24-hour help
Call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate danger.
Call 211 for resources and support.
Help for survivors and victims
Find resources and services for women.
Learn about employment standards – rules for employers and employees in Alberta:
- what your employer can and cannot ask you to do
- how to complain if your employer is not treating you right
Apply for a Human Trafficking Protection Order
Alberta has laws to protect survivors of human trafficking.
A Human Trafficking Protection Order:
- will last 3 years
- can include weapon restrictions for the trafficker
- can make sure pets are returned to the survivor
If the human trafficker breaks the protection order:
- they can go to jail for up to 2 years
- they can be fined up to $50,000
- Apply for a Human Trafficking Protection Order.
- Find out where you can get help and support for court forms.
Survivors can sue human traffickers
Alberta made a law so survivors of human trafficking can sue their trafficker:
- there doesn't need to be proof of damages
- there are no time limits so survivors have time to heal before starting a lawsuit
Police can help victims
The police can get a warrant to enter so they can:
- search for human trafficking victims
- assist and remove a trafficking victim with their consent
- remove child victims
About human trafficking
Words we use
These are the words we use to talk about human trafficking:
- trafficker – anyone doing any kind of human trafficking
- victim – a person being victimized by a trafficker right now
- survivor – a person who used to be a victim of human trafficking
Why it is a crime
Human traffickers use other people. Traffickers will:
- use lies and tricks to control their victim
- make victims do things against their will with:
- force, threats or violence
- drugs
- blackmail
- sell victims to another person or group
Traffickers use their victims for:
- sexual exploitation or sex trafficking
- forced labour
- organ harvesting
How it happens
Traffickers make money by victimizing people of all:
- ages
- ethnicities
- genders
- sexual orientations
Traffickers control their victims
Traffickers can be:
- one person working alone or
- part of a gang or organized crime
Some ways a trafficker gets and keeps control over a victim:
- violence or threats of violence against the victim, their family, friends or even pets
- being possessive and controlling of the victim's:
- personal documents or cell phone
- relationships with their friends and family
- clothing and appearance
- offering or giving drugs to the victim
This control increases and gets worse over time – this is when friends and family start to see a change in their loved one.
It is not human smuggling
Human smuggling is moving people across international borders for money:
- it is illegal migration
- the transportation or migration is voluntary
A person smuggled into a country is at risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking because:
- they are in the country illegally
- a trafficker might have used the promise of getting them into the country to manipulate them
Victims of human trafficking might have legally entered a country. They may have valid documents like:
- a passport
- a student or tourist visa
- working papers
Prevent human trafficking
The best weapon against this crime is awareness. It can happen:
- to anyone, at any age, rich or poor
- anywhere
Traffickers prey on people when they are feeling down or in a tough spot. They take advantage of people like:
- someone needing food, shelter or clothing
- someone running away from war and unrest
- runaways wanting to feel loved and accepted
Research shows young people – especially young Indigenous people – are at the highest risk of being victims of sex trafficking in Canada. Know the signs of human trafficking to reduce your risk of becoming a victim.
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:
- expensive or fashionable gifts from a new person in their life
- they lose interest in their usual activities or relationships
- new cell phones, accessories, or tattoos they could not afford themselves
- they have to ask a new person in their life for permission before going out or doing something
- they sneak out, break curfew, or won't explain being away from home, school or work
- they don't want to talk about injuries, pregnancies or visits to a medical clinic
- they seem unusually distant
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. Tell others.
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 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 be safe online
- how to protect your privacy
- what healthy and unhealthy relationships are
- what manipulation, deception and coercion mean
- violence and threats
Learn what you can do
Help prevent human trafficking by educating yourself. Many websites and not-for-profit organizations offer free awareness courses. Search online:
- #NotInMyCity on social media
- The Action Coalition on Human Trafficking Alberta
- The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
- Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline