Human Trafficking in Canada Essay Example

addressing structural vulnerabilities to trafficking (MacIntosh, 2006). Besides, victims are passing through psychological issues, while corruption is just another complicating facet, as the ensuing enlightenments enunciates.

The Canadian Government Law

Well-known, human trafficking is illegal and an offence under the criminal code of Canada. In addition, the Refugee and Protection Act regarding immigration extends the notion of human trafficking, emphasizing that it becomes increasingly difficult to assess the hidden nature of crime because of the reluctivity of the victims to witness and come forward to law administration (Bruckert& Parent, 2004). However, this reluctivity doesn’t happen without a reason. This offence was introduced into the criminal code in 2005, and according to this department, it was to deal with human trafficking, whether slavery practices, exploitation, fraud, threats, forced labor, or harboring of persons. Nowadays, some regions have units that deal with human trafficking but there is inconsiderable support on the force that diminish them from working appropriately or providing manpower in order to permanently eliminate this growing skirmish.

As if that is not enough, in 2010, the prime minister of Canada held meetings with both the civil society and the labor organizations seeking to provide anti-trafficking efforts (Barrett, 2010). There was continued acknowledgement on the need to heighten the weak interagency of Canadian government to properly coordinate on how to address the issue of human trafficking but the government only increased trafficking convictions, though no insufficient data that aids in determining whether each of the measures government took could be categorized as human trafficking convictions.

It’s ironical due to the fact that, the government of Canada continued with efforts of training thousands of labor, social workers, police, prosecutors, and immigration

officials that would help on identifying the victims, yet with all these efforts, the magnitude and scope of human trafficking in this country still remains significant, with higher number of victims being reported to be passing through this vulnerable conviction for both labor and sex trafficking (Gajic-Veljanoski& Stewart, 2007).

Evidently, the Non-Governmental Organizations are claimed to have reported that several reasons could be hindering the government of Canada from providing permanent anti-trafficking efforts like; lack of systemized monitoring systems of efforts made by the government, lack of comprehension amongst the local trafficking officials, venality from local police that increase the facilitation of human trafficking, and government lacking confidential court that could provide an approach to human rights-based abuse cases. While authorities work towards prevention of human trafficking with assistance from the NGOs, the government itself has failed to address adequately on the susceptibilities to this problem that mostly is as a result of country’s policies on migrant labor.

Psychological Issues

Subsequently, another serious delinquent for human trafficking is that there are reported cases of victims being faced by fear and unwillingness to come forward. Their captors in particular, do not care whether the victims are natives or undocumented immigrants from other countries, as they often become close controllers of these victims, and this makes it difficult for them to find help or escape. Without doubt, most victims suffer from health influences, in turn toughening the determination to restraint human trafficking, probably because of the nature of the crime. Many suffer psychological effects and trauma, as they pass through sexual assaults, where many end-up to be exposed to higher prevalence of HIV/AIDs and STIs (Hossain et.al, 2010).

Idiosyncratically, traffickers in

many cases move the victims away from their beloved so that victims can be entirely dependent on them, and in this case, they become control ploy as victims feels nowhere else to turn to; subsequently, doing what they are ordered to. In some incidences, traffickers can threaten the family of the victims to retain control over them. This makes those involved to develop constant fear of their lives and safety of their families, mounting psychological implications in their lives.

Corruption

Comparably, the Canadian Anti-trafficking in Persons Act 2010 prohibits all forms of trafficking including human trafficking, and has prescribed penalties from five to eleven years’ imprisonment to those involved. On equal basis, the act applies to everyone, regardless of nationality, gender, or race. The same case applies to children and women, who are mostly faced with human trafficking, where they are entitled to protection over their entire lives. The key elements in this act pertains; compensation to the victims from their offenders if any assault is found, heavier penalties on those found guilty of human trafficking, and catering for the basic needs of those offended with shelter, clothing, food, and other necessities, including educational, physical, healthcare, and legal assistance. It’s very sad that even with all these alignments being taken into consideration,Oxman-Martinez et.al (2001) asserts that the government of Canada made mixed progression where anti-trafficking efforts were diminished.

From there onwards, there was an increase in trafficking-related cases in 2012, with 18 convictions, an increase from 8 known convictions, during the preceding year. As if that was not enough, the government reported 79 persecutions in 2013, an increase from 23 persecutions during the prior year. What’s more, through

their investigation, the police reported 65 trafficking-related cases in 2012, where 50 cases for forced labor and 10 cases of forced prostitution were inclusive.

Vividly, this compares to the 45 cases trafficking-related cases that were reported in 2010 throughout their investigations.As complicating as it sounds, very few investigations on cross-border exploitation of labor are prior to arrests of alleged traffickers, and even if they are arrested, not all ends-up being prosecuted in court. Over and again, corruption remains a threatening and widespread threat among the Canadian law enforcement personnel that creates a conducive and purporting context for human trafficking. Largely, even if there are credible reports that talk of commercial sex ventures and hard labor exposure, amongst others, from raids and inspections by the police officers, violation of human rights in still a major notion, where some police officers work hand-in-hand with traffickers and labor brokers (Doezema, 2010).

Conclusion

To sum up, globally, every country has laws regarding forced prostitution, forced labor, and kidnapping; but in some countries, these laws are not fully enforced. Women and children in particular, are treated just like objects of use, solely for providing pleasure and earnings to whoever involved (Stewart & Gajic-Veljanoski, 2005).Therefore, there is need for consorting with international organizations and other foreign governments, if Canada is to heighten the capacity to combat and prevent the issue of human trafficking.

This can be done through, emphasizing on full implementation of Canada’s Action Plan that resolute on Women and Children Peace and Security that in all-purpose call for special recognition on both women and girls on states, in order to provide surety of their rights and well-being. And so, human trafficking is a

modern slavery that ought to be stopped with accent. As Van Impe (2000) figures it out, government as well as international organizations have to step up to the challenge. Whatever it takes, changes in legislation should be opted to benefit from any enactment made. Truly, edification is the vital key; not just for the professionals and those in the law, but for the whole public as well.

References

• Barrett, N. A. (2010). An exploration of promising practices in response to human trafficking in Canada.
• International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy.
• Bruckert, C., & Parent, C. (2004). Organized crime and human trafficking in Canada: Tracing perceptions and discourses. Research and Evaluation Branch, Community, Contract and Aboriginal Policing Services Directorate, Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
• Doezema, J. (2010). Sex slaves and discourse masters: The construction of trafficking. Zed Books.
• Gajic-Veljanoski, O., & Stewart, D. E. (2007). Women trafficked into prostitution: determinants, human rights and health needs. Transcultural Psychiatry, 44(3), 338-358.
• Gozdziak, E. M., &Collett, E. A. (2005). Research on human trafficking in North America: A review of literature. International Migration, 43(1?2), 99-128.
• Hossain, M., Zimmerman, C., Abas, M., Light, M., & Watts, C. (2010). The relationship of trauma to mental disorders among trafficked and sexually exploited girls and women. American journal of public health, 100(12), 2442-2449.
• MacIntosh, C. (2006). Assessing Human Trafficking in Canada: Flawed Strategies and the Rhetoric of Human Rights. Intercultural Hum. Rts. L. Rev., 1, 407.
• Oxman-Martinez, J., Martinez, A., & Hanley, J. (2001). Human trafficking: Canadian government policy and practice. Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees, 19(4).
• Shelley, L. (2007). Human trafficking as a form of transnational crime. Human trafficking, 116- 137.