Canada's Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter - Issue 2, February 2013

Canada's Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter - Issue 2, February 2013 PDF Version (399 KB)

In This Issue

Feature Organization

Canadian Women's Foundation

Since 1991, the Canadian Women's Foundation has been helping women and girls in Canada to move out of poverty, out of violence and into confidence.

The Foundation is committed to ending the human trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Canada, and over the next three years, will invest nearly $2 million to end this extreme form of violence against women. The money will be used to fund programs that help women and girls escape sexual exploitation and rebuild their lives; conduct research; and bring together experts, survivors and community leaders in a National Human Trafficking Task Force. The Task Force will focus on developing a national strategy to address the following priority areas:

To learn more, visit: www.canadianwomen.org.

Training & Events

Online Training to Combat Human Trafficking Now More Accessible
'Human Trafficking: Canada is not Immune', an innovative, online training developed in British Columbia (BC) to help front-line service providers recognize and respond to suspected human trafficking is now available in French, increasing access to this important tool.

The training curriculum was originally launched in June 2011 by the BC government to help identify trafficked persons, support them and provide appropriate referral services for help and protection. It has now been translated to make it available nationally through a funding agreement between Public Safety Canada and the British Columbia Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (BC OCTIP).

For more information about BC OCTIP and to access the English online training curriculum, please visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/training.htm .

For the French version, please visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octipfrancais/.

Defend Dignity Hosting Information Forums in 2013
Defend Dignity, a justice initiative of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which exists to abolish prostitution and trafficking in Canada, is hosting Information Forums across the country to raise awareness and provide ways for people to engage in the issue of human trafficking.  The Forums include presentations from formerly trafficked and exploited women, police, city officials, front line organizations, a political analyst and others, which will then be followed by a question period. There will also be an opportunity for networking.

For more information on the Forums taking place in various parts of the country, please visit Defend Dignity's PSA.

AAMS Domestic Human Trafficking Training Sessions
Registration has already opened for a 5-day human trafficking training session hosted by the Alliance Against Modern Slavery (AAMS) and its partners in Toronto on March 18-22, 2013 (9am-4pm). The in-depth Sexual Exploitation / Human Trafficking Curriculum was written with law enforcement, front line service providers and social workers in mind. It covers Awareness, Victim Support and Intervention, and has been tailored to local laws, differences in affected demographics, and local protocols in place. AAMS is honoured to welcome internationally and nationally recognized trainers, Jane Runner and Jennifer Richardson, and grateful for funding received from the United States Embassy. The registration fee is $200 for the week-long session and subsidies are available. The 80 available spots are expected to fill up quickly.

For more information on the Toronto training, or on additional training sessions taking place in Thunder Bay and Windsor later in the year, as well as to register, please go to:  http://allianceagainstmodernslavery.org/events/advanced_human_trafficking_training.

PACT Ottawa Train-the-Trainer Workshop on Human Trafficking
PACT-Ottawa, the Ottawa Coalition to End Human Trafficking and St. Joe's Women's Centre will be delivering a one-day training workshop for frontline service organizations and first responders on human trafficking on February 27, March 6, 13, 20 and 23, 2013 at St. Joseph's Parish Hall in Ottawa, Ontario.

The purpose of the training is to train lead representatives of local community-based service organizations and selected stakeholders including educators, medical professionals, crime and gang prevention associations and related groups on issue of human trafficking. However, this session and the materials are tailored to reflect the local nature and face of trafficking in the National Capital Region as well as trends in our Region, which reaches from Montreal, Northern Quebec and Nunavut to border communities.

For any inquiries please contact the project coordinator Helen Roos at (819) 568-2400 or h.roos@pact-ottawa.org.

Montreal Conference and Workshop on Human Trafficking
The Comite d'action contre la traite humaine interne et internationale (CATTHI) is organizing an event entitled, 'Responding to Trafficking: Towards Coordinated Action' on April 11-12, 2013 in Montreal.

The purpose of this event is to bring together stakeholders from the community, health, social services and legal sectors of Quebec and the rest of Canada to discuss their experiences and expertise. It also seeks to identify promising practices that encourage intersectoral coordination and collaboration. Canadian research findings on support and protection services for victims of trafficking and joint action initiatives will also be presented.

One expected outcome of this event is a set of recommendations, strategies and potential courses of action to reinforce coordinated provincial action in Quebec to combat human trafficking and protect victims.

