Human trafficking has been on the rise in Canada over the past decade. Here's what Statistics Canada discovered

Protesters hold photos of human trafficking victims in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 25, 2023. (Natacha Pisarenko / AP Photo)

More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday.

"This could be due to several factors, including the incident still being under investigation, having insufficient evidence to proceed, and no accused person having been identified," Statistics Canada wrote in its report while noting 58 per cent of human trafficking incidents didn’t have a resolution.

Since 2013, nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) of police-reported human trafficking cases have resulted in the laying or recommendation of charges, according to Canada's national statistical agency.

As well, one in 10 completed human trafficking cases resulted in a guilty verdict. Only four per cent resulted in an acquittal and two per cent resulted in another type of decision, such as being found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible. The vast majority (84 per cent) of completed adult criminal court human trafficking cases have resulted in either a stay, a withdrawal, a dismissal or a discharge since 2012-13.

What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking is a serious human rights violation that isn't only a domestic problem but occurs trans-nationally, according to StatCan. It involves the recruitment, transporting and harbouring of an individual using force, fraud and manipulation.

It can take on many forms, commonly sexual exploitation or forced labour, the agency added.

Most victims are women and girls, StatCan said, while most of the accused are men and boys.

How serious is the problem in Canada?

There's an overall year-over-year increase in the number of police-reported incidents of human trafficking from 2013 to 2023, Statistics Canada found.

Over that period, more than 4,500 incidents of human trafficking were reported by police services in the country.

The incidents represented only 0.02 per cent of all police-reported crime during this period, with an average annual rate of 1.1 incidents per 100,000 population, the report said.

The biggest spike in incidents happened from 2018 to 2019.

Where is human trafficking prevalent?

In Canada, Nova Scotia and Ontario had the highest average annual rates of police-reported human trafficking since 2013, according to StatCan.

Nova Scotia recorded 6.3 incidents per 100,000 population while Ontario recorded 2.1 incidents in 2023, surpassing the national average of 1.4 incidents, it said.

'Partial picture' of human trafficking

StatCan said that official statistics only give "a partial picture" of human trafficking in Canada due to the crime's "hidden and underreported nature."

"Identifying incidents of human trafficking depends in part on police resources and expertise, as well as victims' ability to recognize and report their experiences with trafficking," the agency wrote.

Police-reported data came from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. The victim information was reported by police for Criminal Code incidents but not for Immigration and Refugee Protection Act violations.