Crimes related to the sex trade in Canada, 2020 to 2024

In response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s Bedford decision, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) came into force in December 2014.^Note  The Act changed the way that the Canadian criminal justice system treats those involved in the sex trade—which generally refers to acts associated with the selling or exchanging of sexual services for money or other forms of consideration. Among the changes under the PCEPA legislation was a shift away from criminalizing the sellers of sexual services toward criminalizing the buyers and third parties who profit from others’ sexual services or procure others to provide sexual services. This legislative approach, which is often referred to as the “Nordic Model,” aims to reduce the demand for sexual services and to protect the providers of these services—predominantly women and girls—by focusing on providing support and assistance, rather than placing blame or imposing punishment (Department of Justice Canada, 2014).

This Juristat article uses data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and the Integrated Criminal Court Survey (ICCS) to examine the most recent trends in crimes related to the sex trade in Canada after the PCEPA legislative changes came into force in December 2014 (see Text box 1). Building on previous analysis (Allen & Rotenberg, 2021), particular focus will be made on the offences that target the purchasers of sexual services, as well as third-party (profiting) offences, to examine the ongoing impacts of the legal changes introduced by the PCEPA. Findings are primarily presented using two five-year periods of data to highlight any trend similarities or differences from the early post-PCEPA period (2015 to 2019) and the most recent post-PCEPA period (2020 to 2024).

This article was produced with funding support from the Department of Justice.

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Police-reported crime related to the sex trade

Despite long-term decline, police-reported crimes related to the sex trade increased in 2023 and 2024

Between 2020 and 2024, there were 4,275 police-reported incidents of crime related to the sex trade (Table 1; see Text box 1).^{Note  Note}  This represented an average rate of 2.2 incidents per 100,000 population over the five-year period.

There were 10,173 police-reported incidents related to the sex trade between 2010 and 2014, the period prior to the introduction of the PCEPA. In comparison, after the enactment of the PCEPA, the number of police-reported incidents was 46% lower between 2015 and 2019 (5,466) and 58% lower between 2020 and 2024 (4,275). Most of this decline was due to a decrease in the number of incidents associated with stopping or communicating violations (Chart 1), because of the shift away from criminalizing the sellers of sexual services. This was also due to the repeal of s. 213(1)(c) of the Criminal Code, which previously criminalized stopping or impeding traffic, or communicating for the purposes of engaging in prostitution or obtaining the sexual services of a prostitute, and made up a large proportion of sex trade incidents prior to the PCEPA’s enactment.^{Note  Note}  Overall, the number of incidents associated with stopping or communicating violations decreased from 8,554 between 2010 and 2014, to 675 between 2015 and 2019 (-92%), to 224 between 2020 and 2024 (-97%).

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Between 2010 and 2014, the average annual rate of crime related to the sex trade was 5.9 incidents per 100,000 population, dropping to 3.0 between 2015 and 2019. The average rate (2.2) between 2020 and 2024 marked further decline.

Despite the overall decline, the most recent years of data have shown an increase in both the crime rate and the number of incidents involving sex trade-related violations. After declining to a rate of 2.0 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022, the rate of sex trade-related crime has increased recently, reaching 2.4 in 2024. Similarly, between 2020 and 2024, the number of incidents increased 18% (from 836 in 2020 to 990 incidents in 2024).^Note  This recent increase was driven by more violations associated with the purchasing of sexual services (+228 incidents).^Note  Over this period, police reported fewer violations associated with profiting from others’ sexual services (-45 incidents) and fewer violations associated with stopping or communicating (-29). These findings align with the goals of the PCEPA legislation—to criminalize the buyers of sexual services as opposed to the sellers.

Recent national increase in sex trade violations largely driven by increases in Quebec

Differences in crime levels across geographic regions may be impacted by differences in police resources, practices and enforcement—especially as police services adapt to changes in legislation.

