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Human trafficking charge in Airdrie spurs group to dispel myths

An Alberta organization that advocates for victims of human trafficking is reminding the public about the misconceptions of the crime after a 25-year-old Airdrie man was charged Thursday in a case involving a minor.

The charges came while police were investigating a youth who had been reported missing and subsequently found evidence the minor was an alleged victim of human trafficking and prostitution.

Action Coalition on Human Trafficking in Alberta (ACT Alberta) is also highlighting the annual report released by the U.S. State Department this week that outlines government response country by country to human trafficking and ranks them on a tiered scale.

Though Canada retained its Tier 1 status — which means the federal government adheres to minimum standards set by the U.S. Department of State — improvements are still needed, the report found.

In 2014, there were 261 alleged trafficking victims in Canada and police charged 121 people in 77 cases. Human trafficking is defined as the act of forcing, coercing or deceiving an individual into selling sex or labour for the personal gain of another.

In Alberta there had been 19 human trafficking specific charges as of August 2014.

Andrea Burkhart, a spokeswoman for ACT, said her organization works with the RCMP to get the hard numbers.

"But we know it far exceeds 19," she said.

Human trafficking myths

Canada remains a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children who become victims of sexual exploitation and forced labour, says the U.S. report. It also noted many victims come to Canada legally but then are eventually ensnared by traffickers.

ACT Alberta has collected data on trafficking in Alberta, which dispels some myths:

- Nearly half of all victims are Canadian citizens.

- Not all victims are women and children and one in four victims are men.

- Sexual exploitation is not the most common trafficking violation, but rather nearly 50 per cent of cases are related to labour trafficking.

- Of all cases, organ trafficking accounts for 11 per cent of incidents.

ACT Alberta, which offers services to victims of trafficking, said the issue in the province is not exclusive to big urban centres. Most recently in Red Deer, there was a case which involved seven temporary foreign workers. There have been previous cases in Edmonton and Calgary too.

The U.S. study also pointed out what it calls a troubling trend.

Canada had only issued five temporary resident permits (TRPs) to trafficking victims, down from 14 the previous year, 26 in 2012 and 53 in 2011.

"We spend a lot of time advocating for this," said Burkhart.

TRPs allow people six months of health care and access to counseling.

"It helps keep people safe, at least on a short-term basis."

ACT Alberta released an infographic with statistics on the province's human trafficking crimes: