Canada's Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter - Issue 6, July 2014

Canada's Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter - Issue 6, July 2014 PDF Version (851 KB)

Feature Organization

NEWFOUNDLAND COALITION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The Newfoundland (NL) Coalition Against Human Trafficking, initially formed in 2007 as the NL Human Trafficking Committee, was incorporated in November 2013. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and many government and non-governmental agencies working with victims of human trafficking, as well as the St. John's Native Friendship Centre, the Association for New Canadians, St. John's International Airport Authority, and various religious orders are among its approximately 35 members.

The Coalition's work has thus far been one of education and awareness raising in the province. It launched a Human Trafficking Awareness Week in St. John's in October 2013, which was supported by the Mayor and Councillors and both Chiefs of Police. During the week-long event, tables were set up throughout the city in strategic areas and literature and information was distributed to the public.

On April 7 -9, 2014, the Coalition hosted a Human Trafficking Conference in the province, with approximately 115 participants. The Honourable Joy Smith, Member of Parliament, was the keynote speaker. The RCMP, an international expert trainer, and local victim service providers also presented.

The Coalition would like to host continued discussions and meetings with stakeholders until it reaches its goal to make the community a safer place in which to live.

To learn more about the Coalition and its efforts, please contact Dolly Sweetapple at Dolly_Sweetapple@can.salvationarmy.org .

Training and Events

LAUNCH OF BC OCTIP'S UPDATED ONLINE HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING

On April 14, 2014, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable Suzanne Anton, Attorney General and Minister of Justice for British Columbia (BC), commended BC's Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP) on the launch of its updated online training course aimed at enhancing the ability of first responders and service providers to support victims of human trafficking.

The Second Edition of 'Human Trafficking: Canada is Not Immune', has been updated to provide training to front-line service providers and first responders across Canada to help identify trafficked persons, support them and provide appropriate referral services for help and protection.

The update to the online training course was developed through a contribution agreement with Public Safety Canada (PS). It is available in both English and French.

To read the full news release, please go to: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=838849. To access the online training course, please visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/training.htm.

FREEDOM WALK 2014

Preparations for the 5th Annual [free-them] 'Freedom Walk' in Toronto is underway for Saturday, September 27, 2014. This year [free-them] is adding a second walk to take place the same day in Ottawa; Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans (PACT) Ottawa is the lead organization for support towards the goal of having two simultaneous Freedom Walks.

Creating a unified voice against human trafficking regardless of location is [free-them]'s goal and this September those efforts will be realized. Registration will open soon. For more details please visit www.freethem.ca .

UNDERSTANDING AND WORKING WITH CHILD AND YOUTH WHO HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY EXPLOITED/TRAFFICKED – TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Defend Dignity, along with the Saskatoon Branch of the Salvation Army, is excited to offer the internationally recognized training 'Understanding and Working with Children and Youth Who Have Been Sexually Exploited/Trafficked.'

Approximately 90% of this highly interactive curriculum was written by survivors of human trafficking from Manitoba. This training is designed with law enforcement, front-line service providers, child welfare workers and social workers in mind. The training will take place in Saskatoon in two parts: the first half November 3 -5, 2014; the second half November 17 -19, 2014.

Check out Defend Dignity's website www.defenddignity.ca for more information on the training and to find out about other upcoming events in Saskatoon.

ONLINE INITIATIVE TO FIGHT MODERN DAY SLAVERY (ONTARIO)

With funding support from the Ministry of the Attorney General – Ontario Victims Services and input from human trafficking survivors, law enforcement and front-line service providers, MCIS Language Services has developed a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind online training program for service providers to address human trafficking in Canada.

Service providers can take all, or portions of, this 10 hour modular training which is available online in both English and French at: www.helpingtraffickedpersons.org / www.aiderlesvictimesdelatraitedepersonnes.org . It includes:

• 9 interactive online training modules followed by short quizzes for service providers (available in PDF on the website);
• a Toolkit for service providers (available in PDF on the website);
• numerous links to additional resources and information; and
• an online forum where training participants can discuss issues related to the training and network with other participants.

The training was made available to stakeholders on January 29, 2014, and already has over 900 registrants across all sectors. In the first five months, almost 500 persons having successfully completed the training in full or in part.

For additional information or technical support, please call 416-467-3096 or email support@helpingtraffickedpersons.org .

Government of Canada News

HUMAN TRAFFICKING OUTREACH INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT PORTS OF ENTRY

In support of the National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Human Trafficking, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) worked with Public Safety Canada (PS) and the RCMP to create outreach information, which is now being made available at all Ports of Entry (POEs) to foreign nationals who may be vulnerable to human trafficking. The outreach brochure has been translated into eight languages (English, French, Spanish, Simple Chinese, Russian, Hungarian, Romanian and Punjabi) and provides emergency contact information for victims seeking assistance. Brochures are available in public waiting areas at POEs, as well as in secondary interview rooms. 