Among the provinces, average annual rates of police-reported crime related to the sex trade between 2020 and 2024 were highest in Manitoba (5.6 incidents per 100,000 population), Saskatchewan (3.8) and Quebec (3.7), and lowest in Prince Edward Island (0.6), Newfoundland and Labrador (1.0) and Ontario (1.0) (Table 2).^Note  All provinces had a lower average rate in 2020 to 2024 than in 2010 to 2014, with the exception of Quebec (3.7 versus 3.4).^Note 

Not only was Quebec the only province to have a higher rate of sex trade violations relative to the pre-PCEPA period, but the national increase in the number of incidents related to the sex trade between 2023 and 2024 was largely attributable to increases in Quebec.^Note  There were 98 more sex trade-related incidents in 2024 than in 2023 in Quebec. While some other provinces saw modest year-over-year increases, there were 15 fewer incidents in the rest of the country combined.

Census metropolitan areas (CMAs)—Canada’s largest urban centres—had a higher overall average annual rate of crime related to the sex trade between 2020 to 2024 compared to non-CMAs (2.3 versus 1.9 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 3).^Note  While the average rate has continued to decline since the 2010 to 2014 period in CMAs, it was higher in non-CMAs in 2020 to 2024 than it was in 2015 to 2019 (1.9 versus 1.6).^Note  More recently, the overall rate of sex trade-related crime increased for CMAs between 2023 and 2024 (from 2.4 to 2.6), while it decreased in non-CMAs (from 2.0 to 1.8).

Regina (10.0 incidents per 100,000 population), Moncton (8.6) and Sherbrooke (7.8) had the highest average annual rates of crime related to the sex trade between 2020 and 2024. The lowest rates were reported in Hamilton (0.1), Greater Sudbury (0.1), Saint John (0.2) and Thunder Bay (0.2). Some CMAs—particularly those in Quebec—had a higher average rate in the 2020 to 2024 period than in the 2010 to 2014 period. Similarly, rates rose in many CMAs between 2023 and 2024, with the largest increases in Gatineau (from 0.8 to 5.0), Sherbrooke (from 2.3 to 9.3) and Moncton (from 1.1 to 3.6). Montréal also recorded a higher average annual rate over this period (from 4.3 to 5.3), with 54 more incidents of police-reported crime related to the sex trade.

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Around one-quarter of sex trade-related incidents reported by police involved a more serious violation

In the UCR Survey, police can report up to four violations in a criminal incident. Between 2020 and 2024, there were 5,429 criminal incidents reported by police involving at least one violation related to the sex trade.^{Note  Note}  This was a 17% decrease from the number reported during the five-year period immediately following the PCEPA’s enactment (6,512 incidents between 2015 and 2019). During both time periods, a sex trade-related offence was the most serious violation in the majority of incidents. However, between 2020 and 2024, a sex trade-related offence was the most serious violation in a smaller proportion of incidents than was reported between 2015 and 2019 (77% versus 83%).

Between 2020 and 2024, in incidents where a sex trade-related offence was a secondary violation (1,257 incidents), the most serious violation was almost always another violent offence. Most commonly, the most serious violation was a sexual offence^Note  (45% of incidents) or a human trafficking offence (35% of incidents).^Note 

Most sex trade-related crime in recent years occurred at residential locations

Continuing the shift observed after the PCEPA was first enacted, there were fewer sex trade-related incidents which occurred on the street or in open areas over the last five years and, consequently, more which occurred at residential locations (e.g., a home) or in a commercial dwelling unit (e.g., a hotel). Between 2020 and 2024, three in five (60%) police-reported sex trade incidents occurred at a residential location^Note  (2,383 incidents), while one in five (21%) occurred in an open area (822 incidents).^Note  In comparison, between 2010 and 2014 and between 2015 and 2019, most sex trade-related incidents occurred in open areas (78% and 48%, respectively).^Note  However, the shift toward more incidents occurring at residential locations and fewer in open areas was still evident between 2015 and 2019, but not to the same extent as was observed over the last five years.

The decrease in police-reported incidents of crime related to the sex trade occurring in streets or open areas was largely attributed to the decline in incidents involving stopping or communicating violations, while the increase in incidents occurring at residential locations was due to an increase in incidents of purchasing offences and, to a lesser extent, an increase in incidents involving profiting offences. These findings were also observed in the years immediately following the PCEPA’s enactment and continued between 2020 and 2024.

