Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a human rights violation that occurs around the world, including Canada. The majority of victims of human trafficking in Canada know their trafficker ahead of time (e.g., romantic partner, friends, peer, or family member). Additionally, victims often still live at home or within their home community. In Canada, sex trafficking is the most prevalent form of human trafficking. A thorough understanding of human trafficking is essential for effective prevention and intervention strategies.

Risk Factors

Understanding factors that make individuals more vulnerable to trafficking is critical for protecting individuals from exploitation. These risk factors include:

lack of social support
unmet economic needs
homelessness
family dysfunction (e.g., caregiver mental health issues and/or substance abuse, experiencing physical and/or emotional abuse or neglect, exposure to intimate partner violence)
history of childhood sexual abuse
experiencing adolescent dating violence
substance use

Traffickers often target individuals who are experiencing these risk factors, and then work to fulfill unmet needs and gain the victims’ trust and dependence. Traffickers then use this relationship to exploit victims.

Vulnerable Populations

Populations who experience the risk factors outlined above at higher rates than the general public also experience human trafficking victimization at higher rates. In Canada, populations with elevated risk factors and rates of human trafficking victimization include:

young women
Indigenous people
sexual and gender minorities
individuals with disabilities
newcomers and immigrants

Reasons for why these groups are more at risk include lasting impacts of colonization, racism and discrimination, being seen by traffickers as easier to manipulate, having lower self-esteem, and/or language barriers.

Methods of Entrapment

There are multiple methods of entrapment used by traffickers. They include:

romantic partnership
grooming
befriending
debt bondage

Romantic Partnership

The most commonly used entrapment method among sex and child sex traffickers is romantic partnership. This method unfolds in a series of stages.

Stage One
- Traffickers identify and target an individual they view as vulnerable.
Stage Two
- Traffickers lure their victims by promising a happy, stable future together and work to satisfy victims’ unmet needs by offering support, money and gifts, and/or housing.
- Traffickers create a deep sense of trust and intimacy while also isolating victims from their family, friends, and support systems.
Stage Three
- Traffickers exert their dominance and will pressure, demand, and/or manipulate their victims into providing sexual services (e.g., may demand being repaid for the gifts, money, and/or housing they have provided the victim).
- Traffickers may also use information they gathered about their victims to trick them into believing that engaging in sex work is a temporary necessity to achieve a better life.
Stage Four
- Traffickers have full control over their victims’ movements and basic needs, and use fear tactics, physical and emotional abuse, and/or blackmail to keep their victims entrapped.

Grooming

The romantic partnership method includes grooming (e.g., selecting victims based on vulnerabilities, meeting unmet needs, developing a sense of trust while also isolating the victim, etc.). For child sex trafficking specifically, there is a five-stage model called the Sexual Grooming Model of Child Sex Trafficking.

Stage One
- Traffickers select a child victim based on their vulnerabilities.
Stage Two
- Traffickers work to gain access to their potential victim, including manipulating a child’s caregiver or creating situations in which they can be alone with the child (e.g., using pre-existing relationships with caregivers or their status in the community).
Stage Three
- Traffickers work to develop trust with the child and those surrounding them.
Stage Four
- Traffickers will desensitize the child victim to sexual content (e.g., pornography) and physical contact.
Stage Five
- Traffickers exert control over the child and prevent them from disclosing the exploitation by using threats of harm to the victim and/or victim’s family, verbal and physical abuse, neglect, and/or sexual violence. They may also use their victims’ fear of abandonment by telling their victims that their families will no longer love or want them if they find out what the child has done.

Befriending

Most traffickers establish a close friendship with their victims before the trafficking begins. Traffickers may also use those they are already exploiting who are peers of potential victims (e.g., classmates, acquaintances) to gain access to new victims. Through this entrapment method, sex and/or labour trafficking is normalized and promoted to victims as a means of quick cash or a glamourous lifestyle. It is not until after they begin performing these services that victims learn that the trafficker will be keeping the money. Shame and/or blackmail are then used by the trafficker to exert control over their victims and force them to continue providing services.

