Defining human trafficking

In this section, you will learn about:

• The legal Canadian definition of human trafficking

Defining Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

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Human trafficking has often been described as a modern-day form of slavery. The BC Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking defines trafficking as “the recruiting, harbouring and/ or controlling of a person for the purpose of exploitation.”The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime report on Global Trafficking (2009), states that the most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation. The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls. The second most common form of human trafficking is forced labour (18%). Although this may be a misrepresentation because forced labour is less frequently detected and reported than trafficking for sexual exploitation. Human Trafficking is a violation of human rights and a serious crime.

In 2000, the United Nations adopted an international treaty, known as the Trafficking in Persons Protocol to fight human trafficking.Amongst other things, this document defined human trafficking as Act + Means +Purpose = Human Trafficking. The graphic below provides details.In cases involving children, human trafficking is established if it is shown that the child has been recruited, transported, or harboured for the purpose of exploitation.The exploitation of trafficked persons can take many forms as explained below:

Sexual Exploitation

Trafficked persons are forced into prostitution,forced to perform sexual acts including exotic dancing, massage, and forced to participate in the production of pornography.

Insert Table Here (ask about image vs. graph -Act + Means + Purpose)

Understanding Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by People's Law School, 2014.

Learning about the Law Wikibook © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.

Acts or words tending or intended to give a misleading or false impression as to the true state of affairs. See "bad faith."

A person who is younger than the legal age of majority, 19 in British Columbia. See "age of majority."