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ARTICLE · 09 SEPTEMBER 2025

Tort Of Human Trafficking In Ontario

Siskinds LLP
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June 30 marks World Day Against Human Trafficking, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness and promote the protection of victims of human trafficking.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Nur Al Ebeid
Nur Al Ebeid
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June 30 marks World Day Against Human Trafficking, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness and promote the protection of victims of human trafficking. Since then, I have been reflecting on this often misunderstood topic as it relates to Canadians, and especially Ontarians.

A human trafficker is defined in Ontario's Anti-Human Trafficking Act, 2017 and the Canadian Criminal Code as:

Every person who recruits, transports, transfers, receives, holds, conceals or harbours a person, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation.

"Human trafficking" is often understood only as "sexual abuse trafficking", and while it is true sexual abuse trafficking is a common form of human trafficking, it is unfortunately not the only form. Another type of human trafficking is "labour trafficking", or what is commonly referred to as

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