Human trafficking conviction highlights prevalence of offence

Human trafficking conviction highlights prevalence of offence:

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There are approximately 56 human trafficking cases before courts across Canada.

Because it's an underground crime, it's difficult to deter-mine the extent of human trafficking in Canada, said Sgt. Marie-Claude Arsenault of the RCMP's Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre.

"It's a crime that the vast majority of the population are unaware of or are not familiar with, but we are seeing more and more cases," Arsenault said.

But it's hard to know if the increase is because it's a crime that's become more prevalent, or because there's been more awareness, Arsenault added.

The biggest challenge for police, Arsenault said, is getting victims to cooperate. They're often scared, ashamed or don't trust police.

In international cases, there is often a language barrier. Many don't see themselves as victims and others, especially in inter-national cases, just accept their situation.

Domotor had pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit human trafficking, being part of a criminal organization and coercing his victims to mislead immigration.