Since 2014, the vast majority of accused persons in police-reported crime related to the sex trade are men

The number of women accused in police-reported incidents of crime related to the sex trade declined dramatically between 2010 and 2014, the period prior to the PCEPA’s enactment (Chart 2; Table 4).^Note  This was attributed to a decline in violations associated with stopping or communicating, for which there were 888 women accused in 2010 and 65 women accused in 2014. Overall, this declining trend has continued, with 24 women accused in 2024. Women accounted for 40% of all persons accused of sex trade-related crime between 2010 and 2014, 8% between 2015 and 2019 and 7% between 2020 and 2024.

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There were 153 women accused in incidents of crime related to the sex trade between 2020 and 2024. More than three-quarters (77%) of these women were accused of violations associated with profiting from others’ sexual services—most often, procuring or receiving material benefit offences—while the remaining women were accused of stopping or communicating violations (12%) or purchasing violations (10%).^{Note  Note} 

While men accounted for a larger proportion (93%) of persons accused in incidents of crime related to the sex trade between 2020 and 2024 compared to earlier periods, the number of men accused has also had a notable long-term decline overall (Chart 2; Table 5). There were 4,510 men accused of sex trade violations between 2010 and 2014, 3,404 between 2015 and 2019 and 2,095 between 2020 and 2024. This decline can also be attributed to a decrease in the number of men accused of violations associated with stopping or communicating. Between 2020 and 2024, there were 48 men accused of these violations, representing 2% of all men accused of police-reported crime related to the sex trade. In comparison, the number of men accused of violations associated with the purchasing of sexual services and violations associated with profiting from others’ sexual services increased compared with the period before the legislative changes. Between 2020 and 2024, there were 1,404 men accused of purchasing violations, accounting for the largest proportion of men accused (67%), while 643 men (31%) were accused of profiting violations. Prior to the PCEPA’s enactment, the large majority (87%) of men accused of sex trade-related violations were accused of stopping or communicating offences.

Of note, men that were accused of sex trade-related violations were predominantly the only person accused in the incident, in the years preceding the PCEPA’s enactment (91% between 2010 and 2014) and in the years that followed the legislative changes (89% between 2015 and 2019 and 88% between 2020 and 2024). Meanwhile, there was a notable shift in co-accused findings for women accused. In the years prior to the PCEPA’s enactment, the large majority (89%) of women accused in incidents related to the sex trade were the sole accused. Since the PCEPA came into force, this proportion has decreased substantially to about half of women accused (53% between 2020 and 2024 and 51% between 2015 and 2019). For 90% of women who were co-accused in a sex trade-related incident between 2020 and 2024, at least one of their co-accused was a man. These women were most often co-accused in incidents involving profiting violations. 

Women less commonly charged in sex trade-related incidents

Overall, a large proportion of individuals accused in sex trade-related incidents were charged in the period that immediately followed the PCEPA’s enactment as well as in the most recent years.^Note  However, results varied when these findings were broken down by gender and by type of violation. Between 2020 and 2024, women overall were less commonly charged than men in sex trade-related incidents (65% versus 77%) (Table 4; Table 5).^Note  More specifically, much smaller proportions of women accused of stopping or communicating violations (26%) or purchasing violations (19%) were charged than men (73% and 76%, respectively) (Chart 3). In contrast, charge rates for profiting violations were similar for both men (79%) and women (78%).

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Compared with the period right after the PCEPA legislation came into force, between 2020 and 2024, the proportion of women charged in incidents of purchasing violations and stopping or communicating violations declined, while the proportion of women charged in incidents of profiting violations increased (Table 4). In comparison, there were higher charging rates over the last five years for men accused in incidents of profiting from the sale of others’ sexual services and stopping or communicating offences, but lower charging rates for incidents of purchasing offences (Table 5). These changes in charging rates were also generally more pronounced for women than men.

