Trafficking in Persons

Don't Become a Victim of the Illegal Trade in People

Published by the Government of Canada.

PDF version (547 kB)

Contents

• The Dream
• The Reality
• A Message from the Government of Canada
• You Need a Work Permit to Work in Canada
• Laws to Stop Trafficking
• Canadian Laws
• Children Are at Risk, Too.
• Questions and Answers
• How to Get Help in Canada

The Dream

The person who is offering to help you come to Canada may tell you about all the opportunities you will have here and all the money you will make. It will sound good.

Trafficking in people is illegal. Traffickers move people from one country to another and exploit them by making them work in unpleasant and sometimes dangerous jobs for long hours with little or no pay. Trafficking is the slave trade of the 21st century.

Beware, there are some people who are not honest and who traffic people.

“This is not right — the people who are doing this should be sent to jail. We are not animals — even animals are happy.” — Quote from a trafficking victim taken to Canada

The Reality

Sadly, many people have found out, too late, that the promises made by traffickers were lies. We have met people from countries all over the world. This is what happened to them when traffickers brought them to Canada.

• They were guarded at all times and could not go out on their own.
• They were forced to have unprotected or dangerous sex with strangers.
• They were threatened, beaten, raped or punished.
• They did not get paid for the work they did.
• They were not allowed to speak to other people or to make Canadian friends.
• They were told they would have to work until their debt was paid and their debt kept getting bigger, not smaller.
• They could not get medical services or help if they needed it.
• They could not get away because they had been forced to break the law and were afraid.
• Their families back home were threatened with violence or hurt.

Laws to Stop Trafficking

Canada and other countries want to stop traffickers from moving men, women and children from one country to another for illegal purposes. Instead of selling drugs, these criminals sell people. Traffickers tell people that they are going to good jobs in countries where they will be able to live better and make more money than in their home country. This is not what happens.

These criminals force people to work at unpleasant and dangerous jobs for long hours without getting paid what they are owed. They may hurt people who disobey them or try to get away. They may hurt your family back home to stop you from leaving the job. They may pressure you to take drugs and break the law. They make you afraid to escape the situation. You are their prisoner.

Selling and controlling people this way is illegal in Canada and many other countries around the world.

In Canada, a person who is found guilty of trafficking in people can be fined up to $1,000,000 and sent to prison for life.

Canadian Laws

In Canada, it is a crime to:

Assault crimes

• hit, kick, punch, pinch or slap someone, including your wife or husband
• threaten to hurt you, your child, family member or friend
• keep someone in a place and not let the person come and go or contact others
• have sex with someone, including your wife or husband, if they do not agree to have sex
   

Sex and drug crimes

• ask people in a public place if they want to have sex with you for money
• be in a place where people pay to have sex
• live on the money made from selling sexual services
• force someone to have sex with anyone if they do not want to
• purchase the sexual services of someone under 18 years of age
• have illegal drugs such as marijuana, hashish, cocaine and heroin or give, sell or deliver illegal drugs to someone.
   

In Canada, there are laws to protect workers. It is against the law to:

• make someone work without pay
• make someone work for days and days without time off
• make someone work in a dangerous place where it is not safe to work.

Canada is serious about stopping the trafficking in people. You can help. Do not come to Canada illegally or work at an illegal job in Canada. If you do come to Canada and end up in an illegal job or a job where your employer controls you and treats you like a slave, call the police. Tell them what is happening. This may be your only way to get out of this situation. But, be careful. Dishonest employers and criminals who traffic in people are dangerous and will try to stop you from talking to the police.

Children Are at Risk, Too.

Traffickers sometimes try to buy children from their parents or convince parents to send their children away so that they can earn money for the family. Teenagers who have left home are very vulnerable to traffickers.

Children and teenagers are most frequently trafficked into the drug or sex trades.

Questions and Answers

Question: I am not sure if I can trust the person who is offering me a job in Canada. What should I do?

Answer: Be careful. In Canada, we have a saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Don’t get caught by promises of money. You may end up paying for your mistake with your life.

