As a part of the annual Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, the Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network hosted on May 17th a hybrid forum to raise awareness and address the root causes of the ever growing labour trafficking issue in Canada.

The forum identified the issue at hand, by discussing the realities of labour trafficking in Canada while examining the systems in place that facilitate the trafficking of foreign nationals for the purpose of forced labour. Speakers also addressed the gaps in service in supporting victims and survivors in order to foster solutions to strengthen collaboration across sectors.

The forum featured a panel discussion with experts from victim supporting organizations, advocates and researchers, and those with lived experience of labour trafficking in Canada. Topics covered incl,uded raising awareness about current human trafficking trends involving large groups of foreign nationals being recruited to work in Canada, addressing the use of housing exploitation as a means of control, identifying the root causes of emerging trends through policy examination, and developing recommendations to foster collaboration towards solutions.

We believe that through collaboration between service providers, government, law enforcement, and those directly impacted by labour trafficking, we can better respond to labour trafficking and ideally prevent it.

Our hybrid forum "A Call For Action To End Labour Trafficking" just started! The goal is to raise awareness and address the root causes of the ever growing labour trafficking issue in Canada. #labourtrafficking pic.twitter.com/I3cMRAgBNg

— FCJ Refugee Centre (@RefugeeCentre) May 17, 2023

Speakers:

Selene Mateos Solis (Survivor of Labour Trafficking): Selene Mateos Solis (she/they) is a survivor of human labour trafficking in Ontario. They hold a bachelor in environmental Technology from UT Tabasco in Mexico. They have spoken at events held by FCJ Refugee Centre, the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture and the Toronto United Mennonite Church. Their experience has sparked a drive to get to the community. They currently volunteer for the newcomers program “Among Friends” at the 519 in Toronto. Selene believes that education, awareness and advocacy regarding this topic is crucial. They are particularly focused on raising awareness of the personal impact the experience of being trafficked for labour can have on an individual.

Connie Stevens: Connie Stevens is a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who has worked in Sexual Health for over 35 years. Connie received her PhD from the University of Liverpool and teaches at a GTA college. Based on her experience in both areas, Connie researched safer acclimatisation for Female Punjabi International students. Researching the students’ experience has exposed sex trafficking and labour trafficking. The students fear community and immigration retaliation if they share their stories. Connie wants to acknowledge the students’ contributions and permission received to act as an ally and advocate on their behalf. Connie will share her research findings and offer some of the students’ suggested resolutions.

Nadia Nadeem (Staff Immigration Lawyer – Neighbourhood Legal Services): Nadia is a Staff Lawyer (Immigration) at Neighbourhood Legal Services. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour from McMaster University. Prior to attending law school, Nadia worked in a Mental Health & Addiction Program at a major city hospital where she supported individuals as well as their families. Nadia is deeply committed to social justice and advocacy, particularly on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized groups. While in law school, Nadia gained clinical experience through working at community legal clinics in both Hamilton and Windsor. She is passionate about community lawyering in the immigration & refugee law context, and is currently Co-Chair of the Inter Clinic Immigration Working Group (ICIWG)

Ezat Mossallanejad (Policy Analyst at Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture): Ezat holds a Ph.D. degree from Poona University, India, and has worked as Coordinator of the Jesuit Refugee Service-Canada. Ezat has served as a founding member of the Canadian Centre for International Justice (CCIJ), the Culturelink’s Chair of the Board and a director on the Board of the Inter-Church Committee for Refugee (ICCR). At present, Ezat works as a full-time Settlement Counsellor and Policy Analyst with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT). Ezat has also worked on the Editorial Board of the Refugee Update. Ezat has published 6 books and more than 150 articles in Farsi as well as three books and around 45 articles in English. He has worked with several UN bodies in connection with refugee protection and eradication of torture. In his mission to protect refugees and survivors of torture, he has travelled to different countries including USA, Mexico, Rwanda, Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Nigeria, Uganda, Thailand, India and Cyprus. His book Torture in the Age of Fear was published in September 2005. In 2012, he published Religions and the Cruel Return of Gods. In 2014, he published a book entitled Crimes and Punishment in Islam. His book The Silence of Fairy was published in 2018. He is also the founder of Zagros Editions.

James McLean (Director of Research and Policy – Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking): James McLean currently serves as the Director of Research and Policy at the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. In this role, he is initiating a series of original research projects, including one that is looking at how prosecutors and law enforcement can make better use of digital evidence to reduce reliance on victim testimony. Prior to joining the Centre, James worked with a non-profit organization in Ottawa, the City of Toronto, and as a Senior Advisor to Ontario’s Minister of Education. He also serves as Deputy Mayor of his local municipality.