Most victims in violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation are women and girls

The enactment of the PCEPA brought about changes to the classification of certain offences related to the sex trade as violent crimes under the Criminal Code (see Text box 1).^{Note  Note}  Police now have the option to report information on the characteristics of victims identified in these incidents to the UCR Survey. However, victim information is not collected for non-violent incidents. Consequently, information on victims of sex trade-related crime before and after the PCEPA’s enactment should be interpreted with caution.

Between 2020 and 2024, there were 3,070 victims in violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related offence, up 37% from the number of victims (2,248) reported between 2015 and 2019, the period that immediately followed the PCEPA’s enactment (Chart 4). More than half (55%) of these victims were victims of one of the sex trade-related offences which were newly enacted under the PCEPA. A further 19% of victims were victims of a sexual violation, while 17% were victims of human trafficking.

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Over the last five years and in the years that immediately followed the PCEPA’s enactment, the vast majority (93% and 94%, respectively) of victims in violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation were women and girls.^Note  This represented an average annual rate of 2.9 victims per 100,000 population between 2020 and 2024. Since the PCEPA came into force, the rate of women and girls who were victims in incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation has increased. In comparison, there were 0.2 men and boys who were victims per 100,000 population between 2020 and 2024. The rate of women and girl victims of violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation has consistently been much higher than the rate among men and boy victims.

Most victims in violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation were adults,^Note  both in the period immediately following the legislative changes (55%) and in the most recent years (64%).^Note  However, rates of violent crime involving at least one sex trade violation were highest among youth (aged 12 to 17). Between 2020 and 2024, there were 8.1 youth victims per 100,000 population.^Note  After youth, those between the ages of 18 and 24 had the next highest rate of violent crime involving at least one sex trade-related violation (5.6 victims per 100,000 between 2020 and 2024). In almost all age categories, the rate of victimization was higher during the period between 2020 and 2024 than it was during the period between 2015 and 2019.  

Since the PCEPA legislation came into force, equal proportions of victims in incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation were physically injured as a result of the violent incident. Between 2020 and 2024, and between 2015 and 2019, around one in six (16% for both periods) victims were physically injured in such incidents. The large majority of the reported injuries were minor.^Note 

Homicides of sex trade workers remain less common than prior to legislative changes

Previous analysis (Allen & Rotenberg, 2021) found that there was a notable decline in the number of victims of homicide identified by police as sex trade workers when comparing the five years prior to the PCEPA’s enactment (2010 to 2014) to the early post-PCEPA time period (2015 to 2019).^Note  Since then, however, the trend has been more stable.

Between 2020 and 2024, 37 victims of homicide were identified by police as sex trade workers, virtually equal to the previous five-year period (36) and down from the five years prior to the legislative changes (55). That said, this relative stability is in contrast to the overall increase in homicides in Canada from 2015 to 2019 and 2020 to 2024 (up 24%, from 3,257 victims in 2015 to 2019 to 4,035 in 2020 to 2024). Sex trade workers accounted for 0.9% of all victims of homicide between 2020 and 2024, down from 1.1% between 2015 and 2019, and 2.0% between 2010 and 2014. Regardless of the time period and the state of the legislation surrounding the sex trade, virtually all sex trade workers who were victims of homicide were women.^Note 

Between 2020 and 2024, 62% of homicides of sex trade workers resulted in the laying or recommendation of charges against an accused person, which was comparable to the charge rate of homicides overall in this period (65%), and an increase from 2015 to 2019 (58%). The remaining homicides were cleared otherwise^Note  (14%) or remained uncleared (24%).

Sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts

Fewer sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts since the PCEPA’s enactment

Between 2019/2020 to 2023/2024, there were 1,290 cases completed in adult criminal courts in Canada where a sex trade-related offence was the most serious offence in the case (Table 6).^{Note  Note  Note}  This was a decrease (-39%) from the number of cases completed during the years prior (2,099 cases completed from 2014/2015 to 2018/2019), and was a continuation of the declining trend which was observed in the years that immediately followed the PCEPA’s enactment in 2014.^Note 

Similar to what was observed in the early post-PCEPA period, and consistent with trends observed in police-reported data, the declining number of adult criminal court sex trade cases was driven largely by a decrease in cases where the most serious offence was a stopping or communicating offence (see Text box 1). These cases decreased by 81% between the five-year period immediately following the enactment of the PCEPA and the latest five-year period (from 263 completed cases between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019 to 50 cases between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024). Most of this decline in stopping or communicating cases was due to fewer cases of stopping or impeding traffic, or communicating for the purposes of engaging in prostitution or obtaining  the sexual services of a prostitute (s. 213), due to the repeal of s. 213(1)(c).^Note  While the number of purchasing cases and profiting cases also both decreased over the last five years, the declines were not as large due to the enactment of new offences under the PCEPA (s. 286.1 to s. 286.4) which replaced the offences that were struck down and repealed under the legislation. For instance, completed profiting cases were down 20% compared with the initial post-PCEPA period (from 508 cases to 404, -20%). The decline in profiting cases was almost entirely due to fewer procuring cases (from 224 cases to 79, -65%).^Note 

Most sex trade cases in courts are still related to purchasing sexual services

Similar to what was observed in the early post-PCEPA period (63%), most (65%) adult criminal court cases involving sex trade-related offences completed between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 had a purchasing offence identified as the most serious offence in the case. Despite these proportions being similar, the volume was considerably lower. There were 836 purchasing cases completed between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024, down (-37%) from 1,328 cases completed between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019 (Table 6). Fewer completed cases of obtaining sexual services for consideration from an adult (s. 286.1(1)) accounted for a large proportion of this decline (-349 cases).

Cases where the most serious offence was related to profiting from the sale of others’ sexual services accounted for about three in ten (31%) sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts over the last five years. This was an increase from what was observed in the initial post-PCEPA period, when these types of cases represented almost one-quarter (24%) of sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts.

There were 50 stopping or communicating cases completed in adult criminal courts between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024, representing 4% of completed sex trade cases over this period.^Note  As the PCEPA has prioritized criminalizing offences related to purchasing sexual services and profiting from others’ sexual services, the number of stopping or communicating cases has continuously declined since its coming into force, particularly for s. 213 cases (stopping or impeding traffic, or communicating for the purposes of engaging in prostitution or obtaining the sexual services of a prostitute). Prior to the enactment of the PCEPA (between 2009/2010 and 2013/2014), stopping or communicating cases represented 89% of all sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts.

Sex trade cases involving women accused continue to decline in courts, but cases involving men declining to a greater extent

Like previous years, men continued to account for the vast majority (91%) of persons accused of sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024.^{Note  Note}  Since the enactment of the PCEPA, the proportion of cases involving men accused has generally increased, while the proportion of cases involving women accused has generally decreased.^Note  Prior to this (2009/2010 to 2013/2014), women represented over one-quarter (27%) of accused in sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts.^Note 

Continuing the trend of the early post-PCEPA period, the number of sex trade cases involving women accused declined over the last five years. Between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024, there were 104 sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts involving women accused, down (-28%) from 145 cases completed between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019. Over these same periods, the number of completed sex trade cases involving men accused also declined (from 1,820 cases to 1,060), and to a greater extent (-42%) than was observed among cases involving women.

Women continue to mostly be in court for profiting offences, men for purchasing offences

Most men (69%, 730 cases) accused in sex trade-related cases completed in adult criminal courts between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 were accused of a purchasing offence as the most serious offence, while most (69%, 72 cases) cases where a woman was accused had a profiting offence as the most serious offence (Chart 5).^Note  These findings were also observed in the initial post-PCEPA period when there were 1,237 men and 96 women accused of these offences. This was a shift from the trend that occurred prior to the legislative changes, when stopping or communicating offences were the most common offence in sex trade-related cases in court for both men and women accused.^Note 

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Just over one-third of sex trade cases result in a guilty decision

In recent years, a higher proportion of sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts resulted in a guilty decision than in the immediate post-PCEPA period.^Note  These findings were consistent for both men and women.^Note  Overall, 34% of sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 resulted in a guilty decision, up from 27% in the previous five-year period. Prior to the PCEPA’s enactment (2009/2010 to 2013/2014), 28% of sex trade-related cases resulted in a guilty decision.

