Research has shown that sex trafficking is widespread in Canada. For Canadians reading this story, this means that just one kilometer away from where they are right now, young girls are being lured into sex trafficking.

In urban centers and rural communities across Canada, children, teenagers, and young people are being sold for sex at an alarming rate.

According to Canadian statistics, one in four victims of human trafficking are children and youth - while 24 percent of victims are under 18 years old.

In this story, Nicole, who requested to use only her first name, says she grew up in rural Manitoba in a stable, harmonious, loving, and supportive home.

While sitting with CTV National News, Nicole admitted, "I never thought this would happen to me, and my parents had no idea what was happening to me.”

She explained that traffickers often exploit the victim's vulnerability and innocence.

Nicole was attacked by a dog as a child. While her physical injuries healed, her face was left with some scars which later made her feel ashamed of her appearance.

This continued until she met an older man through a friend who made her feel valued and confident and that there was nothing to be ashamed of.

She added, he was wonderful and certainly played the role of Romeo in many ways as he was generous with attention and gifts.

Nicole recounts the early days of their relationship and says she initially felt like she was living in a fairy tale, "like Prince Charming riding a white horse."

February 22 marks the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada.

For over a decade, former Conservative MP Joy Smith has advocated for legislation that ultimately strengthened the penalties against human traffickers operating inside and outside Canada.

She then established the Joy Smith Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises awareness and education about human trafficking.

Now, the foundation's president and CEO, Smith's daughter, Janet Campbell, tells CTV News: “Human trafficking is a real and growing crisis in local communities across our country.

She adds, It is very widespread, and it often happens right in front of people who do not realize it is occurring. It is also an illegal but profitable trade.

One sex trafficker earns an average of $280,000 annually from a single victim in Canada.

For Nicole, the trafficker moved her to Toronto, away from the safety net of friends and family, where he began verbally abusing her, then it escalated to physical harm, such as the time he put out a lit cigar on her arm.

Nicole says the trafficker told her he would marry her and that the money they were making was to buy a house and start a new life together.

Following his instructions, she began working in a strip club, then was asked to go out to dinner with men, and eventually was asked to do more.

She says, "I was going on these dates with these businessmen, and they paid money to sit with me and talk to me, and once I got into the car, I had to hand over the money to the trafficker I was dealing with."

She discovered: "It got to the point where I was trading sexual services for money."

If she threatened to escape, the trafficker would threaten to harm her parents.

As she recounts this threat, Nicole takes a deep breath, "If I stepped out of line, he would go to my parents' house, go upstairs and set it on fire with them inside and make me watch."

For two years, Nicole lived in this cycle of abuse, sexual exploitation, and assault, and she was not rescued until she managed to get out for good after becoming pregnant and calling her parents.

Nicole looks to the sky with tears in her eyes sharing the pain and says, "The emotional side was the hardest. You know bruises heal, and sometimes they leave scars, but the emotional pain caused by someone treating you horribly leaves deep internal scars that are really hard to heal."

In an attempt to share some of the hard-earned knowledge she gained, Campbell points out that "often this (trafficking) starts with a new romantic interest entering a young person's life.

This is where the grooming process begins by showering the victim with gifts, and when they start this process, the victims change their attitude, their way of dressing - and their ambitions begin to decrease and their willingness to sacrifice for the new lover becomes great and boundless.

It's easy to overlook all these things as just teenage changes, but what we want is for parents to notice these changes and keep lines of communication open.

On the other hand, Campbell urges parents to recognize the signs and participate in their own research on websites such as the Joy Smith Foundation to educate themselves.

She says that part of Nicole's healing process - despite its difficulty - is sharing her life experience.

She also co-hosts a podcast entitled "Luma and Bloom" to help empower and enlighten others.

Now, a mother of four and a Sunday school teacher, Nicole insists that her darkest days do not define her life now, but she wants to help others in any way possible.

She explains she hopes that if anyone watching this is struggling with the fact that they might have been or still are a victim, feeling stuck and trapped, please reach out to the Joy Smith Foundation for help.

She adds, I really hope we can reach the people who need to be reached with this message.

Before ending her interview with CTV News, Nicole reflects one last time on her experience and adds, "There is hope, there is always hope."