Policing in a diverse society

As knowledge about victimization, trauma, and social values advance, police officers must be prepared to define and interact with victims differently. Knowing where other people are coming from, what their needs are and what their fears are, will help guide police in the unique role they occupy. Human trafficking victims can be any ethnicity, race, gender, or affiliation, but most have experienced one or more forms of marginalization and/or trauma.

Indigenous people

The effects of colonial values, laws, policies, and systems which have not been fully dismantled on Indigenous people are profound and have led to racism and economic and social marginalization. Prior to the European explorers arriving in Canada, Indigenous people were already well established here, having inhabited North America for thousands of years. The first European colony in North America, L’Anse aux Meadows, marked the beginning of radical changes for Indigenous people. In the sixteenth century, Europeans saw North America as having a wealth of resources for exploitation. Large scale settlement occurred in the seventeenth century, and Indigenous people had to rapidly adapt to new forms of commerce to obtain a variety of sought-after goods. Significant conflict over the fur trade led to the first of various treaties being signed in the early eighteenth century. By the 1830s more and more land was being surrendered by Indigenous people and–because settlers considered British society and culture superior–plans to assimilate Indigenous people commenced. In 1857, the British administration introduced the Gradual Civilization Act where 50 acres of land and money were provided to Indigenous people who were literate and debt-free and who abandoned their traditional lifestyle (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 2013).

In 1883, Indian Affairs policy focused on assimilating Indigenous people through residential schools. One hundred and thirty-two residential schools were established across Canada (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, 2013), and 150,000 children were forcibly removed from their homes to attend these schools between 1870 and 1996 (Thorne & Moss, 2022). In 2021, unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were found near the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia (Thorne & Moss, 2022). Many more graves have been found since.

The impacts of colonization–the lack of economic opportunities, generational trauma, displacement of children into child welfare, and breakdown of community ties–persist in today’s society and continue to leave Indigenous people in Canada marginalized and vulnerable (Hodgins et al., 2022).

An extensive review of the scholarly literature on sex trafficking of women and girls in Canada identified three pathways to sex trafficking, all of which centered on systemic inequalities. The pathways identified were (a) impacts of colonization (b) the exploitation of immigrants, and (c) involvement with the child welfare system

Due to the marginalization and intergenerational trauma, Indigenous women are more likely to be exposed to intimate partner violence, drug addiction, and violence (Cui, 2021). In British Columbia, Indigenous women are overrepresented in missing person cases where investigators were not able to rule out foul play (Cohen et al., 2009). Victimization is also believed to be under-reported in these communities (Cui, 2021), and sexual service providers are at risk of becoming targets for serial killers due to the stigma surrounding the sex trade (Cohen et al., 2009).

When the time is appropriate to interview Indigenous people, researchers who study Indigenous sexual assault victims suggest emphasizing the human element–specifically, making Indigenous victims feel safer and more comfortable. Police officers are advised to be timely in responding to calls for help, to develop rapport, to sit down (versus standing up), to show interest in what victims disclose, and to explain the process in detail (Murphy-Oikonen et al., 2022).

Racialized and LGBTQ2S communities

Human-trafficking victims are not exclusive to one group. Learning how to best serve the needs of victims and communities–particularly those who identify as racialized, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S–demands an open mind and a desire for positive change.

Since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement around 2010, tensions between racialized communities and the police have focused on white privilege, racism, and violence (Montolio, 2018). The recent practice of banning police officers from marching in uniform in Pride parades across the country (i.e., Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary, and Edmonton) raised concerns of ostracism, harassment and outing by police, and fear of arrests (Holmes, 2021). In general, cultural awareness and sensitivity training with LGBTQ2S and non-white community members would be beneficial for all new officers (Dwyer, 2019). For human-trafficking investigators, this can require a great deal of listening, unlearning, and reflection. An open mind and appreciation of the lived experiences of those who have been victimized by offenders, and even by the system meant to protect them, is a prerequisite for meaningful conversations and, ultimately, for convicting offenders.