If you are reading this magazine in casual repose, such as in the bedroom or bath, please move to the nearest computer and go to this website: http://craigslist.org/about/sites#CA. Most likely you will recognize it as the Canadian version of Craigslist, that great entrepôt of used toasters. Click on the largest city near where you live. You will then be transported to another website, whose address you may note (if your browser cooperates) is flanked by a little purple peace sign. It serves no purpose, but must be there as a reminder of how hip, friendly and helpful the people at Craigslist really are.
So helpful that they can help you find another person’s captured body, to rent and to get laid.
At the bottom of the page, locate the “services” heading and click on the link labelled “erotic.” After a sanctimonious legal disclaimer that “suspected human trafficking and exploitation of minors should be reported to law enforcement,” you are...
Amir Attaran is a lawyer and scientist and Canada Research Chair in Law, Population Health and Global Development Policy in the Faculties of Law and Medicine at the University of Ottawa.