The brochure (http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5158.pdf ) is available in a print friendly PDF format.

For additional information, please contact Christine Achakji (Christine.Achakji@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca ).

RCMP HUMAN TRAFFICKING NATIONAL COORDINATION CENTRE RELEASES 'PROJECT SAFEKEEPING' NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT

The RCMP Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre (HTNCC) recently released 'Project SAFEKEEPING', a national threat assessment on domestic human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Project SAFEKEEPING serves as a baseline report that provides insight into the nature and extent of domestic human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Canada. The findings of this report identify the characteristics of traffickers and victims, the vulnerabilities of victims, and the modi operandi of traffickers. Provincial overviews of domestic human trafficking for sexual exploitation, as well as current gaps and challenges pertaining to investigating this crime, are also included in this report. Overall, the findings of Project SAFEKEEPING provide support to law enforcement, service providers, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations in their fight against this crime.

For further information or to request the document, please contact the HTNCC at htncc-cnctp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or 1-855-850-4640.

PS LAUNCHES HUMAN TRAFFICKING SHAREPOINT SITE

Public Safety Canada (PS) has created a Human Trafficking SharePoint Site for use by anti-human trafficking stakeholders in order to promote and facilitate awareness, information sharing, and cooperation on human trafficking. The SharePoint site is open to all levels of government, front-line service providers, non-profit organizations, private industry, and those who participated in the National Forum on Human Trafficking. Presentations from the National Forum on Human Trafficking in January 2014, for which PS has received permission to share have now been posted to the SharePoint site. Should you wish to access the Human Trafficking SharePoint Site, please request a username and password via: htt.gttp@ps-sp.gc.ca .

In the Regions

WESTERN CANADA

YEAR-LONG LABOUR TRAFFICKING PROJECT ENDS WITH DYNAMIC ROUNDTABLE AND NEW POSTERS

On March 5, 2014, BC OCTIP, in collaboration with West Coast Domestic Workers Association and the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform, hosted a dynamic day-long Roundtable on Labour Trafficking. Panelists for the day included academics, lead human trafficking federal prosecutors, and representatives from service organizations. More than 40 participants discussed and generated ideas for preventing trafficking of live-in-caregivers (LICs).

Recommendations were made for collaboration on broader issues of labour trafficking in BC, in particular to increase the number of investigations and convictions related to the issue. The Roundtable was the culminating event of a year-long project funded by the Government of Canada, through WelcomeBC, called 'Preventing Labour Exploitation and Trafficking of Live-in-Caregivers'. Also part of the project, West Coast Domestic Workers Association delivered legal education sessions to LICs and service providers in 14 BC communities. A poster was developed to raise awareness about the labour trafficking of domestic nannies and was translated into Filipino, Spanish, Punjabi and Chinese.

Here is a link to the English version of the poster. For more information about this project, or to order posters, please contact octip@gov.bc.ca . A summary of the roundtable will be posted on OCTIP's website soon.

ONTARIO

WATERDOWN STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING COMMITTEE

Based out of the Notre Dame Convent in Waterdown, Ontario, the membership of the Stop Human Trafficking Committee consists of Sisters from the School Sisters of Notre Dame and other volunteers.

The fourteen members have been conducting awareness presentations on human trafficking for various groups, including social workers, high school students, university students, parish groups, women's and men's groups, for the past ten years. Training focuses on defining human trafficking, where it occurs, the root causes, and how to identify a victim. Sessions begin with a prayer or reflection and resources and books are available for future education. A multimedia presentation using power point and video from sources such as the United Nations and RCMP is also used. The Committee also keeps track of local examples of human trafficking to use as case studies on the issue.

Annually, the Committee hosts a conference with one or more speakers. This year's conference 'Voice of Survivors – Journey Into Hope' was held on April 26 in Burlington, Ontario.

BUILDING COLLABORATION TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE CITY OF TORONTO – ROUNDTABLE

The Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network, facilitated by FCJ Refugee Centre, organized a series of roundtables in Toronto 'Building Collaboration to Combat Human Trafficking in the City of Toronto'. The events are made possible through financial support from the City of Toronto.

The main objectives of these initiatives are to establish and foster relations between multi-sector stakeholders; and to develop an anti-human trafficking response model to facilitate the delivery of services and protection to trafficked persons, taking into consideration the particularities of Toronto area.

This series of events successfully brought together health providers, city representatives, settlement organizations, the Children's Aid Society, Toronto Police, Ontario Provincial Police, academics, migrant workers' associations, faith groups, and community members to exchange information and discuss promising practices for collaboration. The anti-human trafficking response model that came as a result of the Network's collective work received important input from event participants. The last roundtable took place on May 15, 2014, in Toronto where the response model was finalized.

