In this issue: CCR Trafficking Assessment Tool now available, Manitoba launches human trafficking hotline, ACT Alberta releases Community Action Plan on sex trafficking in Edmonton, and more updates.…
Issue No. 21 - November 2015
E-BULLETIN CONTENTS
Important policy developments on trafficking
Priorities for the New Government
The CCR has written to the incoming Prime Minister with a detailed list of recommendations for priority action so as to follow through with a vision for Canada as outlined in the CCR’s “Seven Keys to Protecting and Welcoming Refugees and Newcomers: A vision for Canada.”
Among the recommendations for priority changes to regulations, policy and law affecting trafficked persons in Canada are to:
The CCR has written to the incoming Prime Minister with a detailed list of recommendations for priority action so as to follow through with a vision for Canada as outlined in the CCR’s “Seven Keys to Protecting and Welcoming Refugees and Newcomers: A vision for Canada.”
Among the recommendations for priority changes to regulations, policy and law affecting trafficked persons in Canada are to:
- Make status secure by making pathways to permanent residence open to all, including persons who have been trafficked and migrant workers. This includes providing faster access to permanent residence for survivors of human trafficking.
- Provide access to effective protection for trafficked persons without permanent status and to adequate support for refugee claimants and trafficked persons by introducing into the statute measures of protection.
- Effective protection from exploitation for migrant workers, including protection of their rights through legislation and enforcement.
New CCR Resource: National Human Trafficking Assessment Tool
The CCR has developed a National Human Trafficking Assessment Tool to help guide first-contact service providers across Canada in identifying and responding to situations of human trafficking. The assessment tool includes two parts: 1) user guidelines and a preliminary assessment; and 2) a full assessment, offering emergency contact information per province as available.
The CCR worked closely with Legal Assistance of Windsor/WEFIGHT (Windsor-Essex Fights the International Growth of Human Trafficking) and the University of Windsor, School of Social Work in the creation of this tool. Input and contributions were also received from numerous service providers across the country working directly with trafficked persons.
We hope this tool will be useful to all service providers who may be in touch with a trafficked person in the course of their work, including those with little knowledge about trafficking. This tool is meant to be used in conjunction to additional training on human trafficking and should be used carefully.
The national assessment tool is available in English here.
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The CCR has developed a National Human Trafficking Assessment Tool to help guide first-contact service providers across Canada in identifying and responding to situations of human trafficking. The assessment tool includes two parts: 1) user guidelines and a preliminary assessment; and 2) a full assessment, offering emergency contact information per province as available.The CCR worked closely with Legal Assistance of Windsor/WEFIGHT (Windsor-Essex Fights the International Growth of Human Trafficking) and the University of Windsor, School of Social Work in the creation of this tool. Input and contributions were also received from numerous service providers across the country working directly with trafficked persons.
We hope this tool will be useful to all service providers who may be in touch with a trafficked person in the course of their work, including those with little knowledge about trafficking. This tool is meant to be used in conjunction to additional training on human trafficking and should be used carefully.
The national assessment tool is available in English here.
ACT Alberta Case Studies Booklet
ACT Alberta has published a case studies booklet sharing stories of trafficked individuals. The stories have been adapted from real client referrals to ACT Alberta. This resource seeks to assist in creating a more accurate understanding of the realities of human trafficking in Alberta.
The booklet is available here.
Manitoba Launches Human Trafficking Hotline
The government of Manitoba has launched a toll-free Human Trafficking Hotline in partnership with Klinic Community Health Centre: 1-844-333-2211.
The hotline will be operational 24/7 by trained staff and volunteer counsellors and will offer crisis counselling, safety planning and support for trafficked persons, current and former, as well as friends, family or coworkers of trafficked persons or suspected trafficked persons. It will also provide information on resources to service providers, referrals for trafficked persons, and information on human trafficking to the general public.
The hotline was created as part of a public awareness campaign against sexual exploitation and human trafficking leading up to the Grey Cup in Winnipeg. The campaign is an initiative of the Manitoba Sporting Events Safety Working Group.
More information is available in the Manitoba government’s press release.
Media reports:
Winnipeg Free Press: http://bit.ly/1RDElXb.
