Research finds 31 human trafficking cases over two years, no convictions

Prof. Benjamin Perrin, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, used documents obtained using access-to-information legislation to identify 31 cases of human trafficking flagged by immigration officials between May 2006 and May 2008.

Four of those cases involved children.

Yet no one has ever been convicted in relation to international human trafficking in Canada, Perrin said.

And he called on the federal and provincial governments to do more to help victims and bring their traffickers to justice.

"We've confirmed that this problem is a reality in Canada - there are real Canadians who are exploiting these women as well as foreign traffickers exploiting these women," Perrin said in an interview Tuesday, after releasing the results of his research.

Perrin said the 31 cases likely represent only a small a fraction of trafficking victims, who are typically women brought to Canada to work in the sex trade or forced labour. His research found the top four source countries for victims were Romania, the Philippines, Moldova and China.

He said there hasn't been a single conviction related to international human trafficking in Canada - often because victims are reluctant to come forward or co-operate with investigations.

"This is one of the most difficult and complex crimes to prosecute," said Perrin.

"Victims are often threatened that if they were to say what was really happening, their family back home would be threatened. Also psychologically, just to cope with being treated as property, they often don't view themselves as victims."

He also said very few cases were referred by local police or the Canada Border Services Agency, suggesting those groups need better policies and education about spotting and reaching out to human trafficking victims.

Services for trafficking victims vary widely across Canada.

B.C. has set up a government office and Alberta funds a non-governmental organization to oversee support for victims. Other provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec, don't have any co-ordinated approach, said Perrin.

He said the federal government has failed to create a national strategy to combat human trafficking, even though a federal working group on the issue has promised one for years.

"The issue of drafting one has since fallen off their agenda entirely, and that's very troubling," said Perrin.

He said victims are reluctant to come forward if they are not provided the basic means to move on with their lives or help in prosecuting traffickers.

Karen Shadd of Citizenship and Immigration Canada said in an email response that the ministry has guidelines that include making trafficking victims eligible to receive temporary resident permits.

The permits allow them to stay in Canada for as long as 180 days and apply for a work permit.

She said victims continue to have access to health-care benefits and counselling under a federal program.

Ottawa passed legislation dealing with domestic and international human trafficking in 2005.

In 2006, the federal government started issuing temporary residence permits to allow victims of trafficking to stay in Canada and access health care, counselling and other programs while they recover and decide whether to apply for immigration status return to their home countries.

But Perrin said victims in many parts of Canada still have few places to turn - and often little hope of seeing their traffickers punished.

Most of the 31 cases were flagged by RCMP, which set up a national unit to combat human trafficking in 2005.

The force has human trafficking co-ordinators across the country, working with local law enforcement bodies, government agencies and others to raise awareness about the problem and assist in cases.

The federal Immigration Department started flagging files as potential trafficking cases in May 2006.

Of the 31 suspect cases, 12 were granted temporary residence permits, seven were refused such permits, one person's permit was cancelled and one went missing. The remaining 10 cases are still pending, or the people involved obtained another form of immigration status.