The response model will be a vital tool to address, in a holistic manner through an anti-oppressive, anti-racist framework, the complex needs of trafficked persons. The summary report and evaluation report from the roundtable series are available on FCJ Refugee Centre's website at http://www.fcjrefugeecentre.org/ .

UPDATE FROM WALK WITH ME CANADA VICTIM SERVICES

Walk With Me's Journey to Freedom Gala in January once again allowed the organization to honor several key players in the law enforcement community who are working in exceptional ways to combat human trafficking. Special guests at the Gala included: Michael Clemons and Diane Clemons, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Chris Lewis, Deputy Commissioner W. Scott Tod, Superintendent Tom Girling, Chief of Hamilton Police Glenn De Caire, Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans and Deputy Chief Dan McDonald, Durham Regional Police Superintendent Brian Osborn, Waterloo Region Mayor Brenda Halloran, and the Honourable Joy Smith, Member of Parliament. Halton Regional Police, RCMP, Waterloo Police, and Niagara Regional Police were also present to show their support.

Walk With Me Canada Victim Services has already engaged with 20 victims of human trafficking in 2014. Recognizing the increasing need for its services, the organization is excited to introduce an enhanced Volunteer Training Sessionthis spring.Providing over 40 hours of training, Walk With Me will cover issues of human trafficking and the psychology of trauma as well as topics such as crisis intervention, sexual assault/domestic violence, suicide prevention and safety planning. Once the training is successfully completed, the volunteers will be able to assist with front-line work and safe house victim care.

For more information about becoming a volunteer, please contact: Clem@walk-with-me.org.

ALLIANCE AGAINST MODERN SLAVERY HOSTS FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE FEATURING LEADING EXPERTS

Toronto, ON June 14, 2014 – Survivors of human trafficking, law enforcement, NGOs, community members, researchers, and more, gathered together at the Toronto Central YMCA (20 Grosvenor Street) for the Alliance Against Modern Slavery's (AAMS) fourth annual conference, entitled 'Slavery Here, Slavery There'.

Judie Oron (author, Cry of the Giraffe) recounted how she went into war-torn Ethiopia to free her daughter from slavery. Simon Chorley, UNICEF Canada's International programs manager, spoke about protecting children from human trafficking. Stephen Hicks and Glenn Jones from Toronto Police shared lessons learned in combatting human trafficking within the Greater Toronto Area, where eight individuals were arrested on a human trafficking probe on June 9, 2014. Social work professor, Natalya Timoshkina of Lakehead University presented important research findings on human trafficking from the former Eastern Bloc to Canada. Award winning human rights activist, Loly Rico from the FCJ Refugee Centre, Deepa Mattoo from the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and Michele Anderson from Covenant House Toronto shared insights and on-the-ground strategies for working with survivors of human trafficking in Ontario.

At the conference, AAMS also released its groundbreaking research on human trafficking in Ontario, a report entitled, 'The Incidence of Human Trafficking in Ontario', which is highlighted in the Research and Publications section of this newsletter.

The all-day conference hosted by AAMS was catered by ChocoSol Traders who were on hand for those interested in slavery-free chocolate for purchase. Well-known musician Jeff Gunn also performed.

CITY OF TORONTO TAKES CONCRETE STEPS TOWARDS PREVENTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The City of Toronto made anti-human trafficking history on December 16, 2013, when City Council passed eight initiatives designed to address human trafficking in Toronto. After working with the City for over two years, the Human Trafficking Working Group (stakeholders) is delighted that the City is taking action by adopting all eight initiatives put before it.

Designed to establish policies and training within the City of Toronto, the cost-effective initiatives signify a huge step forward for the anti-human trafficking movement in Toronto.

These municipal actions demonstrate that the fight against human trafficking is best fought on all levels of government. Without the federal National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, the Human Trafficking Working Group, the Ontario government's Human Trafficking Advisory Committee (supported by the Ministry of the Attorney General), the Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network (coordinated by FCJ Refugee Centre), the Ontario Coalition Against Human Trafficking (coordinated by the Alliance Against Modern Slavery), the Rotary Club of Toronto Women's Initiative Domestic Human Trafficking Project, Streetlight Support Services, [free-them] and the National Task Force of Human Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada led by Canadian Women's Foundation, and others, these measures could not have been taken.

For more information on the City Council decision and the eight initiatives, please go to: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewagendaitemhistory.do?item=2013.ex36.13.

CANADIAN WOMEN’S FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH THE CENTRE TO END ALL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (CEASE)

It's illegal, it's a human rights violation, and it's an extreme form of violence against women. The Canadian Women's Foundation is committed to ending the trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Canada.