This event is organized by CATTHI in cooperation with the McGill School of Social Work and the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair, with financial support from Justice Canada.

The program and registration form (French only) are available online at: http://www.cathii.org/intervenir.html.

National / Government of Canada News

Fall 2012 Human Trafficking Stakeholder Consultations
In response to commitments made in the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, Public Safety Canada, in October 2012, conducted an online consultation with Canadian human trafficking stakeholders. The results from this consultation were then used as a basis for continued discussion at five face-to-face regional stakeholder roundtables across the country (Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton) in November-December 2012. A national report on these consultations will be made available to the public in the coming months.

Public Safety Canada would like to thank the various organizations and individuals that participated in both the online and face-to-face consultations.  For more information, please contact the Human Trafficking Taskforce at HTT.GTTP@ps-sp.gc.ca.

RCMP Launches Youth-Focused Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign
On November 22, 2012, the Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre (HTNCC) at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched a human trafficking awareness campaign targeting youth. 'I'm Not for Sale' includes a youth focused booklet, posters and video, an information sheet for parents and a user guide and PowerPoint presentation for those working with young people.

To view some of the materials from the RCMP's youth campaign online, please visit:
http://wwww.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ht-tp/index-eng.htm.

If you would like to receive copies of the toolkit, please send an email to: htncc-cnctp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca  or call 1-855-850-4640.

DFAIT's Stabilization and Reconstruction Taskforce Supports UNICEF'S Work to Combat Human Trafficking in Guatemala
Since February 2012, Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Canada's Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force (START) has been supporting the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to address the critical problem of the trafficking of children in Guatemala through a $1.2 million grant.

UNICEF is working to reinforce the Guatemalan justice and security systems with an effective and comprehensive child protection system for the detection of cases, attention to victims, and social/family reintegration.

For more information, please visit START's website at: http://www.international.gc.ca/START-GTSR/index.aspx?view=d.

Human Trafficking Outreach Materials at Port of Entry Coming Soon!
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the RCMP to make outreach information available to foreign nationals who may be vulnerable to human trafficking.

Outreach information will be provided at Ports of Entry in the form of a brochure, translated into eight languages, that provides information for victims seeking assistance.

The distribution of this printed material will be coupled with awareness training on Trafficking in Persons for all new Border Services Officers (BSOs), as well as an e-learning product for existing BSOs who have yet to complete the training.  The brochures are expected to be distributed to the front lines before the end of the fiscal year.

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

Canada Participates in Stockholm Conference on Human Trafficking
At the invitation of Sweden, representatives from a small group of like-minded countries (including Canada) and three key United Nations (UN) agencies (UNICEF, United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Labour Organization) that are part of the Inter Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking, met to discuss efforts to combat human trafficking through the multilateral system, and how these efforts can be strengthened.

The purpose of the conference was to gather countries that actively want to enhance multilateral efforts, to discuss how to better coordinate and strengthen the multilateral response to human trafficking, and to provide a platform for constructive dialogue, sharing of ideas and best practices.

At the conference, a research paper commissioned by Sweden was presented and discussed. Participants agreed that the focus for strengthening multilateral coordination rests in strengthening existing mechanisms and actors, not in creating new ones. Moving forward, Sweden will likely present their revised research paper at the UN General Assembly meeting in 2013. 

For more information or a copy of the Swedish research paper, contact valerie.nabb@international.gc.ca.

Changes to the International Student Program
On December 29, 2012, CIC proposed regulatory changes to the International Students Program (ISP). These proposed changes are in response to a previous evaluation of the ISP that concluded that gaps in the Department's regulatory and policy framework leave the program vulnerable to potential misuse.

Specifically, the evaluation found that fraud and misuse exist in the ISP but the extent is unclear due to a lack of data and consistent reporting. The evaluation also found that efforts to mitigate risks of fraud and misuse are quite varied and that non-genuine students and questionable educational institutions were among the primary concerns related to the integrity of the program. In 2010, a separate RCMP report on human trafficking also identified study permits as one avenue leading to exploitation in the sex trades.

