Calls to the Canadian Human Trafficking hotline have nearly doubled from 2,600 in 2020 to 5,100 in 2024, according to new research released by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCEHT).

Since 2019, hotline staff have identified 2,311 cases of sex or labour trafficking. In 2024 alone, there was a record high of 466 cases. They also identified 3,317 victims and survivors since 2019, averaging 500-650 per year. Over the past six years, 39 per cent of all callers were victims and survivors.

CCEHT Julia Drydyk said the findings are a testament to the educational and awareness work of the centre and its partners in communities across Canada.

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“I do think that we're seeing some progress in raising awareness about the realities of human trafficking,” said Drydyk. “And unfortunately, when that happens, it means that more people realize that they or someone they know might be in a really dangerous, exploitative situation, and that's when they reach out for help.”

A solid argument could be made that the CCEHT’s metrics offer a superior annual snapshot of sex trafficking and labour trafficking in this country than the Trafficking in Persons report released by Statistics Canada, which provides an account of the cases that are reported to law enforcement.

Therein lies the problem: the CCEHT and fellow anti-trafficking organization, the Ally Global Foundation, have found that fewer than 10 per cent of victims feel comfortable sharing their traumatic story with police. General feelings of mistrust, fears of trafficker reprisals, deep psychological scarring, language barriers and disenchantment over how the legal system prosecutes trafficking cases are among the primary reasons why victims remain silent.

Drydyk said law enforcement’s approach to trafficking has improved in certain pockets of the country.

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“We’re seeing some progress where we have dedicated human trafficking investigator teams where they've really invested in understanding what trauma-informed actually looks like on the ground,” said Drydyk. “(And) we're seeing lived experience, survivor leadership, inclusion and greater collaboration and partnership with community organizations.

“The problem is that this is incredibly inconsistent across the country between municipal law enforcement units, provincial and the RCMP. It really is not consistent, and we're not seeing best practices replicated across the country at the rate we would like to see.”

Hope and expectations abound in the Canadian anti-trafficking community that a new national strategy will compel greater adoption of best practices and empower survivors to help shape awareness, prevention, justice and healing measures.

“When we look at what solutions and programs have been put in place, both to respond to human trafficking, but also to prevent it, those that have lived experience, lived expertise and survivor leadership have shown to be the most successful,” said Drydyk.

While the quantitative findings of CCEHT’s report have garnered substantial media attention in recent days, and the same interest will likely greet the Statistics Canada report when it is unveiled before the end of the year, Drydyk challenges Canadians to look beyond just the prevalence of trafficking.

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“Part of our advocacy work coming up is to ask people to look at different research methods,” said Drydyk. “Qualitative research and other types of research that are done ethically and intentionally to be able to understand the nuance. Understanding the prevalence is one thing, but it's only a small piece of the knowledge that we need to build to really know what works from a prevention and response perspective.”

Visit the Canadian Centre to end Human Trafficking online to learn more.