We are making this film to showcase testimonials from individuals formerly caught up in the horrors of human trafficking. They will voice their tribulations, but also focus on their departure from this incredible trauma and how they were able to move to a place where they have been able heal and live meaningful lives.
Excerpts from Statistics Canada Reports
Victims Usually Know Their Trafficker
Victims Usually Know Their Trafficker
Victims Usually Know Their Trafficker
There were 3,541 police-reported incidents of human trafficking in Canada between 2011 and 2021. The number of human trafficking incidents reported in 2019 marked a 44% increase from the previous year, and then it remained relatively unchanged between 2019 and 2021. The vast majority (95%) of human trafficking victims were girls and women, and overall, most (89%) victims were below the age of 35. More often than not, human trafficking victims knew their trafficker. While Ontario represented 29% of all violent crime reported in Canada in 2019, the province accounted for the majority (62%) of Canada’s human trafficking incidents that year. In 2019, few victims (11%) were trafficked by a stranger. Instead, for 29% of victims, the accused was a friend or an acquaintance and for 25% it was a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.
Boys Need Preventative Education
Victims Usually Know Their Trafficker
Victims Usually Know Their Trafficker
While girls and women are often the victims of human trafficking, men have represented the majority of individuals accused in human trafficking incidents between 2009 and 2018. Consistent with this trend, in 2019, the large majority (83%) of accused individuals in human trafficking-related incidents were men.
It is important to note that while increases in the number of incidents reported in recent years may be indicative of an increase in the occurrence of this crime in Canada, various factors may contribute to this increase, including strengthened efforts to combat this crime such as improved law enforcement capacities and victim protection efforts.
Further, with the high volume of land border crossings in Ontario, 36% of human trafficking incidents reported in the province between 2011 and 2021. The relatively high number of incidents in Ontario can be attributed to the concentration of urban areas in the province. Across Canada, between 2011 and 2021, the large majority (83%) of human trafficking incidents were reported to police in census metropolitan areas
Guilt is Difficult to Prove
Guilt is Difficult to Prove
Guilt is Difficult to Prove
It is important to also note that victims may not originate from the location in which incidents are detected. Some victims may have been moved from one jurisdiction and exploited in another.
Research to date has indicated that there are many challenges to prosecuting human trafficking cases including an inability to rely on victim testimony as victims are often reluctant or afraid to take action against their traffickers and as such it can be difficult to prove guilt.
Human Trafficking Helpline
Guilt is Difficult to Prove
Guilt is Difficult to Prove
Human trafficking victims often suffer physical, sexual, financial, emotional and psychological abuse while being trafficked, and recovery from the impact of the trauma associated with being trafficked can take a significant amount of time.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline was launched in May 2019. The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-833-900-1010 / canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca.
Get Help Now
