OVERVIEW/INTRODUCTION TO THE PRACTICE IN CANADA Human trafficking is a phenomenon occurring all over the globe. Depending on the geographical area there are many different reasons for this particular crime to occur. The majority of victims of trafficking and child labour are from developing countries. However, the prevalence of human trafficking in Canada is increasing significantly every day, with an estimated 1,500 annual cases. Men, women and children are all victims. Yet the scope of human trafficking both in Canada and internationally is uncertain due to several factors including: the obscurity of the crime, the impotence of victims to report to law enforcement officials, and the struggle to identify victims that have had their identification documents taken away from them1. In Canada, the human trafficking industry has crossed a multi-billion dollar threshold and continues to threaten women across the country. The latest Juristat on Trafficking of Persons in Canada (July 2017, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics) indicates that between 2009 and 2016, 95 per cent of human trafficking victims in Canada were female, 70 per cent were women under the age of 25, and one quarter were under 18 (25 per cent)2. Those who are susceptible to being trafficked include: · Indigenous women and girls; migrants and new immigrants; LGBTQ2 persons; persons living with disabilities; children in the child welfare system; at-risk youth; those who are socially or economically disadvantaged; and · Migrant workers who may be especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse due to language barriers, working in isolated/remote areas, lack of access to facilities and support, and lack of access to accurate information about their rights3. Furthermore, the prevalence of women being targeted is significantly higher than it is for men. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is due to the strategic methods used toward women by abusers. Det. Const. Peter Brady, a member of the Toronto Police Human Trafficking Enforcement Team, explains that it is difficult to prove human trafficking cases because traffickers develop a peculiar relationship with the victims.
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“These accused are really good at what they do. They prey on vulnerable girls — girls that come from bad backgrounds, low self-esteem — and then they befriend them, promise them condos, money, clothes. They promise them protection.”4
This type of behaviour toward young vulnerable women may create a form of attachment to the enablers. In these relationships, once the trafficker has established their target, the victims will be showered with gifts to gain their trust. This establishes a bond of dependency toward the trafficker on the part of the victim. Any signs of uncooperative behaviour will bring forth threats and coercion from the trafficker to prevent their victims from coming forward to law enforcement. In some instances, if any allegations are made, the victims will be very reluctant to report all the information to the police. Toronto, the main entertainment district of the Greater Toronto Area, is a densely populated city that attracts domestic and international travellers, making it a prime location for perpetrators to target individuals. Thirty-year-old Tyrone Burton was convicted of Toronto’s first human trafficking offense. Burton was found guilty of several prostitution charges and was arrested in December 2012. He had forced two young women aged 19 and 21 into prostitution, confiscated their identification documents and kept their entire earnings to himself before they managed to escape and report him to law enforcement. Cases like this are not only common within the GTA, but are occurring all across the country on a daily basis.
