Human Trafficking: Canadian Government Policy and Practice

Abstract

A recent study undertaken by the authors (Oxman-Martinez and Martinez 2000) examined the Canadian government's response to the traffic of human beings. Information from twenty-one government and NGO informants and a thorough review of state agency policies and international conventions revealed that trafficking and refugee movements have many links. The question raised by the Metropolis Project—Is clandestine entry to Canada a crime or a new form of migration?—is important, given that trafficking may be the only option available to legitimate refugees waiting to escape dangerous or oppressive situations. Rather than seeking to ease the migration of refugees or addressing the structural causes of trafficking or its social implications, however, Canada's response is focused on the prevention of "irregular movements" (through immigration and border control) and prosecution of the few traffickers successfully apprehended. Preliminary evidence suggests that border control will fail to adequately address the exploitation of women, children, and men—often refugees— within our frontiers. The temporarily defunct Bill C-31 (with its measures to control the borders and restrict immigration) threatens the rights of refugees while doing little to prevent human trafficking, protect its victims, or prosecute those who profit from trafficking. ; Une étude récente faite par les auteurs (Oxman-Martinez et Martinez 2000) s'est penchée sur la réaction du gouvernement canadien au trafic de personnes. Des informations reçues de 21 informateurs se trouvant au gouvernement et dans des ong, ainsi qu'un réexamen en profondeur des politiques suivies par les agences gouvernementales et des conventions internationales ont révélé qu'il existait des liens multiples entre le flot de réfugiés et le trafic de personnes. La question posée par le Projet Metropolis, c.à-d. « L'entrée clandestine au Canada est-elle un crime ou une nouvelle forme de migration ? » est importante, étant donné que le trafic est possiblement l'une des seules options dont ...