How you can help prevent human trafficking

Overview

The best weapon against this crime is awareness. Human trafficking can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Traffickers will prey on a victim’s vulnerabilities and make promises that often seem too good to be true. While women and Indigenous people make up the vast majority of victims, certain groups are also at increased risk. This could include:

• children and youth living in care, or who are transitioning out of care
• members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community
• newcomers and migrant workers
• people who are financially vulnerable, unemployed or homeless and who are struggling to meet basic needs
• people fleeing abuse
• people with mental health disorders or who have a history of trauma
• people experiencing addictions
• unhoused persons
• people who are looking for a sense of belonging and acceptance.

See the signs

The signs of someone victimized by human trafficking can be hard to see. They might look like a new relationship, friendship, or a great new job for your friend or loved one. Watch for things like:

• receiving expensive or fashionable gifts from a new person in their life
• losing interest in their usual activities or relationships
• purchasing cell phones, accessories, or tattoos they could not afford themselves
• asking a new person in their life for permission before going out or doing something
• sneaking out, breaking curfew, or not explaining being away from home, school, or work
• not wanting to talk about injuries, pregnancies, or visits to a medical clinic
• being unusually distant

Call the hotline if you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking. The hotline connects victims and survivors with social services, law enforcement and emergency services.

Talk about it

Albertans can prevent human trafficking from happening in our communities. Talk to others about human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Be aware of the signs of human trafficking and learn what we can do to help.

Talking about human trafficking can seem scary, but it is a very important step to take. Talking about it gives power to possible victims because they will know what to watch for.

Topics to start the talk:

• what personal and emotional space means
• what healthy boundaries are
• what consent means – both sexual consent and non-sexual consent
• how to protect your privacy online
• how to stay safe online
  • for parents
  • for teens
• developing healthy cellphone habits
• what manipulation, deception and coercion mean
• what to do if you are being threatened by a friend, partner or employer

Learn what you can do

Help prevent human trafficking through education and learning what trafficking could look like in your community. Many not-for-profit organizations offer free awareness courses:

• #NotInMyCity on social media
• The Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta
• The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline

Resources

• Protecting Survivors of Human Trafficking Act
• Protecting Survivors of Human Trafficking Regulation
• The Reading Stone – The Survivor's Lens to Human Trafficking
• Application for a human trafficking protection order
• Application to extend, set aside, or vary a human trafficking protection order
• National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking 2021-2023 Report (Public Safety Canada)