Following recent reports of Canada’s human trafficking epidemic, women at the University of Regina (U of R) are looking over their shoulders and staying indoors at night to avoid potential dangers.
“I think they (women) just don’t feel like they’re able to protect themselves. They feel vulnerable – women are often targets of male crime. I see videos of girls who pretend to dress up as guys when they go out, because that’s what you need to look like in order to not be attacked.” said Emma, an undeclared kinesiology student at the U of R.
As of 2024, Stats Canada has reported over 5000 cases of human trafficking, with two thirds, or 93%, of these victims being women and girls under twenty-five – double the number recorded ten years ago. 83% of the accused perpetrators are men or boys, with 46% of them being coworkers to victims and 36% being an intimate partner. Only over 1000 of these incidents make it court.
In 2019, to counter this crisis, the Government of Canada created a National Strategy to better support victims and boost protection to prevent future incidents. This strategy included expanding the laws of what is considered human trafficking and working to better collect data from cities with the highest rate of incidents. As of 2025, the National Strategy is in the process of being revised.
Closer to campus, Protective Services does their best to counter the fear through 24/7 on call available security, online forums to report suspicious behaviour, safety programs to escort people from building to building as well as communication to engage empathy.
“I think that it’s already good they have their number posted in places. I keep their number in my phone just in case.” said Lexi Herus, a psychology student at the U of R.
Though content with the current state of Protective Services, female students have expressed a wish to see a more physical presence on campus.
“I’d like to see a female security officer. I think I would feel safer knowing that not just men – who I sometimes personally fear – but a woman who would understand.” said Alex, a fitness major at the U of R.
The Government of Canada admits to not knowing the true extent of human trafficking within the country, as victims often become unrecognizable and are misidentified as a result. Victims are often distrustful and are burdened with feelings of shame, further causing a reluctance to report the crime. This problem is one of the main reasons the National Strategy is being improved upon and will be using more modern, trauma informed approaches upon its release.
“It’s never going to stop, it’s just a societal issue.” said Alex.
For further reading:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/canada-is-facing-a-human-trafficking-epidemic-says-survivor/
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2025001/article/00008-eng.htm#r23
