Saskatchewan looking to help victims of human trafficking

Saskatchewan has joined other Canadian provinces in offering more assistance to victims of human trafficking.

The Protection from Human Trafficking Act, which came into force in Saskatchewan on April 20, mirrors similar legislation passed in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.

The act makes it easier for victims to get protection orders and adds new features for those orders, including a provision designed to keep traffickers from contacting their victims.

It also allows victims to sue their traffickers to get financial compensation for the harm the victims suffered. As well, the legislation gives law enforcement agencies the ability to ask for search warrants for residences or vehicles to locate a victim and remove them.

“Human trafficking is on the rise and continues to be under-reported in most jurisdictions,” Gordon Wyant, Saskatchewan’s justice minister and attorney general, said in a government media release.

“This legislation is intended to improve safety for survivors, while holding traffickers accountable for this horrific crime.”

Victims can apply for protection orders by themselves or with the help of a shelter employee, a medical professional or another individual as permitted under the act. Violations of the protection orders can result in fines, driver’s licence suspensions and/or jail time.

“This is a complex issue that requires interventions on many levels,” Wyant said. “While criminal charges will continue to be the first response to these terrible crimes, this offers community-based organizations and law enforcement another tool to assist victims of human trafficking in Saskatchewan.”