Debt Bondage

Debt bondage involves traffickers initially telling victims that they will cover the costs associated with them being able to work (e.g., traffickers will pay for victims’ flights, cosmetic services, and/or hotel rooms). Traffickers later use these costs and ongoing costs as a debt the victims must repay in order to keep victims entrapped.

Consequences for Victims

Consequences for victims of human trafficking are typically severe and long-lasting with trafficking impacting both mental and physical health. Young children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of trafficking.

Psychological Outcomes

anxiety
depression
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
suicidal ideations and/or attempts
substance addiction*

Physical Consequences

injuries
infections
chronic body pain
respiratory issues
cardiovascular problems
untreated health issues that can become life threatening (e.g., diabetes or cancer)

Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues

sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI)
infertility due to untreated and/or chronic STBBI
unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
urinary tract infections
pelvic and/or rectal trauma

*Substance Addiction

Traffickers will often lure or coerce their victims into drug and/or alcohol use to create an addiction, resulting in their victims depending on them, incurring debt, and/or relinquishing control in order to receive the substance. Victims may also begin using substances as a coping mechanism during and/or after their trafficking experience.

Stage One
- Traffickers identify and target an individual they view as vulnerable.
Stage Two
- Traffickers lure their victims by promising a happy, stable future together and work to satisfy victims’ unmet needs by offering support, money and gifts, and/or housing.
- Traffickers create a deep sense of trust and intimacy while also isolating victims from their family, friends, and support systems.
Stage Three
- Traffickers exert their dominance and will pressure, demand, and/or manipulate their victims into providing sexual services (e.g., may demand being repaid for the gifts, money, and/or housing they have provided the victim).
- Traffickers may also use information they gathered about their victims to trick them into believing that engaging in sex work is a temporary necessity to achieve a better life.
Stage Four
- Traffickers have full control over their victims’ movements and basic needs, and use fear tactics, physical and emotional abuse, and/or blackmail to keep their victims entrapped.

Prevention and Intervention

Recommended prevention efforts related to human trafficking include:

learning about the signs of trafficking
raising awareness and dispelling common myths
education campaigns focused on identifying methods of entrapment, including the stages of romantic partner trafficking
addressing the risk factors associated with human trafficking that cause individuals to be vulnerable to traffickers (e.g., providing affordable housing, supporting families including parental mental health through affordable counseling, increasing social supports by creating spaces and activities that can promote connections for youth)

For more information about prevention and intervention related to human trafficking, refer to the following resources.

The Prevention Project
www.thepreventionproject.ca
Web-based program that educates children and youth about the dangers of human trafficking both online and offline. Targeting students from Grade 3 to Grade 12, the program uses engaging videos to teach about sexual exploitation, human trafficking, high-risk behaviours, and safe digital practices.
Know the Facts for High School Students
Sex Trafficking… Know The Facts
Information sheet for students about traffickers’ methods of luring, grooming, and entrapment as well as the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling and sexual exploitation.
It’s Time to T.A.L.K
Its Time to T.A.L.K. About Sex Trafficking
E-book created in collaboration with survivors of sex trafficking to facilitate conversations about sex trafficking, especially with young people. Includes information about how traffickers exploit vulnerabilities to groom victims, healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and understanding consent.
Makwa Dodem
www.ally.org/makwadodem
Indigenous-led program that empowers Indigenous communities to prevent sexual exploitation. Using a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach, it focuses on education, awareness, and addressing root causes by promoting cultural identity, healthy relationships, and holistic well-being.

For additional current, evidence-based national and Saskatchewan-specific human trafficking resources (e.g., educational materials, trainings, prevention and intervention programs) and support services for victims and survivors, visit https://skprevention.ca/resource-catalogue/human-trafficking-in-canada-environmental-scan/.

The Prevention Project

www.thepreventionproject.ca

Web-based program that educates children and youth about the dangers of human trafficking both online and offline. Targeting students from Grade 3 to Grade 12, the program uses engaging videos to teach about sexual exploitation, human trafficking, high-risk behaviours, and safe digital practices.

Know the Facts for High School Students

Sex Trafficking… Know The Facts

Information sheet for students about traffickers’ methods of luring, grooming, and entrapment as well as the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling and sexual exploitation.

It’s Time to T.A.L.K

Its Time to T.A.L.K. About Sex Trafficking

E-book created in collaboration with survivors of sex trafficking to facilitate conversations about sex trafficking, especially with young people. Includes information about how traffickers exploit vulnerabilities to groom victims, healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and understanding consent.

Makwa Dodem

www.ally.org/makwadodem

Indigenous-led program that empowers Indigenous communities to prevent sexual exploitation. Using a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach, it focuses on education, awareness, and addressing root causes by promoting cultural identity, healthy relationships, and holistic well-being.

Signs of Trafficking

Although human trafficking is mainly an invisible crime, signs of trafficking do exist. Recognizing these signs can help with prevention and intervention efforts. Public Safety Canada has organized these signs into four categories: situation, possessions, behaviour, and appearance. The table below provides examples of signs of human trafficking for each of these four categories.

Signs of Human Trafficking

Situation	Develops a close, sudden relationship with someone older and/or wealthy (in person or online)
	Suddenly has expensive clothing, jewelry, and gifts without having money
	Distances themselves from their support system and spends time with a new group of friends
	Controlling relationship
	Constantly monitored or escorted everywhere
Possessions	Provocative clothing inappropriate for their age and/or weather
	Excess hotel keys
	No money or excessive amounts of money
	No control over their own phone or having multiple phones
	Uses falsified IDs
	Does not have their identification documents (passports, ID, etc.) or has them confiscated by partner or employer
Behaviour	Avoids eye contact
	Scripted speech or rehearsed answers
	Anxious or withdrawn
	Unable to explain their circumstances
	Has someone speaking for them
	Unable to speak with family/friends
	Loss of interest in things they were previously passionate about
	Afraid to upset their partner or boss
	Scared of law enforcement
Appearance	Has tattooing that appears to be branding to show ownership (trafficker’s name, symbol, etc.)
	Sudden change in makeup or style
	Appears to be dressed older than they look
	Dresses inappropriately for the weather/season
	Dirty, unhygienic
	Unexplained signs of abuse and/or confinement (e.g., bruises, cuts, burns, etc.)
	Appears fatigued and signs of malnutrition

The Saskatchewan RCMP have highlighted additional signs parents should look for with their children. These signs include mood swings, secretive behaviour, withdrawing from family and friends, lying about their whereabouts and activities, developing new friendships that they are reluctant to talk about, becoming verbally combative, and ignoring rules (particularly ignoring curfews and instead staying out all night). Signs specific to school settings include poor school attendance, violent behaviour, and frequently visiting the school nurse.

For trafficking signs and intervention strategies specific to health professionals, click here.

Victim Needs

Victims and survivors of human trafficking have multiple needs, which vary person to person. Therefore, it is important they receive comprehensive support that involves professionals from different disciplines working together on one team to connect the victim to all the different supports they need. Their needs may include:

immediate acute care for physical injuries, infectious diseases (e.g., STBBI), and/or untreated chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes)
therapeutic services (e.g., behavioural, cognitive, psychodynamic, trauma-focused therapy)
social support (e.g., safe, healthy family members and friends; connections to treatment groups with other survivor attendees)
addictions treatment
housing

Individuals who are still being trafficked may need repeat treatment (e.g., for STBBI, addictions). Supporting individuals who are currently being trafficked to deal with their substance addictions is especially important as it is a leading reason victims do not leave or seek help. Safe, affordable, and stable housing is another important need to address in order for victims to leave their trafficking situation. Many victims find it hard to escape from their traffickers due to fear of homelessness. Shelters for human trafficking victims should have locations that are not known to the public, have security measures in place, and have mental health professionals on staff who utilize a trauma-informed approach.

Where to Report

The following are options for reporting if you are experiencing trafficking or suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking.

Call 310-RCMP or your local police.
Submit information anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
Contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 or www.canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca.
Contact your local Ministry of Social Services or local First Nations Child and Family Services Agency for trafficking involving children and youth.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, there is help available. Visit Human Trafficking Supports at www.abuse.sk.211.ca for more information.

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