Why human trafficking isn’t just an urban issue and how to spot the signs

Human trafficking happens all across the country and isn’t isolated to big cities. That’s why it’s important to know the signs and how to help.

In Canada, the most common types of trafficking include sex and labour.

However, it isn’t always like what is shown in movies, according to Julia Drydyk, the executive director at the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. She says it usually doesn’t involve forcible confinement or chaining victims to radiators, but rather manipulation and emotional control.

When it comes to labour trafficking, victims in Canada typically include temporary foreign workers.

“Migrant workers that are coming into our country for six months of the year to pick the food and vegetables that allow us to buy local in our grocery stores,” said Drydyk in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Todd Battis on Wednesday – Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada.

As for sex trafficking, research shows women and girls are typically the main victims, while men and the LGBTQ community are also represented.

“For a long time we’ve described human trafficking as being a high-profit, low-risk crime and part of that is because they use these tools of emotional control and deceit to coerce individuals into the commercial sex industry,” Drydyk.

Research done by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking has allowed the team to map corridors traffickers have created across the country and how victims are moved from city to city.

Drydyk says this is possible because some law enforcements have not been able to communicate across jurisdictions.

Despite it being a bigger issue in larger cities, Drydyk adds there isn’t one rural community in Canada that hasn’t been impacted by human trafficking in some way.

“In fact, traffickers tend to recruit people and young people from rural areas with the promise of the dream of going to a big city and having a different life,” she said.

And the signs that a person is being trafficked are not always obvious.

Loved ones are encouraged to look out for sudden fearfulness, a new love interest or set of friends, being secretive about locations, and suddenly owning expensive clothing.

“So often we tell people, if something feels off in your gut, it often is wrong,” said Drydyk.

Anyone experiencing human trafficking or knows someone who is a victim is encouraged to call the hotline at 1-833-900-1010.