CTV News: http://bit.ly/1Wobc3O.
CBC News Manitoba: http://bit.ly/1P1BgCI.
Update on Canadian Women’s Foundation 5-year Strategy to Address Sex Trafficking
It has been one year since the CWF announced its five year strategy to address sex trafficking in Canada. The strategy focuses on three areas:
More details on their recent initiatives are available here.
Highlights on the results of the Atlantic Canada Roundtable are available here.
ACT Alberta has published a case studies booklet sharing stories of trafficked individuals. The stories have been adapted from real client referrals to ACT Alberta. This resource seeks to assist in creating a more accurate understanding of the realities of human trafficking in Alberta.
The booklet is available here.
Manitoba Launches Human Trafficking Hotline
The government of Manitoba has launched a toll-free Human Trafficking Hotline in partnership with Klinic Community Health Centre: 1-844-333-2211.
The hotline will be operational 24/7 by trained staff and volunteer counsellors and will offer crisis counselling, safety planning and support for trafficked persons, current and former, as well as friends, family or coworkers of trafficked persons or suspected trafficked persons. It will also provide information on resources to service providers, referrals for trafficked persons, and information on human trafficking to the general public.
The hotline was created as part of a public awareness campaign against sexual exploitation and human trafficking leading up to the Grey Cup in Winnipeg. The campaign is an initiative of the Manitoba Sporting Events Safety Working Group.
More information is available in the Manitoba government’s press release.
Media reports:
Winnipeg Free Press: http://bit.ly/1RDElXb.
CTV News: http://bit.ly/1Wobc3O.
CBC News Manitoba: http://bit.ly/1P1BgCI.
Update on Canadian Women’s Foundation 5-year Strategy to Address Sex Trafficking
It has been one year since the CWF announced its five year strategy to address sex trafficking in Canada. The strategy focuses on three areas:
- Financial support for anti-trafficking efforts;
- Promotion of a collective action approach with stakeholders;
- Knowledge and expertise sharing to promote system change at the three levels of government.
More details on their recent initiatives are available here.
Highlights on the results of the Atlantic Canada Roundtable are available here.
Reports and media
New Report: Community Action Plan on Sex Trafficking in Edmonton
ACT Alberta has released the final report of the project "Engaging Community: Addressing Sex Trafficking in Edmonton.” This collaborative project was led by a Core Group of organizations in Edmonton and was carried out for a period of two and a half years to create a Community Action Plan to reduce and prevent sex trafficking in Edmonton. The project is the first of its kind in the city and is one of three across the country.
The Full Report is available here.
The Summary is available here.
Find out more about the project here.
Media reports:
Initiative launched to end sex trafficking in Edmonton, Global News, 3 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1OtXuNM.
People trafficked in Alberta for sex, labour and organ removal, new report says, Edmonton Journal, 3 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1HhP1KU.
New Research: “The Palermo Protocol & Canada Ten Years On,” University of Fraser Valley and SWAN Vancouver Society
A new research project entitled “The Palermo Protocol & Canada Ten Years On: The Evolution and Human Rights Impacts of Anti-Trafficking Laws in Canada,” was carried out in partnership between the University of Fraser Valley and SWAN Vancouver Society. The research evaluates the state of Canada’s anti-trafficking legal efforts and analyzes the implementation and impacts of anti-trafficking legislation since the UN Trafficking Protocol was ratified.
The report includes the project’s preliminary findings and offers recommendations that seek to improve migrant workers’ access to justice, in part by encouraging the development of approaches and policy responses that are rights-based and that are conscious of the structural conditions facilitating exploitation and vulnerability and sensitive to the needs and desires of more vulnerable groups of migrants.
The full report is available here.
Media Reports
Reza Moazami sentenced to 23 years in prison for running teenage prostitution ring, CBC News British Columbia, 10 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1OD9T26.
Police charge 2 in 7-month human trafficking investigation, shut down escort website, Global News, 10 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1HUjIRw.
Date set in Sudbury human trafficking case, The Sudbury Star, 6 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1MNRNKA.
Group disputes claims that sports events lead to sexual exploitation, Winnipeg Metro News, 29 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1KKEliR.
Sudbury sex workers say they're not being coerced, police report, CBC News, 26 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1N8RlR9.