However, as found in previous analysis (Allen & Rotenberg, 2021), the proportion of guilty cases varied substantially when broken down by type of offence. Cases completed between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 where a profiting offence was the most serious offence had much higher proportions of guilty findings than those where the most serious offence was a purchasing offence, or a stopping or communicating offence. Close to six in ten (57%) profiting cases completed during this period resulted in a guilty decision, compared to one-quarter (25%) of purchasing cases and a small proportion (4%) of stopping or communicating cases.

Custody continues to be the most common sentence ordered for men found guilty of sex trade-related offences, while probation and custody are the most common for women

Of the 33 sex trade cases where a woman accused was found guilty between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 (and there was a known sentence), 12 (36%) resulted in a sentence of custody, down from 15 cases (42%) in the period that immediately followed the enactment of the PCEPA.^{Note  Note  Note}  In contrast, the proportion of guilty men who were sentenced to custody remained almost the same during both periods, from 217 cases (49%) resulting in a guilty finding completed between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019 to 173 (50%) between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024. Since the PCEPA came into force, custody has consistently been the most common sentence handed down to men found guilty in a sex trade-related case completed in adult criminal courts, while in these cases where women were found guilty, probation and custody were tied for the most common type of sentence for cases completed between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024 (both 36%).

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Summary

This article examined the most recent trends in sex trade-related incidents reported by police, as well as sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts, following the enactment of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) in 2014. The PCEPA aimed to reduce the demand for sexual services by targeting those who purchase sexual services and profit from others’ sexual services or procure others to provide sexual services, rather than those who sell sexual services.

Between 2020 and 2024, there were 4,275 police-reported incidents related to the sex trade in Canada, representing an average annual rate of 2.2 incidents per 100,000 population. Among the provinces, the highest average annual rate of sex trade incidents was reported by police in Manitoba (5.6 incidents per 100,000 population), followed by Saskatchewan (3.8) and Quebec (3.7).

Trends observed in the initial period that followed the PCEPA’s enactment (2015 to 2019) continued during the period between 2020 and 2024, with some year-over-year exceptions. Overall, the number of police-reported incidents of sex trade-related crime has continued to decline, primarily due to a decrease in the number of incidents related to stopping or communicating violations. This aligned with the goals of the PCEPA legislation.

There was a decrease in the number of women accused of crimes related to the sex trade between 2020 and 2024, mirroring what occurred in the years leading up to and immediately following the PCEPA’s enactment. Most women accused of sex trade-related crimes were accused of profiting violations. Overall, women were less commonly charged than men in sex trade-related incidents.

Between 2020 and 2024, the vast majority of victims of violent incidents involving at least one sex trade-related violation were women and girls, which was similar to what was observed when the PCEPA was first enacted. Over this period, there were 37 victims of homicide who were identified by police as sex trade workers.

Over the last five years, adult criminal courts also saw a continuing shift in both the profile of those accused of sex trade-related offences, as well as a change in the types of sex trade cases that were before the courts. Overall, the number of sex trade cases completed in adult criminal courts declined (-39%) between 2019/2020 and 2023/2024, compared to the number completed between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019. Like police-reported incidents, this was also primarily due to a decrease in the number of completed court cases involving stopping or communicating offences. Similarly, men continued to account for the majority of accused in sex trade cases. Compared with the immediate post-PCEPA period, a larger proportion of sex trade cases completed over the last five years resulted in a guilty decision (27% versus 34%).

