel '' Indian Horse'' (2012), which won the Burt Aw ...

References

{{Human trafficking in Canada Human trafficking in Canada Canadian non-fiction books Non-fiction books about organized crime Non-fiction books about Canadian prostitution 2010 non-fiction books English-language non-fiction books Books about rape Prostitution in Canada Works about organized crime in Canada Forced prostitution Books about child prostitution