More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday. "This could be due to several factors, including the incident still being under investigation, having insufficient evidence to proceed, and no accused person having been identified," Statistics Canada wrote in its report while noting 58 per cent of human trafficking incidents didn’t have a resolution. Since 2013, nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) of police-reported human trafficking cases have resulted in the laying or recommendation of charges, according to Canada's national statistical agency.

As well, one in 10 completed human trafficking cases resulted in a guilty verdict. Only four per cent resulted in an acquittal and two per cent resulted in another type of decision, such as being found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible. The vast majority (84 per cent) of completed adult criminal court human trafficking cases have resulted in either a stay, a withdrawal, a dismissal or a discharge since 2012-13.

What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is a serious human rights violation that isn't only a domestic problem but occurs trans-nationally, according to StatCan. It involves the recruitment, transporting and harbouring of an individual using force, fraud and manipulation. It can take on many forms, commonly sexual exploitation or forced labour, the agency added.

Most victims ar.