The Facts: Human Trafficking

STATISTICS IN CANADA (as of 2022)

•Traffickers can receive an average annual profit of $280, 000 for every sex trafficked victim

•3,996 incidents of human trafficking have been reported to police services in Canada between 2012-2022

•82% of incidents of human trafficking were reported in census metropolitan areas

•94% of victims of police-reported human trafficking were women and girls

•82% of persons accused of human trafficking were men

•24% of victims of police-reported human trafficking were aged 17 and younger, 43% between 18-24, and 22% between 25-34

•91% of victims were trafficked by someone they knew, and 34% were trafficked by an intimate partner

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Human trafficking is a form of slavery in which the victim is exploited for forced sex or labour and it involves the recruitment, transportation, and control over a person using:

• Threats, coercion, fraud, deception

• Physical force, abduction

• Abuse of power or manipulating target’s vulnerabilities

• Giving or receiving payments to control another person for exploitation

Human trafficking and human smuggling are often confused as the same crime but they are different based on these factors:

• PURPOSE: Human smuggling involves the illegal (attempted or completed) transport or entry of people between national borders while human trafficking is about exploiting a person into forced, illegal service which can occur within a country’s borders.

• CONSENT: Smuggled persons consent to being smuggled while trafficked persons do not consent or their consent was coerced by the trafficker.

• FREEDOM & AGENCY*: Once a smuggled person arrives at the chosen destination, generally they are free to decide what to do and the smugglers do not interfere. In contrast, traffickers force, or coerce victims to provide their labor or service.

• PROFIT: Human smugglers profit from the fee paid by the smuggled while human traffickers profit from the victim(s)’ exploitation.

*Despite these differences, human trafficking can involve human smuggling, as smuggled persons may be exploited during travel or upon arrival.

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I. HUMAN TRAFFICKING: MYTHS VS. REALITY

MYTH: In Canada, the people involved in human trafficking (traffickers and victims) are all foreigners (tourists, undocumented or migrant workers).

REALITY: Most reported victims and perpetrators of human trafficking in Canada are citizens. However, the percentage of foreign nationals victimized by trafficking may be higher as most do not report due to fear of deportation among other barriers to seeking help.

MYTH: Victims of human trafficking only come from broken homes, impoverished neighborhoods, or have mental health issues/addiction.

REALITY: Although members of marginalized groups are at greater risk of being trafficked, traffickers still target anyone with a vulnerability regardless of their age, culture, income, orientation, or upbringing.

MYTH: Human trafficking only happens in large cities.

REALITY: Human trafficking is widespread and occurs in suburbs, rural communities and small towns too.

MYTH: Only men are involved in human trafficking and recruiting.

REALITY: Women are also recruiters and traffickers; they are often previously trafficked themselves, related to or in a relationship with a male trafficker.

MYTH: Those who are trafficked are not real victims if knew what they are getting into and if they broke the law.

REALITY: Victims are forced, threatened or coerced to obey traffickers, which may include committing crimes. Due to the power imbalance and control methods of traffickers, victims lack the freedom to refuse, leave or seek help.

MYTH: If a trafficked person is paid, then it is not human trafficking.

REALITY: Trafficking victims are required to give all or most of their earnings to the traffickers. If they are paid, traffickers only give enough to keep victims compliant but they do not have the freedom to leave. Whether or not victims are "paid", their exploitation is still a crime.

MYTH: Unless they are physically confined, victims are free to leave anytime.

REALITY: Physical force and violence are not the only methods of control. Some traffickers use emotional and psychological methods (e.g., blackmail, threats, fraud, coercion, manipulation), and allow victims to live in their own homes, or attend school/work while being trafficked.

MYTH: Human trafficking only occurs in underground, or illegal industries.

REALITY: Human trafficking can and does occur in legitimate industries such as agriculture/fishing, hospitality/tourism, domestic service, health and beauty, restaurants, manufacturing and construction/landscaping.

MYTH: All trafficking victims know they are being exploited and want to leave.

REALITY: Trafficking situations are not all the same and can be complex. Many exploited persons do not see themselves as victims especially if they are manipulated by the trafficker while other victims believe that their enduring their exploitation is better than facing shame, danger, poverty, deportation, or imprisonment if they were to leave or report.

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II. STAGES OF EXPLOITATION

Traffickers are master manipulators with a process to find, exploit, and trap vulnerable people for profit. Similar to victims of intimate partner abuse, trafficking victims are at great risk of being unable to escape, get help, and end up trapped in the cycle of exploitation.

