Canada criticized on human trafficking

While Canada has stepped up its prosecution of human traffickers, the country still lacks specialized care for victims of exploitation and a system for counting them, says a new U.S. government report analyzing how nations are responding to the problem.

The annual U.S. State Depart- ment report described Canada as a “source, transit and destination country” for the trafficking of men, women and children in the sex trade. Women and girls from aboriginal communities and young people in the child welfare system are particularly vulnerable, the report said.

Women from Asia and Eastern Europe also end up in the clutches of traffickers, often brought to Canada to work in massage parlours.

The report said Canada is also a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labour. Foreign workers may enter Canada legally, but then wind up doing forced labour in the agriculture, construction and restaurant industries or as domestic servants.

Canada has made progress in the fight against trafficking, the report noted. At least 25 trafficking offenders were convicted in 2013. The RCMP provided anti-trafficking training for police, border officers and prosecutors and launched a national anti-trafficking enforcement unit in Quebec.

But the report also identified several areas for improvement.

There are “no nationwide procedures for government officials — such as social workers or labour inspectors — to proactively identify and assist trafficking victims among vulnerable populations,” the report said.