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CANADA NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Website Link Gives Full Text of
Action Plan.
Foreword
Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, often described as modern-day slavery. This crime robs its victims of their most basic human rights and is occurring in Canada and worldwide. The victims, who are mostly women and children, are deprived of their normal lives and compelled to provide their labour or sexual services, through a variety of coercive practices all for the direct profit of their perpetrators. Exploitation often occurs through intimidation, force, sexual assault and threats of violence to themselves or their families.
Human trafficking is a complex issue with a diverse range of victims and circumstances. In Canada, we have seen instances of trafficking for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation. We have seen both Canadian victims and foreign national victims. We have seen men, women, and children fall prey to this terrifying reality.
As part of our Government's longstanding commitment to protect the vulnerable, tackle crime and safeguard Canadians and their families in their homes and communities, we are taking action against these terrible crimes.
Canada was among the first countries to ratify the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. Our efforts are guided by this Trafficking Protocol and seek to prevent trafficking from occurring, protect victims of human trafficking, bring its perpetrators to justice and build partnerships domestically and internationally. To effectively combat this issue will require the involvement not only of the federal government, but of provincial and territorial governments as well. And to be successful, governments must also work closely with law enforcement, civil society and others.
While many initiatives are underway, both at home and abroad, the time has come to consolidate all of the activities into one comprehensive plan with an unwavering pledge to action. The Government of Canada's National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking proposes strategies that will better support organizations providing assistance to victims and helps to protect foreign nationals, including young female immigrants who arrive in Canada alone, from being subjected to illegitimate or unsafe work.
The National Action Plan builds on our current responses and commitment to work together with our partners to prevent and combat this disturbing crime. It leverages and builds on Canada's international and domestic experience to date and provides aggressive new initiatives in order to address human trafficking in all its forms.
I commend those who have already shown their commitment to ending this horrific crime for their hard work and dedication. I am confident that as we move forward as a country, we will be able to effectively address this issue in Canada and in the international arena as well. In releasing this National Action Plan, we are sending a clear message that Canada will not tolerate this crime, that victims will be given the help they need, and that perpetrators will be brought to justice.
Minister of Public Safety
Table of Contents
- Annex
A: Canadian Trafficking Legislation
- Annex
B: Selective Anti-Human Trafficking Efforts To Date
- Annex
C: Action Items Chart
- Appendix
1: Abbreviations
- Endnotes
Introduction
Globally, it is estimated that human trafficking is amongst the most lucrative of criminal activities, rivaled only by drug and firearms trafficking and generating billions of dollars annually for sophisticated criminal organizations.
At any given time, it is believed that worldwide at least 2.45[1] million people are forced to perform degrading, dehumanizing and dangerous work in conditions akin to slavery. At the same time, it is estimated that the numbers continue to increase. It is not known whether this increase is due to improved efforts to investigate, detect and report this crime or whether it is due to an actual increase in the incidence of the crime worldwide. This crime is taking place in Canada, where human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation is, to date, the most common manifestation of this crime and where the vast majority of the victims are Canadian women and children.