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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adam Oake, a Canadian with no prior military training, sold all of his Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia to buy a plane ticket.
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.
A video that purports to show election fraud in Georgia by a man who claims to be from Haiti is fake and the work of "Russian influence actors," U.S. intelligence officials said Friday.
Police on southern Vancouver Island are issuing a warning about the dangers of deer rutting season after a dog was gored to death by a buck earlier this week.
As October gives way to November, snow is falling on highways in the B.C. Interior, prompting reminders to drive safely in winter conditions.
Concerns are growing about British Columbia’s local economy as the possibility of another province-wide labour disruption at ports looms.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Drake has released a new music video for his track 'No Face,' and Scarborough residents will likely know exactly where it was filmed.
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
A CN train derailed near Beiseker, Alta., on Friday morning.
A Calgary man has been charged after being found in violation of a court order that prohibits him from owning animals for 15 years. Previously, Denis Bagaric's three dogs were found to be responsible for the fatal mauling of his 86-year-old next-door neighbour Betty Ann Williams in 2022.
A new domestic violence report out of the University of Calgary could help flag early warning signs.
Internal documents show the National Capital Commission struggled to maintain the ice on the Rideau Canal Skateway last winter and took what it called a 'manageable risk' to lower their standards for what qualifies as thick enough ice in order to squeeze a few more skating days into the season.
The Royal Canadian Legion's Montgomery Branch in downtown Ottawa is for sale, 60 years after the Legion opened the renovated headquarters. The listing on Realtor.ca shows Branch 351 on Kent Street is for sale at $2.999 million.
The Crown has dropped charges against a woman who was filmed pulling another woman's hijab down during a protest at Ottawa City Hall.
Alicia Buffa, a translator for the McGill University Health Centre, was moments away from winning Thursday’s Jeopardy! and taking home $24,000 – but a last wager lost her the game.
Public transit users in Montreal were faced with service disruptions on two fronts on Friday as part of the REM and the green line on the Metro were shut down.
A Quebec civil rights group is suing the office of the registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada because of the high court's refusal to translate its historic decisions into French.
An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.
A Danielle Smith leadership vote and policy surrounding gender and net-zero emissions targets will take centre stage when the United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting (AGM) gets underway Friday.
A 19-year-old woman was injured in a hit-and-run crash northwest of Edmonton last week.
Maureen Anderson, who lost both her sons to their overseas service in the Canadian Armed Forces, has been named this year's national Silver Cross Mother.
Police are warning the public about a gas leak in the north end of Halifax Friday afternoon.
A 19-person cabinet has been announced in New Brunswick, the day before Saturday’s swearing-in for the premier and ministers.
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
The cost to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians is rising.
A former Manitoba hockey coach has pleaded guilty to luring and sexually assaulting a teenage player.
A newly elected Saskatchewan Party government got back to work on Thursday, with returning and new government members meeting for the first time.
Those who heat their homes with electricity in Saskatchewan will continue to see a 60 per cent reduction on their federal carbon tax charge, according to SaskPower.
The Regina Humane Society (RHS) is asking for help as it deals with a large number of puppies currently in its care.
Erick Buhr, the man accused of killing his grandmother, Viola Erb, is now representing himself at his second degree murder trial.
Waterloo Regional Police are putting out a stern reminder about fireworks safety after a concerning display in Breslau.
A Guelph man is facing assault charges after a stabbing in downtown Guelph.
SaskPower has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating workplace safety rules, but the victim won't receive any of the money.
A newly elected Saskatchewan Party government got back to work on Thursday, with returning and new government members meeting for the first time.
Those who heat their homes with electricity in Saskatchewan will continue to see a 60 per cent reduction on their federal carbon tax charge, according to SaskPower.
Police in northern Ontario say a razor blade was found in a child's candy on Halloween night.
Two males, including one young offender, were arrested Thursday evening after a shooting at a grocery store on Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury.
The mother of triple murderer Liam Stinson said her son has tried to be a good father to his children despite being in jail in Sudbury.
Since August 2023, detectives from the Niagara Regional Police Service have been investigating an allegation of sexual assault by a man against a 15-year-old girl.
As reported on Tuesday, police said a man was with his family in a park near King Street and Thames Street, when an unknown man approached. According to officers, the suspect allegedly made derogatory comments towards the victim, before reportedly assaulting him.
According to police, the victim was walking to work on Redan Street around 5 a.m. Thursday when he assaulted.