Detailed data tables

Table 1 Incidents of police-reported crime related to the sex trade, by violation, Canada, 2010 to 2024

Table 2 Incidents of police-reported crime related to the sex trade, by province or territory, 2010 to 2024

Table 3 Incidents of police-reported crime related to the sex trade, by census metropolitan area, 2010 to 2024

Table 4 Women accused in police-reported crime related to the sex trade, by violation, Canada, 2010 to 2024

Table 5 Men accused in police-reported crime related to the sex trade, by violation, Canada, 2010 to 2024

Table 6 Sex trade cases completed in adult criminal court, by type of offence, Canada, 2009/2010 to 2023/2024

Survey description

Uniform Crime Reporting Survey

The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey was established in 1962 with the co-operation and assistance of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The UCR Survey is a compilation of police-reported crimes that have been reported to federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal police services in Canada.

One incident can involve multiple offences. To ensure comparability, data presented in this article are based on the most serious violation in the incident, unless otherwise stated. Police determine the most serious violation according to standardized classification rules in the UCR Survey that consider, for instance, whether the offence is violent as well as the maximum penalty imposed by the Criminal Code.

The option for police to code victims and accused persons as “non-binary” in the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey was implemented in 2018. In the context of the UCR Survey, the term “non-binary” refers to a person who publicly expresses themselves as neither exclusively male nor exclusively female. Given that small counts of non-binary victims and accused persons may exist, the UCR Survey data available to the public have been recoded with these victims and accused persons distributed in the “men and boys” or “women and girls” categories based on the regional distribution of victims’ and accused persons’ gender. This recoding ensures the protection of the confidentiality and privacy of victims and accused persons.

Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database

The Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR2) Survey, Trend Database, is a microdata survey that captures detailed information on crimes reported to police, including the characteristics of incidents, victims and accused persons. UCR2 coverage between 2009 and 2024 is estimated at 99% of the population of Canada. UCR2 includes only the police services that have consistently responded to allow for comparisons over time.

Homicide Survey

The Homicide Survey collects police-reported data on the characteristics of all homicide incidents, victims and accused persons in Canada. The Homicide Survey began collecting information on all murders in 1961, however a variable for occupation that identified victims as sex trade workers was not introduced until 1991. Further, a question that identified whether the homicide was a result of the victim’s occupation was added in 1997.

Whenever a homicide becomes known to police, the investigating police service completes the survey questionnaires, which are then sent to Statistics Canada. There are cases where homicides become known to police months or years after they occurred. These incidents are counted in the year in which they become known to police. Information on persons accused of homicide is only available for cleared incidents (i.e., where at least one accused has been identified). Accused characteristics are updated as homicide cases are cleared and new information is submitted to the Homicide Survey.

Information collected through the incident and victim questionnaires is also updated as a result of a case being cleared.

The Homicide Survey recently underwent a redesign to improve data quality and enhance relevance. Changes were made to existing questions and additional questions were added for the 2019 reporting period.

Integrated Criminal Court Survey

The Integrated Criminal Court Survey (ICCS) collects statistical information on adult criminal and youth court cases involving Criminal Code and other federal statute offences. Data presented in this article are largely based on the adult criminal court portion of the survey.

As of 2005/2006, all provincial and territorial (adult criminal) courts in ten provinces and three territories report to the survey. However, information from superior courts in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan as well as municipal courts in Quebec are not available for extraction from their electronic reporting systems and are therefore not reported to the survey. Superior court information for Prince Edward Island was also unavailable until 2018/2019. All youth courts in Canada have reported data to the youth component of the survey since the 1991/1992 fiscal year.

References

Allen, M. & Rotenberg, C. (2021). Crimes related to the sex trade: Before and after legislative changes in Canada. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Canada (Attorney General) v. Bedford. (2013). SCC 72, [2013] 3 SCR 1101.

Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. (2018). Revising the classification of founded and unfounded criminal incidents in the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.

Department of Justice Canada. (2014). Technical Paper: Bill C-36, an Act to amend the Criminal Code in response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.

Government of Quebec. (2021). Briser le cycle de l’exploitation sexuelle : Plan d’action gouvernemental 2021-2026 en réponse aux recommandations de la Commission spéciale sur l’exploitation sexuelle des mineurs. Quebec: Government of Quebec.

Sutton-Preddie, D. (2025). Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2024. Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X.