Human Trafficking

Human trafficking  involves the recruitment, coercion, or the use of force towards people to obtain profit from their exploitation. Existing across the globe, research indicates that women and girls represent 60-70% of all trafficking victims globally and more than 90% for the purpose of sexual exploitation. They are trafficked for sexual services, forced labour (commonly working in commercial agriculture or domestic fields), and forced arranged marriages. Traffickers prey on their target’s weaknesses; they keep an eye out for those who are in unfortunate circumstances, and are unfamiliar, and inexperienced. This is why often disparities communities are targeted as well as young girls who are more vulnerable to these situations.

 

Conditions that human traffickers look out for specifically in women:

Poverty/unemployment: When a person, (especially those with roles such as a single mother) is struggling with financial issues, they are often desperate to meet their basic needs and provide for their family. Traffickers would often entice these vulnerable individuals with a job that meets their desires. Individuals in this situation are more likely to accept this offer, willing to do whatever the trafficker requests.

 

Political instability: Political instability often includes war, armed conflicts, and an autocratic government. It is able to disproportionately affect those who reside in that country, resulting in the displacement of individuals and families. In these countries, discriminatory labour and migration laws are evident, often restricting a woman’s ability to move freely and employment options. This creates opportunities for traffickers to exploit women in various ways.

 

Inexperience: Traffickers prey on the inexperienced individuals who lack understanding and are more vulnerable to physical/psychological attacks. This leads to the trafficking of adolescent girls for both sexual and labour services. 

 

While humantrafficking exists globally and affects all communities, girls and women are especially affected. This is due to the big role that gender inequalities play in this crime. Not only is women objectified and bound to their physical attractiveness, gender inequality also limits access for women. This results into gender-discriminatory policies from different countries towards women as well as children. Societies also widely accept to devalue and abuse women. All of these reasons provide opportunities for traffickers to attack these groups who lack resources to seek help. 

 

Canada has been working towards comprehensive laws to combat human trafficking. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is a policy targeting cross-border trafficking. The offence of abduction, fraud, deception, the use of threat and coercion is punishable by prision time and fines. However, human trafficking still affects many inhabitants. In 2012-2022, 3996 incidents of human trafficking were reported in Canada. In 2022, 94% of these victims were women and girls and 84% of the accused offenders were men. There is still an evident gender divide with this issue. Canada is a host country for immigrants which results in offenders targeting foreign women and girls. 

 

If a human-trafficked person has been identified, it may be unsafe to attempt to rescue them directly. These incidents should be reported to the local police station and law enforcement immediately. The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) is another organization that could be contacted. It is a toll-free hotline available 24/7 to reports and other situations related to human trafficking. Contacting the law allows a better opportunity to alleviate these individuals from their situation while maintaining a pedestrain’s safety.