One man has been charged following a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 400 that caused traffic backups for hours on Thursday.
Now that Halloween is over and done with, many will be looking for ways to be rid of their pumpkins.
Police charged a 55-year-old man with being drug impaired after a vehicle with two other occupants crashed in Midland Thursday morning.
Windsor police have charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder in the death of a 69-year-old man in south-central Windsor.
The City of Windsor has released its Remembrance Day programming for this year.
Police on southern Vancouver Island are issuing a warning about the dangers of deer rutting season after a dog was gored to death by a buck earlier this week.
Concerns are growing about British Columbia’s local economy as the possibility of another province-wide labour disruption at ports looms.
A university basketball star on Vancouver Island is speaking out about the treatment she's received as a transgender athlete.
More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
The University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics Annual Safe Ride Home campaign is making a return this year, but with a new name.
A three goal outburst in the first period of Wednesday night’s game against the Swift Current Broncos was all the Hurricanes need on their way to 3-1 win at home against the Swift Current Broncos.
A 27-year-old security guard has been charged after an incident where a bar patron sustained life-threatening injuries.
A 40-year-old suspect has been charged with sexual assault following an incident Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie.
Juanita Migwans – or 'Winnie,' as her family calls her – of M'Chigeeng First Nation has been missing for almost a month.
The City of Greater Sudbury has been chosen to host the Ontario 55+ Summer Games next year.
School staff are being struck more often, students are fighting more frequently, and police are increasingly being called to school grounds, according to data compiled and released this week by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association.
Newfoundland and Labrador's auditor general has issued a warning about the province's financial position as the government announced it would finish the 2024-25 fiscal year with a higher-than-expected deficit.
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador have charged an off-duty RCMP officer for allegedly driving while impaired, following a crash on Sunday.
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.
After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
New Brunswicker Jillea Godin’s elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
Canada will need a profound shift in political priorities if the country is to ramp up spending to meet its international security obligations.
Residential school survivors are calling on Canada to criminalize residential school denialism, echoing one of the findings in a report about unmarked graves and burial sites associated with the institutions.
Jagmeet Singh says the NDP will not support the Bloc Québécois and Conservative leaders to help them bring down the Liberal government.
Bird flu has been spreading faster in the European Union this season than a milder 2023, raising concerns of a repeat of previous crises that led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry and renewing fears that it could expand to humans.
B.C.’s Interior Health Authority was fined nearly $250,000 after 10 workers were exposed to illicit substances at a hospital in Penticton.
A million Canadians have received care under the federal dental-care plan six months after the program began, Health Minister Mark Holland said Thursday.
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
As Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, passed in front of the sun, it cast a lumpy, potato-shaped shadow on the sun’s face as well as on the Martian surface.
The oldest known surviving tombstone in the United States is an elaborate display of wealth — an intricately carved slab of black limestone initially laid in the floor of the second church of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent British settlement in North America.
Mariah Carey is finally ready.
Drake has released a new music video for his track 'No Face,' and Scarborough residents will likely know exactly where it was filmed.
Heidi Klum and Janelle Monae opted for out-of-this-world Halloween costumes this year — both choosing to dress as the stubby alien E.T. for their parties on opposite coasts.
Whichever candidate wins the U.S. president election next Tuesday, experts say investors will be relieved to shed some uncertainty over what kinds of policies to expect.
Air Canada on Friday raised its annual core profit forecast and announced share buybacks, as the country's largest carrier benefits from strong demand for international travel.
New changes are coming into effect that aim to protect bank customers in the event of a scam or address other bank-related issues.
Matthew Horsnell began falling asleep for no reason when he was in sixth grade.
Thieves blew open the door of an art gallery in the southern Netherlands and stole two works from a famous series of screen prints by American pop artist Andy Warhol and left two more badly damaged in the street as they fled the scene of the botched heist, the gallery owner said Friday.
It's the time of year — tradition says — when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is lifted.
Hana Wakimoto shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to maintain her lead after the second round of the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic.
MLB star Freddie Freeman, a dual Canada-U.S. citizen, has made history as a member of the World Series winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan’s dreams came true in September, as he made his PGA Tour debut. A week later, the 20-year-old was left blinded in one eye after being struck in the face by a golf ball.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Several Ford vehicles have been recalled in Canada due to issues with braking systems, steering and child car seat tethers.
Volkswagen has informed employee representatives that it wants to close at least three plants in Germany, the head of the company's works council said Monday.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹ӰÊÓ. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
