Innocents At Risk

Facts about Human Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

• The pre-teen and teen years are when children are most vulnerable to many forms of manipulation and exploitation. Most children who are exploited were first abused prior to this age. 
• Children trafficked in Canada are typically Canadian kids. Trafficking has been reported in all Canadian Provinces.
• Most victims of sex trafficking experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact or abuse prior to sexual exploitation. (Of all childhood adversities, sexual abuse is the strongest predictor of human trafficking)
• The most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation, most victims are first exploited as children. 
• 1 in 6 children reported missing are likely victims of sex trafficking. 
• Predators manipulate through popular technology like social media, apps and games to contact and entrap children to exploit them. Online exploitation spiked amid coronavirus pandemic .
•  Victims suffer not only physically and emotionally (including trauma, PTSD, and attempted suicide), but often from social rejection and ostracism as well. 
• Traffickers and abusers use tactics to create traumatic bonding with their victims to control and exploit. 

It takes an average of 3 years and 7 attempted interventions to rescue a youth from a life of exploitation. 

Canada has a serious issue with trafficking and exploitation. 93% of sex trafficking in Canada involves our own Canadian citizens, with an over-representation of Indigenous women and girls. 

Women and girls from indigenous communities, immigrant, at-risk and runaway youth, especially those within the child welfare system, are especially vulnerable.

The digital world and social media platforms has made is easier for exploiters to “shop” and seek out their victims online.  Between 2014 and 2018, reports of online sexual exploitation offences increased by 616%

Exploiters have excellent sales skills. They can present many different faces, emotions and behaviours to lure, control, abuse and exploit.  Every effort is made to trick the individual into what feels like a loving, trusting and caring relationship. This creates a trauma bond with their exploiters.  They may have deep loyalties and positive feelings toward their abuser. They may even view the abuser as a saviour.  This is why targets of  trafficking often do not see themselves as victims. Many don’t realize they have been victimized until years after their exit.