A Formidable Task: Reflections on obtaining legal empirical evidence on human trafficking in Canada

Abstract

This article explores the experiences, challenges and findings of two empirical research studies examining Canada’s legal efforts to combat human trafficking. The authors outline the methodologies of their respective studies and reflect on some of the difficulties they faced in obtaining empirical data on human trafficking court cases and legal proceedings. Ultimately, the authors found that Canadian trafficking case law developments are in their early stages with very few convictions, despite a growing number of police-reported charges. The authors assert it is difficult to assess the efficacy and effects of Canadian anti-trafficking laws and policies due to the institutional and political limitations to collecting legal data in this highly politicised subject area. They conclude with five recommendations to increase the transparency of Canada’s public claims about its anti-trafficking enforcement efforts and call for more empirically-based law reform.

Modern slavery in the criminal family firm: misrecognition and symbolic violence in recruitment and retention practices

“…Researching modern slavery poses significant practical and ethical challenges (Bales et al , 2018), not least because primary data is limited by the small number of prosecutions, the reluctance of partner organisations to share information (Van Dyke, 2017) and a reliance on police reporting (Millar et al , 2017). In this study, the research method consisted of three stages, designed to overcome these difficulties.…”