• STEP 1: LURE

  The first step for the trafficker is to identify, approach/lure a target, establish a connection and prime them for exploitation. Traffickers use deception or force to find vulnerable targets in-person (e.g., malls, parks, transio stations) or online (e.g., social media, dating apps, gaming sites, chat rooms.) They lure or obtain their targets through:

  • False school, work or travel advertisements

  • Seduction and relationships

  • Abduction

  • Sale by family and/or friends

  Once a trafficker connects with a target, they look for needs or vulnerabilities to exploit. These vulnerabilities can vary but the most common ones exploited by traffickers are:

  • Desire to escape poverty

  • Desire for better work/school opportunities

  • Desire for adventure, glamorous lifestyle, or fame

  • Desire for social support, love and attention (e.g., low self-esteem, absence of healthy relationships)

  • Past/current trauma (e.g., death in the family, childhood/relationship abuse)

  • Substance addiction, mental health issues, or disabilities

  • History of arrests, or involvement with criminal justice system

  Note that while several of these vulnerabilities can be unique to marginalized groups (such as poverty), other vulnerabilities (such as past trauma, the desire for social support, or for better opportunities) can be experienced by anyone regardless of age, orientation, upbringing or economic background.

• STEP 2: GROOM

  Once the trafficker identifies the target’s needs or vulnerabilities, they work on fulfilling them to gain the trust of the target, a process also known as “grooming.” During this stage, the trafficker will befriend or romance the target and promise or give them what they desire:

  • Money/job offer for a target who is struggling financially

  • Luxurious gifts for a target who wants a glamorous lifestyle

  • Relationship/attention for a target who is lonely/heartbroken, has low self-esteem or lacks support

  • Shelter/safe space for a target who is homeless or wants to escape a troubled home

  • Alcohol/drugs for a target with substance addiction

  Note that vulnerabilities are not always isolated and a person with more than one vulnerability is at greater risk of being groomed. The grooming process is also gradual and can take days, weeks even months before the exploitation occurs.

• STEP 3: ISOLATE

  After gaining the target’s trust in the grooming stage, traffickers need to ensure the target becomes dependent on them and unlikely or unable to seek support from others by isolating them:

  • Doing everything for and with the target (e.g., driving them to and picking them up from work/school)

  • Causing rifts between target and their friends and family (e.g., “They’re lying to you, I’m the only one who cares for you”)

• STEP 4: EXPLOIT

  Once a target is dependent on the trafficker and isolated from others, traffickers will move on to the next stage and exploit. The exploitation process isn’t always immediate. This may start slowly, in order to condition the target into believing what is happening is “normal” or temporary, and that they “owe” it to the trafficker to pay them back for everything they’ve received in the grooming stage. Manipulation, coercion, threats or actual violence are also used to convince the target to comply against their will or better judgment. The exploitation stage includes the following factors:

  • Victim is asked to perform tasks they are not comfortable with or that are illegal/inappropriate (e.g., nonconsensual sex acts, committing crimes)

  • Victim is unable to leave on their own volition

  • Victim works excessively long hours and unable to take breaks when necessary

• STEP 5: CONTROL

  After being exploited, traffickers need to make it difficult for victims to leave or seek help so they can continue to use them for profit. These control methods can range from physical to psychological control:

  • Seizing official documents and replacing them with fakes to make victims difficult to trace (e.g., driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, social security card)

  • Denying or withholding basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, housing, money)

  • Debt bondage (e.g., impose fines on victims for disobeying or trying to leave, tell victims they “owe” significant amount of money and must work to pay it off)

  • Forcing victims to commit crimes (e.g., theft, drug trafficking) and threatening to turn them in, making them less likely to go to law enforcement out of fear of imprisonment

  • Forcing victims to consume alcohol and drugs to develop substance dependency and make them compliant

  • Threats of violence or actual violence against the victim or their family/friends

  • Psychological manipulation (e.g., false promises that things will change)

  • If the trafficking involves sex trade, traffickers threaten to expose the victim’s involvement to their family/friends (e.g., leaking compromising videos or pictures)

  • If the trafficking involves human smuggling, traffickers threaten to expose the victim’s illegal entry to the authorities which can lead to deportation or loss of employment

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DUE TO THE COMPLICATIONS AND RISK OF GREATER VIOLENCE AND ABUSE, TRAINED PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE MAY BE REQUIRED. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE PROCEED TO SUPPORT SERVICES.

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“There is one absolute commonality amongst the victims of human trafficking; the loss of personal freedom.”

A S A D O N B R O W N

• References

  • Cotter, Adam. “Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2018.” Statistics Canada. June 2020.

  • Government of Canada. “About Human Trafficking.” Public Safety Canada. Feb 2024.

  • National Human Trafficking Hotline. “Human Trafficking.” n.d.

  • National Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada. “‘No More’ Ending Sex-Trafficking in Canada.” Canadian Women’s Foundation. 2014.

  • Perrin, Benjamin. “Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking.” Viking Canada. 2010.

  • The Centre. “Why victims and survivors of human trafficking may choose not to report.” Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. Nov 2020.

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