Stay Awake Campaign 2022 | Labour Trafficking Part 2

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As part of the #StayAwakeCampaign, we are continuing to explore the intersectionality of precarious migrant youth and labour trafficking. Labour trafficking is when someone earns a profit from exploiting and taking advantage of someone else by either using threats, fraud, coercion, and or/deception. It involves recruiting, moving, or holding victims to coerce them into doing any kind of work.

If you answered yes to most or all of the questions below, you may be vulnerable to labour trafficking.

Possible Signs of Labour Trafficking:

• Have a job offer that seems too good to be true?
• Have an employer who makes threats of deportation or threaten to report your/their immigration status to police?
• Have an employer that withholds personal identification?
• Feel their life or those they love could be in danger if they don’t work long hours and/or accept a lower wage?
• Have to relocate with few details and no payment up front?
• Live and/or work in unhealthy, unsafe conditions?

Questions to ask before accepting a job:

• Am I being charged an insanely large fee to immigrate to Canada?
• Am I being charged a large recruitment fee?
• Do I have to give up my passport or personal documents?
• Have I been given a formal employment contract?
• Do I know the type of work I’ll be doing?

• Are they charging to connect me to a job?
• Am I expected to work without a work permit?
• Do I have a valid work permit to work in Canada?
• Am I expected to enter the country without a work permit?
• Will the payments be going directly to me?

Are you in some of these situations?

• Do you have control of your passport or personal documents?
• Are you able to speak for yourself or are you told what to say?
• Are you able to communicate freely with family and friends?
• Do you have the freedom to go outside or travel?
• Did you come to do a specific job or purpose or are you working in conditions other than what you were promised?
• Have you or your family been threatened, verbally, psychologically, physically abused or treated disrespectfully?
• Do you have the basic needs like money, food, water, shelter, good sleep?
• Are you working very long hours, with little breaks, or without fair compensation?
• Has money been taken from you to pay for your travel? Or have you paid a fee to come and work?
• Do you have a large debt and have trouble paying it off?
• Are my wages being deducted?
• Do I owe my employer something?

If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be a victim of forced labour or sex please contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010.