Victim of human trafficking shares her story of survival, Windsor Star, 26 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1MmMjzM.
Slain woman reported being victim of human trafficking to police, Ottawa Citizen, 23 October 2015: http://bit.ly/20gb9f2.
Cross-border human trafficking investigation leads to 197 arrests, CTV News, 22 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1WlPwdO.
ACT Alberta has released the final report of the project "Engaging Community: Addressing Sex Trafficking in Edmonton.” This collaborative project was led by a Core Group of organizations in Edmonton and was carried out for a period of two and a half years to create a Community Action Plan to reduce and prevent sex trafficking in Edmonton. The project is the first of its kind in the city and is one of three across the country.The Full Report is available here.
The Summary is available here.
Find out more about the project here.
Media reports:
Initiative launched to end sex trafficking in Edmonton, Global News, 3 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1OtXuNM.
People trafficked in Alberta for sex, labour and organ removal, new report says, Edmonton Journal, 3 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1HhP1KU.
New Research: “The Palermo Protocol & Canada Ten Years On,” University of Fraser Valley and SWAN Vancouver Society
A new research project entitled “The Palermo Protocol & Canada Ten Years On: The Evolution and Human Rights Impacts of Anti-Trafficking Laws in Canada,” was carried out in partnership between the University of Fraser Valley and SWAN Vancouver Society. The research evaluates the state of Canada’s anti-trafficking legal efforts and analyzes the implementation and impacts of anti-trafficking legislation since the UN Trafficking Protocol was ratified.
The report includes the project’s preliminary findings and offers recommendations that seek to improve migrant workers’ access to justice, in part by encouraging the development of approaches and policy responses that are rights-based and that are conscious of the structural conditions facilitating exploitation and vulnerability and sensitive to the needs and desires of more vulnerable groups of migrants.
The full report is available here.
Media Reports
Reza Moazami sentenced to 23 years in prison for running teenage prostitution ring, CBC News British Columbia, 10 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1OD9T26.
Police charge 2 in 7-month human trafficking investigation, shut down escort website, Global News, 10 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1HUjIRw.
Date set in Sudbury human trafficking case, The Sudbury Star, 6 November 2015: http://bit.ly/1MNRNKA.
Group disputes claims that sports events lead to sexual exploitation, Winnipeg Metro News, 29 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1KKEliR.
Sudbury sex workers say they're not being coerced, police report, CBC News, 26 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1N8RlR9.
Victim of human trafficking shares her story of survival, Windsor Star, 26 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1MmMjzM.
Slain woman reported being victim of human trafficking to police, Ottawa Citizen, 23 October 2015: http://bit.ly/20gb9f2.
Cross-border human trafficking investigation leads to 197 arrests, CTV News, 22 October 2015: http://bit.ly/1WlPwdO.
Trafficking-related events
Canadian Council for Refugees Fall 2015 Consultation, Hamilton, 26-27 November
The CCR will be hosting its National Fall 2015 Consultation, Courage, Contributions, Resilience, 26-28 November, 2015 in Hamilton, at the Sheraton Hotel Hamilton. The consultation will explore questions affecting refugee protection, newcomer settlement, and the protection and resettlement of refugees and vulnerable migrants, including trafficked non-citizens.A workshop on “Assessing potential cases of trafficking in persons” will take place on Friday, 27 November. Information will be provided on how to use the CCR’s new National Human Trafficking Assessment Tool and what to do if a client is suspected to have been trafficked. An overview will also be given on the purpose and importance of the Temporary Resident Permit as a resource to seek protection for trafficked non-citizens in Canada.
More information about the program and registration is available here.
International developments
Polaris Project Report: “Labor Trafficking in the U.S.: A Closer Look at Temporary Work Visas”
This report by the Polaris Project looks at the experiences of temporary workers in the United States and analyzes the visas that are most commonly associated with labour exploitation and human trafficking based on the cases identified by Polaris through operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline and the BeFree Textline. The report identifies the conditions facilitating exploitation and the barriers to assistance faced by exploited and trafficked workers.
Similar conditions are faced by migrant workers and specifically Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada. The CCR has highlighted these in a number of resources.
The Polaris Project report is available here.