What Is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, and control over the movements of a person in order to exploit that person, typically through sex work or forced labour.

The UN Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC), has simplified human trafficking to three elements:

Act (what is done: transporting, transfering, holding hostage) +

Means (how it’s done: through abuse, force, threat, deception) +

Purpose (why it’s done: forced labour, sex work, slavery)

= Trafficking

Human trafficking can happen internationally across different countries, but it also happens right here in Canada. When someone is transported across the same country for the purposes of human trafficking, it’s referred to as domestic (at home) human trafficking.

What is sex trafficking? 

Sex trafficking is a type of human trafficking. It is a type of human trafficking that often targets women and children, and is the use of abuse, force, threat, or debt to make someone have sex for money (commercial sex work).

How is sex trafficking, different from sex work?

The biggest difference between sex trafficking and sex work is choice.

This matter is hugely debated.  For the sake of simplicity, not all sex work is categorized as sex trafficking. This is because some people choose to take on sex work, not under circumstance, or by force or threat of other persons, but because they want to.

Canadian laws around sex work are quite complicated, which can cause issues of safety and vulnerability for those who choose this kind of work.