Sexual Exploitation And Human Trafficking

The ALERT Human Trafficking & Counter Exploitation Unit consisting of Calgary Police and RCMP, along with civilian Safety Network Coordinators, investigates offences arising from indoor, outdoor and online sexual exploitation, as well as incidents of human trafficking. The ALERT Human Trafficking & Counter Exploitation Unit provides expertise using a trauma informed approach to engage in the apprehension of "at risk" children and victims involved of sexual exploitation. The trauma informed approach is a direct result of Survivors of sexual exploitation experiences and situational understanding of what it means to be exploited and the trauma associated with those experiences to provide paths of healing. 

In Canada, the act of selling, buying, advertising, communicating and benefitting from the sale of sexual services is illegal, however, Section 286.5 provides independent persons selling and advertising their own sexual services, immunity from prosecution.

Section 286.1 – Obtaining Sexual Services for Consideration

Section 286.1 of the Criminal Code applies to purchasing or communicating in order to obtain sexual services.  This provision criminalizes everyone in any place who purchases or communicates in order to obtain sexual services. This provision adds mandatory fines to all violations. Sanctions include mandatory minimum fines ranging from $500 to $4,000, and can include up to five years in jail. These new mandatory fines are higher for repeat offenders and for anyone who purchases sex in a place where a person under 18 could reasonably be found.

Section 286.2 – Material Benefit from Sexual Services

This provision continues to criminalize those who gain material benefits from sex work. This replaces the “living on the avails” provision that was struck down by the Supreme Court.  This section does not apply to those in “legitimate living arrangements” or with “legal or moral obligations” to sex workers. It does apply to exploitative and abusive relationships, and to those in which a person supplies drugs or alcohol.

Section 286.4 – Advertising Sexual Services

This section bans the advertising of sexual services.

Section 286.5 - Immunity

This section states the those that materially benefit from or advertise their own sexual services are immune from prosecution under the sections listed above.

Human trafficking is often described as modern-day slavery and involves the recruitment, transportation or harboring of people for the purpose of exploitation through the use of force, coercion, fraud, deception or threats against the victim or someone they know.

In Canada, sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude are the most common offences that law enforcement agencies investigate.

Human Traffickers can be anyone exploiting others for their own advantage. This can look like a relationship, a supervisor, a friend or a new person into the trafficked persons life. Traffickers are not always men. Women have been identified as traffickers and have been used by traffickers to recruit and befriend victims of human trafficking.

Trafficked persons can be both men and women. When identifying a human trafficking situation, look for sudden changes in financial status such as new clothes, luxury items previously unaffordable, an unexplained accumulation of cash, drug use and pulling away from friends and family.

Survivors of human trafficking can get a protection order that:

• prevents the trafficker from following, communicating or contacting the survivor or the survivor’s family
• prevents the trafficker from being near the survivor’s residence, place of employment or other addresses
• forces the trafficker to return personal property to the survivor
• forces the trafficker to return any copies of visual recordings of the survivor
• prevents the trafficker from creating, keeping or distributing any visual representation of the survivor

The following can apply:

• a victim
• a person with lawful custody of a child who is, or may be, a victim of human trafficking
• a director designated under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
• a police officer
• a person or a member of a category of persons designated in the regulations, acting on behalf and with the consent of a victim

HTEPO forms can be found at the following web page:

If you suspect someone you know or love is a victim of Human Trafficking, please reach out to:

• ALERT HTCEU at 403-428-2356
• Human Trafficking National Hotline: 1-833-900-1010
• Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477
• Or your local police of jurisdiction.