July 30th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year, the focus is on the most vulnerable – children – calling us to “leave no child behind in the fight against human trafficking.”
You may wonder, is this really an issue in Canada?
1 in 4 victims of trafficking in Canada is under 18
In police-reported incidents of human trafficking in Canada, one in four victims (24%) were under 18 years of age. Young adults were also more likely to be victims of trafficking, with 4 in 10 victims (43%) aged 18 to 24. As well, the vast majority of trafficking victims (94%) in Canada are women and girls.
As reported by Statistics Canada, human trafficking in Canada almost always involves the sexual exploitation of young women and girls. It reports that “trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most detected and encountered form of human trafficking by law enforcement in Canada.”
Police report that the average age of recruitment into sex trafficking is 13 years old. As Manitoba’s Tracia’s Trust has found, “Most adult sex trade workers report that their victimization began at a very young age; sometimes as young as 9, and at an average age of 14.”
This lines up with the global trend. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime notes that children are often trafficked for forced labour in low-income countries, but that “in high-income countries, sexual exploitation remains prevalent among child victims.”
Children may be trafficked in-person or online. Canadian viewers consume the online abuse of Canadian children and children in other countries. A recent report by the International Justice Mission found that Canadians were among the highest consumers of livestreamed sexual abuse of children in the Philippines.
What is human trafficking?
As Public Safety Canada points out, human trafficking isn’t what you think it is. “Human trafficking doesn't have to involve crossing borders. And it's not just a foreign problem, it's happening right now in communities across Canada.”
Human trafficking exploits a person through forced labour or sexual exploitation, by threats of violence, use of force, deception or coercion. Traffickers exploit their victims primarily for financial gain.
Sex trafficking and prostitution are inextricably linked. Not all prostitution is trafficking, but most trafficking is for prostitution. Prostitution is the most common end point for trafficking, around the world and in Canada.
Traffickers are motivated by profit. As long as there is a demand for paid sex, there will be traffickers to guarantee a steady supply of women, girls and boys are for sale. If there was no demand for paid sex, traffickers wouldn’t have a financial incentive to sexually exploit those who are vulnerable.
As a report on human trafficking for sexual exploitation by FINTRAC, Canada’s financial intelligence unit, explains, “Sexual exploitation is a high-value business for criminals because, unlike a drug that can only be sold once, a human being can be sold repeatedly over an extended period of time.” Human trafficking is often described as a form of modern slavery.
Why do Christians care about trafficking?
Human trafficking exploits vulnerable people and violates human dignity.
As Christians, we believe each person has inherent human dignity, made by God in His image, loved by Him. We are called to respect and uphold each person’s inherent worth, and to not treat them as objects for another’s gratification or profit.
Our concern for those who are exploited through human trafficking is based on biblical principles that compel us to care for those who are vulnerable, to seek justice and to defend the oppressed.
As God says to his people in Isaiah 58:6-9:
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say, Here am I.”
How can you engage?
There are some simple things we can do to fight human trafficking.
Pray for those who are being oppressed, for children and youth who are being trafficked in Canada. Ask God to show you how to follow His calling to loose the chains of injustice. Ask for His light and healing to appear.
Pray for the Supreme Court of Canada’s hearing of the Kloubakov case in November 2024. Pray for the court’s deliberations on whether laws against benefiting from prostitution and procuring a person for prostitution are constitutional. Pray for the lawyers representing the EFC and ARPA in this case.
Raise awareness with your children, family, friends and church community. Many may not be aware of trafficking in Canada. Share this blog and some of the linked resources, such as Public Safety Canada’s site on how trafficking works, warning signs to look for.
Ask the government to act. Canada’s national strategy to combat human trafficking ends this year (2024). Ask your MP to put in place a permanent strategy to fight human trafficking. See the Letter to the Minister of Public Safety, sent today. Read more about the issue at TheEFC.ca/HumanTrafficking. Ask your MP to support Canada’s current prostitution laws and call for their full implementation and enforcement across Canada.
Support groups that provide help and support for those who have been trafficked and advocate for better laws to protect trafficking victims. There may be local groups in your city and province. Canadian organizations include The Salvation Army, Defend Dignity, the International Justice Mission and the EFC.
Other Resources:
Missing person under magnifying glass image © Sezeryadigar (from Getty Images Signature) via Canva.com