Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or accepting of a person through force, fraud, or coercion, to exploit them.
Often, people think of human trafficking as an issue far outside of the local realm, but the truth is, it happens in Canada, in provinces across the country and with youth that Covenant House Vancouver has encountered and currently serve.
According to the BC Government, Canada is both a transit and a destination point for human trafficking. There have also been a number of domestic trafficking cases. Sex and labour have been identified are the largest forms of trafficking in Canada.
“Traffickers buy and sell persons as commodities,
control their movement and actions,
and force them into providing labour or services.”
At-risk youth have a higher chance of being trafficked due to their vulnerability. Predators will often offer basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, as a way to lure and keep people enslaved and indebted to them.
Chelsea Minhas, Chief Program and Impact Officer at Covenant House Vancouver, recently spoke with BCIT News to help raise awareness of this issue. “The young folks being trafficked and exploited are our neighbours, our friend’s children, and the children that go to school with our children,” she said.
With cases emerging in Langley and across the country, it is clear to see that this issue is rampant and also hard to identify.
The first and most important step is to learn about the issue and understand what it looks like, how it can happen, and how it can be prevented.
We have a digital toolkit, intended for youth-serving organizations. Pivoting Practice: Building Capacity to Serve Youth Impacted by Trafficking can be used to train staff about human trafficking, through evidence-based best practices to better support youth within the current Canadian landscape.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is a tool for learning about, and reporting, human trafficking. You can call the Hotline 24/7, 365 days a year at 1-833-900-1010. The Hotline is completely confidential, and you can remain anonymous if you wish.