As part of this commitment, the Foundation provides funding support to the Centre to End all Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) in Edmonton, Alberta.

CEASE provides support, counselling referral services, as well as workshops and retreats for women who have experienced sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, violence and/or complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It emphasizes dignity and respect throughout the healing journey, and incorporates sensitivity to cultural and Aboriginal issues into the support it provides.

And it is seeing success. In the words of one client, “Counselling is a safe place to go where someone can listen to you and unconditionally accept you and guide you. Counselling has given me the possibility of a meaningful life. I can now contribute to society; it makes me a whole new person again.”

Funding for this program is part of a broader $2 million strategy that the Canadian Women's Foundation is rolling out over the next year. The funds are being invested in programs that help women and girls escape sexual exploitation and rebuild their lives, research, and bringing together experts, survivors and community leaders in a Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada.

To learn more about how the Canadian Women's Foundation is working to end trafficking, please visit, www.canadianwomen.org/trafficking .

Legislative and Regulatory Updates

Private Member's Bill C-452, 'An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (exploitation and trafficking in persons)' was passed on November 26, 2013, by the House of Commons and was debated at Second Reading in the Senate on June 10, 2014. This Bill proposes to amend the Criminal Code to include consecutive sentencing for offences related to human trafficking and creates a presumption regarding the exploitation of one person by another. In addition, it also proposes to add human trafficking to the list of offences to which the forfeiture of proceeds of crime applies. Please go to the following link for more information: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LEGISinfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=6254142 .

On June 4, 2014, the Minister of Justice introduced in the House of Commons 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 (Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act). The proposed legislation to address prostitution seeks to: protect those who sell their sexual services from exploitation; protect communities from the harms associated caused by prostitution; and reduce the demand for sexual services. To achieve this, the Government of Canada is proposing new offences and modernizing existing ones.

The Government of Canada also seeks to provide support for vulnerable persons to help them leave prostitution through the provision of $20 million in new funding, with an emphasis on funding programs that can help individuals exit prostitution.

For more information, please go to:  http://www.parl.gc.ca/legisinfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&billId=6635303 .

Funding Opportunities

The Victims Fund at Justice Canada provides funding through grants and contributions to individuals, organizations, and provincial and territorial governments to support projects and activities that encourage the development of new approaches to victim services, enhance existing services, promote access to justice, improve the capacity of service providers, foster the establishment of referral networks, and increase awareness of services available to victims of crime and their families, including victims of human trafficking.

For more information about the Victims Fund and how to apply, please visit: http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/pcvi-cpcv/over-pres.html .

Research and Publications

LOCAL SAFETY AUDIT GUIDE: TO PREVENT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS AND RELATED EXPLOITATION

Developed by Public Safety Canada (PS), the Local Safety Audit Guide is designed to contribute to the development of strategic action plans to prevent human trafficking and other related forms of violence and exploitation in Canada's urban centres, and to address the factors which make particular groups far more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and/or forced labour. The guide is of particular relevance to: provincial, territorial and local government representatives and service providers responsible for and/or contributing to policies concerned with human trafficking and related exploitation; national organizations such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Crime Prevention Committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP); and national and local level non-government organizations concerned with human trafficking and related exploitation.

For Canadian cities which have already developed multi-partnership and comprehensive crime prevention strategies, this guide will help to complement their work by providing a more in-depth focus on human trafficking and other related exploitation. For those cities which have not yet established such an approach but are concerned about human trafficking and related forms of exploitation, the guide can be used as a stand-alone tool.

The guide may be accessed via the following link: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/lcl-sfty-dtgd/index-eng.aspx .

THE INCIDENCE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN ONTARIO – ONTARIO COALITION RESEARCH INITIATIVE

A total of 551 cases of human trafficking involving Ontario as a source, transit or destination point were reported between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2013. The findings in a report released by the Ontario Coalition research initiative reveal that the province of Ontario urgently needs to invest in system changes, revise its child welfare legislation, fund shelters, develop a province-wide action plan, and a provincial task force to take a proactive approach to combatting human trafficking. Approximately sixty-three per cent of victims trafficked to, through, within or from Ontario were Canadian citizens. Within Ontario, the Greater Toronto Area was the most common destination for human trafficking. Toronto was also a significant transit point, acting as a hub for a number of human trafficking routes. The full report can be downloaded for free at: http://www.allianceagainstmodernslavery.org/events/release_of_research_report_on_human_trafficking_in_ontario .

2014 US TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT

On June 20, 2014, the United States Department of State released the 2014 US Trafficking in Persons Report, which provides a global look at the nature and scope of human trafficking and government efforts to address this crime. The 2014 Report is available in PDF and HTML formats. To access the report and Canada's narrative please go to: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2014/index.htm.

Date modified:

2022-08-09