The proposed changes would reduce abuse of the ISP by fraudulent educational institutions and ensure that the primary intent of an international student in Canada is to study. Strengthening aspects of the program that could be abused by fraudulent schools or non-genuine study permit applicants is vitally important to protect Canada's reputation abroad and to ensure that Canada continues to enjoy the tremendous social and economic benefits that the ISP provides. The proposed changes are also in line with reforms implemented by Canada's key competitor countries for international students.

Visit the CIC site for more information the proposed changes.

In the Regions

Western Canada

Williams Lake Anti Trafficking Committee delivers a two-day 'Train-the-Trainer' workshop for local services providers
The Williams Lake Anti Trafficking Committee organized and conducted a two day 'Train the Trainer' workshop for local services providers, with funding from the British Columbia Ministry of Justice's Civil Forfeiture Grants. Participants included community support workers, victim's services workers, police and social workers from the Williams Lake region and 12 adjacent Aboriginal communities.

Over the two days staff from BC OCTIP led activities where participants explored the definition of human trafficking, learned about indicators for the different forms of exploitation, discussed best practices used to support trafficked persons and prevention mechanisms.  In addition, the RCMP offered a presentation on links between gang activity and human trafficking. Participants, grouped by community, reviewed the services they have available to support trafficked persons, identified gaps, and designed next steps to be taken in their communities to promote education and prevention activities. 

A similar initiative is being planned  for late March 2013, for the Prince George area; BC OCTIP is working in partnership with the Prince George and Region Elizabeth Fry Society in the organization and implementation of the training. For more information, please go to: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip.

Prairies

ACT Alberta opens new Chapter in Grand Prairie
ACT Alberta is proud to announce that its chapter in Grande Prairie is up and running! ACT looks forward to working with this community to establish itself as a place where human trafficking is not tolerated.

For more information, please go to: www.actalberta.org.

Act Alberta launches the Community Educator Program
In January, ACT Alberta launched its 'Community Educator Program' to train volunteers to be community educators on human trafficking. With the support of the Government of Alberta Human Rights, Education and Multiculturalism Fund, this program will help equip the public to know how to recognize and report this crime.

For more information, please go to: www.actalberta.org.

Manitoba's Child Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act
The Child Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act became law in Manitoba on April 30, 2012. The Act creates a protection order for victims of human trafficking or child sexual exploitation and allows certain parties to seek an order of protection on behalf of victims of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.  The law also allows an adult victim of human trafficking, as defined in the Act, to sue their trafficker.

The new legislation adds a stand-alone protection order that imposes restrictions on the actions of an alleged offender (identified as the 'respondent') toward a victim (identified as the 'subject' of the order).  These orders can be granted on an urgent basis, and could contain conditions that prohibit the respondent from contacting, communicating with, following, or being near the subject or being near anywhere the subject may be.

Please use the links below for more information:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/csehtfactsheet.pdf http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/csehtact.html.

Ontario

The Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network, which stemmed from the April 2012 'Human Trafficking and Migration: Building Community Response Forum' organized by the FCJ Refugee Centre and consisting of 37 members, is currently working with the City of Toronto to provide relevant information on the situation of human trafficking.

A motion has been passed by the City Executive to investigate the problem of human trafficking in Toronto in order to strengthen protection of vulnerable women and children from human traffickers; improve services available to rehabilitate victims of this crime; reduce human trafficking in the City of Toronto as well as formulate a policy that would prohibit City advertising in publications that allow advertising that could contribute to human trafficking.

For more information on the Network and its work, please email: tocounterhtnetwork2012@gmail.com.

'Break the Silence' PSA on Human Trafficking
At their 3rd Annual Journey to Freedom Gala on January 27, 2012, Walk With Me Canada Victim Services announced the iTunes release of 'Break the Silence', an original song about human trafficking.

Singer/songwriter Francois Mulder wrote the song after meeting Timea Nagy, survivor of international human trafficking and founder of Walk With Me. The song, along with a video, will serve as a public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness on the issue of domestic human trafficking.

To view the PSA please go to: http://youtu.be/9aJS0lcjByM.

You can also purchase the song on iTunes with proceeds going to Walk With Me, an organization which provides support and services to victims of human trafficking and training to law enforcement agencies. 

For more information about Walk With Me Victims Services, please visit: http://www.walk-with-me.org/.

Quebec

Provincial Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking

Some 20 Quebec organizations working with survivors of human trafficking have formed a coalition whose mission is to network with organizations that offer services and work toward protection and the prevention of human trafficking, and to pool their expertise to meet the needs of victims.

