Policy developments on trafficking

CCR National Forum and Workshop on Trafficking in Persons a success
The CCR successfully held its National Forum on Trafficking in Persons on 23 November 2016 in Montreal, welcoming some 60 advocates, service providers, policy makers, and social justice groups working on trafficking across Canada.

The workshop "Introduction to Human Trafficking and Collaborating with Human Rights Allies" was also held in the context of the CCR Consultation. The main objectives of the workshop were to debunk myths about trafficking, raise awareness about the continuum of exploitation, and promote a survivor-centred approach to service provision.

Several presentations from the Trafficking Forum and Workshop are currently available on-line.

A summary report will be available soon on the CCR anti-trafficking campaign page at trafficking.ca.

Don’t forget to plan early to attend the next forum in Niagara Falls, Ontario on 29 November 2017, a pre-event to the CCR Fall Consultation.

Ontario names director of human trafficking office
Ontario named Jennifer Richardson as the Director of the new Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Office. She will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of Ontario's Strategy to End Human Trafficking. Ms. Richardson has spent over 22 years combating human trafficking, and has lived experience as a trafficking survivor.

Read more information about the appointment.

Community needs assessment on human trafficking in New Brunswick
Partners for Youth Inc., an alliance of public, private and non-profit groups published a report on the issues and challenges linked to human trafficking in New Brunswick.

The report, The Partnership Development to Address Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in New Brunswick: Community Needs Assessment, was the result of a 12-month research project across the province.

Read the summary of the project.

Forefront of Human Rights Issues: Integrating Human Trafficking into the Social Work Curriculum
Authors Neely Mahapatra, Monica Faulkner, and Mona C. S. Schatz make the case for integrating human trafficking into social work curriculum. In their article, Forefront of Human Rights Issues: Integrating Human Trafficking into the Social Work Curriculum, they provide curricular models and teaching tools for embedding human trafficking into core undergraduate and graduate social work courses. Their goal is enable future practitioners to serve and advocate for survivors as well as examine human trafficking policies at national and global levels.

The article can be found on-line in Critical Social Work, an interdisciplinary journal dedicated to social justice.

Publications
Labour Trafficking in Edmonton
The study, Labour Trafficking in Edmonton: Holding Tight to a Double-Edged Sword was recently released by The Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT Alberta), a member of the CCR Anti-Trafficking Committee.

The study found that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is the main way labour trafficking occurs in Edmonton. The study can serve as advocacy tool in order to close gaps in government policy that leave migrants vulnerable to exploitation/trafficking.

You can also find the report here: http://www.actalberta.org/newsfeed.php?newsfeed=72

BC Office to Combat Trafficking releases Third Year Status Report (April 2015 to June 2016)
This fall, the British Columbia Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP) released its third year status report outlining the actions it implemented in collaboration with partners and stakeholders. The report marks the end of a three-year B.C. Action Plan to Combat Trafficking (2013-2016). The BC OCTIP reports it will continue to address human trafficking as a priority issue in its strategy to address violence against women.