Do not say anything about your family and where they live. Criminals may use this information to make you do things you don’t want to do. If you come to Canada and try to get away from them, they might hurt your children or parents or other family members back home to control you.

Find out as much as you can about the person offering you the job, about the job and about the address of your place of work. Be suspicious if you are told that this information is a secret.

Give your family or friends all the information you have about the people helping you get to Canada, the job and the place where you are going to work before you leave.

Question: I have been offered a job as an “entertainer”. What work will I do?

Answer: You need to ask the person offering you the job exactly what you will be expected to do. Try to sign a contract with the person. The contract should say what you will do, where you will do it and how much you will be paid for doing it.

“Entertainer” may be a way of saying that you will work in the sex trade. Some jobs in the sex trade are legal, for example dancing naked without touching. Many jobs in the sex trade are illegal, for example being in a house where people pay money to have sex.

Question: How long will I have to work for the employer who brought me to Canada?

Answer: No employer can force you to stay at a job. But, dishonest employers may watch you all the time so that you cannot get away. Or, they may threaten to send you back to your home country or hurt you or your family if you leave the job they have for you.

“Don’t believe the lies. I have no freedom, no money, no happiness... Stay at home — at least there you will have your family and self-respect.” — Quote from a trafficking victim

Question: I have been told that the job will pay me much more money than I make in six months here. Is it possible?

Answer: Probably not. Dishonest employers will lie about how much you will get paid and will find ways to make you pay back almost all the money you earn. They will say you must pay them for food, for a place to sleep, for bringing you to Canada. Also, things are expensive in Canada. It may sound like a lot of money but you may find out that it is not enough for a good place to live and for food.

Question: Once I am in Canada can I travel in Canada and to the United States?

Answer: You can travel freely in Canada when you have come into Canada legally with a legal passport and work permit. You will have to apply to the United States government for permission to enter the United States. The United States government will decide whether or not you can go into the United States according to its rules.

A person who traffics in people may try to stop you from travelling by taking your passport and work permit away from you. This is one way that traffickers keep you trapped in a place that you don’t want to be, doing work that you don’t want to do. Make sure you always keep your passport and work permit with you. Don’t ever let anyone keep them for you.

Question: Can any organizations in my country help me get more information?

Answer: In some countries, human rights organizations are working to protect people from becoming victims of traffickers. As well, United Nations’ organizations such as the International Labour Organization may have a project in your country.

“Every day is the same, I have no freedom, I have no choice. The only choice I have is to sell my body or I will not be alive.” — Quote from a trafficking victim

How to Get Help in Canada

Here are some things to know if you are under the control of traffickers in Canada.

9-1-1 emergency services

Press 9-1-1 on a telephone in any city in Canada and you will be immediately connected to the police, fire department and ambulance service. The system automatically tells the person answering the phone where you are. You don’t have to say anything. You can tell the person what language you speak. There may be someone there who can talk to you in your language. If you can speak some English or French, try to explain why you called. The person who answers your call will send the police, fire or ambulance service to where you are immediately.

Emergency Shelters

Most cities and towns have safe places where you can go right away if you have nowhere to live or if you are in danger and need a safe place to stay. You can find the telephone number in the telephone book, at the library or from the police.

Doctor and Hospital Care

If you are sick, you can go to a doctor’s office or hospital. In some cities there are health clinics where you can get medical care without answering any questions about who you are or what work you do.

Community Help

Many groups in Canada help people in trouble. There are rape crisis services, houses for abused women, organizations for newcomers to Canada, legal clinics for people who cannot afford a lawyer, special services for victims of crime and religious groups that provide many different support services. People from your home country who now live in Canada may get together to support and help each other. You can find out how to reach these groups at a community centre, at a public library, in the phone book or by asking people.

Unfair Working Conditions

Canadian laws require employers to pay employees a set minimum wage and to provide some other job benefits. A Ministry of Labour office can give you information and assistance if you are not being paid fairly, do not get time off or have to work in dangerous conditions.