This coalition includes public, para-public, community and non-governmental organizations that deal with the issue and/or that offer assistance and support to victims of this crime in the province of Quebec. The coalition works on issues related to human trafficking in all its forms, nationally and internationally, for the purposes of forced labour and sexual exploitation.

The group strives to mobilize the appropriate organizations and stakeholders around shared objectives in order to: (1) improve the protection and identification of victims of human trafficking in Quebec; 2) promote awareness about human trafficking; and 3) ensure appropriate support for victims and a better alignment of existing resources and services. Moreover, the group has created tools to facilitate intervention efforts. To this end, a website will be launched in spring 2013.

The coalition is part of a project by the Comité d'action contre la traite humaine interne et international (CATHII) with financial support from Justice Canada.

For more information (French only) visit: http://www.cathii.org/index.html.

Legislative Updates

Private Member's Bill C-452

On October 16, 2012, member of Parliament Maria Mourani (Ahuntsic, QC) introduced PMB C-452 (An Act to amend the Criminal Code – exploitation and trafficking in persons). This enactment would amend the Criminal Code to provide consecutive sentences for offences related to procuring and trafficking in persons, create a presumption regarding the exploitation of one person by another and add circumstances that are deemed to constitute exploitation.  Finally, it would also add the offences of procuring and trafficking in persons to the list of offences to which the forfeiture of proceeds of crime apply.

For more information on this Bill, please visit: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/Home.aspx?language=E&ParliamentSession=41-1.

Funding Opportunities

The Victims Fund at Justice Canada provides funding through grants and contributions to individuals, organizations, and provincial/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. There is an open call for proposals to access these funds and applications may be submitted at anytime.

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 & Publications

Labour Migration, Human Trafficking and Multinational Corporations: The Commodification of Illicit Flows
Edited by Ato Quayson and Antonela Arhin

Although much literature on human trafficking focuses on sex trafficking, a great deal of human trafficking results from migrant workers, compelled by economic deprivation in their home countries to seek better life opportunities abroad, especially in agriculture, construction and domestic work. Such labour migration is sometimes legal and well managed, but sometimes not so, with migrant workers frequently threatened or ending up working in forced labour situations producing goods for illicit markets.

This book discusses how far large multinational corporations are involved, whether intentionally or unintentionally, in human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. It explores how far corporations are driven to seek cheap labour by the need to remain commercially competitive and examine how the problem often lies with corporations' subcontractors, who are not as well controlled as they might be. The essays in this volume also outline and assess measures being taken by governments and international agencies to eradicate the problem.

UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2012)
The 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Person provides an overview of patterns and flows of trafficking in persons at global, regional and national levels, based on trafficking cases detected between 2007 and 2010 (or more recent). The report also includes a chapter on the worldwide responses to trafficking in persons. The Country Profiles of the Global Report present a national level analysis for each of the 132 countries covered by this edition of the report.

Starting this year, the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons will be produced biennially by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. For more information or to access a copy of the report, please go to: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/data-and-analysis/glotip.html.

ILO Global Estimate of Forced Labour 2012
Using a new and improved statistical methodology, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates in the recently published Global Estimate of Forced Labour (2012) that 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour globally, trapped in jobs in which they were coerced or deceived in which they cannot leave.

To access the Executive Summary of this report, or additional documents and resources, please go to:  http://www.ilo.org/sapfl/Informationresources/ILOPublications/WCMS_181953/lang--eng/index.htm.

Trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation: Between denial and invisibility
In December 2012, a feminist researcher's collective published the study, 'Trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation: Between denial and invisibility'. The research presents a qualitative case analysis of female victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in various sectors of the sex trade in Quebec. It discusses the violence used in prostitution by revealing the deceptive measures taken to recruit female prostitutes and the obstacles they face in escaping the sex trade.

To Submit Items
If you have anti-human trafficking related activities, events, news or stories that you would like to share, send your suggestions to HTT.GTTP@ps-sp.gc.ca.

Contact Information
For more information on the newsletter, or to be included in the email distribution list, please send an email to HTT.GTTP@ps-sp.gc.ca.

This newsletter is being offered up to three times yearly by the Serious and Organized Crime Division at Public Safety Canada with content provided by anti-trafficking stakeholders from across Canada.  Its relevance depends on the information received from our partners.

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