Kelly Howe (Senior Manager – Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills): Kelly is the Senior Manager of the Divisional Intelligence Unit (DIU). The DIU is a dedicated team in the ministry that was created to support efforts against provincial labour trafficking. This team focuses on detecting and investigating exploitative labour practices and labour trafficking activity. The DIU works closely with legal clinics, advocacy groups, industry associations, consulates, agencies that support workers and newcomers, police, other law enforcement agencies and the broader regulatory community on matters related to labour exploitation and trafficking.

Jovana Blagovcanin (Anti-Human Trafficking Manager- FCJ Refugee Centre): Jovana is the Anti-Human Trafficking Manager at FCJ Refugee Centre and the Coordinator of the Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network. Through the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Mobile Worker Program, Jovana supports precarious status migrants who have experienced abuse in the workplace, or exploitation in the form of labour or sex trafficking. Jovana continues to participate in advocacy efforts through the Toronto Counter Human Trafficking Network, Canadian Council for Refugees and other various committees involved in migrant worker rights campaigns.

In 2020, the federal government proclaimed February 22nd as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada.

The crime of Trafficking in Persons was added to the Canadian Criminal Code in 2005, less than 20 years ago. The law criminalizes forced organ removal, forced marriage, indentured servitude, labour exploitation, and sexual exploitation. These crimes are commonly known as human trafficking.

Trafficking exploitation exist in many forms and usually entails victims being caused to provide sexual services or labour through force, coercion, deception and/or abuse of trust, power or authority. Human trafficking therefore results in substantial physical, psychological, and emotional trauma to the victims.

Human trafficking is still happening in Canada, and continues to take advantage of systemic issues such as poverty, inequity, and legislation focused on prosecuting criminals, as opposed to empowering communities and supporting survivors.

Underreported and unnoticed

Due to the reluctance of victims and witnesses to come forward and the difficulty in identifying victims, it is still difficult to assess the extent of human trafficking in Canada, but, according to the RCMP, between 2005 and December 2018, human trafficking specific charges were laid in 531 cases, with 327 victims involved. Of these cases 510 were domestic (primarily sexual exploitation), and 21 were international (primarily forced labour).

Human Trafficking is one of the greatest injustices we have here in Ontario.

I was honoured to meet with Jovana & Loly from @RefugeeCentre to learn about their work in supporting victims of Human Trafficking.#EndHumanTrafficking pic.twitter.com/sappd0CKJa

— Monte McNaughton (@MonteMcNaughton) February 22, 2023

Labour trafficking is an especially underreported and unnoticed crime. Victims of labour trafficking are often with precarious status, afraid to come forward and extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Often, they are recruited before coming to Canada in their country of origin with a promise of legal documents and a new future in Canada. They work in inhumane conditions, underpaid or not paid at all and feel that they have no other options to leave. They work in all sectors. They work in farms, factories, restaurants, hotels, cleaning industries and may be your neighbour, your co-worker, or your contracted employee.

Labour exploitation happens here in Canada, and it happens here in Ontario, and the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted even more the social inequalities that allow human trafficking to continue.

You can help fight human trafficking by staying informed and informing others about the extent of the problem. Get the facts and talk about it:

• Stay Awake Campaign: Here you can find content that raises awareness around the issue of human trafficking amongst precarious migrant youth, including information about labour trafficking, sex trafficking, the problem of isolation and how to become better allies for precarious migrant youth, service providers, etc.
• It Happens Here: Labour Exploitation Among Migrant Workers During the Pandemic: A new research by FCJ Refugee Centre and the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking shows that employer discrimination, unsafe working conditions and gaps in government policy put migrant workers at risk of being exploited once they arrive in Canada.
• Human Trafficking news and events on the FCJ Refugee Centre website.

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If you are concerned that you or someone you know may be a victim of forced labour or sex please contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010.

New research shows that employer discrimination, unsafe working conditions and gaps in government policy put migrant workers at risk of being exploited once they arrive in Canada.

FCJ Refugee Centre and the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking’s newly released report, It Happens Here: Labour Exploitation Among Migrant Workers During the Pandemic, reveals that migrant labourers’ precarious immigration status makes them vulnerable to exploitation by recruiters and employers.

The report summarizes findings from a series of focus group discussions that convened 77 migrant workers in Ontario in early 2022, with the support of Legal Assistance of Windsor (LAW). It highlights that many migrant workers are not aware that they have labour rights while working in Canada.

Some participants shared that they had been exploited in their home country and saw Canada as an opportunity to escape this form of abuse. As a result, many were surprised to learn this danger exists here. “I am still in shock because in Mexico I have heard about human trafficking, but I never thought I would be in this situation [in Canada]. I would always think: how could people fall into these situations? After this happened to me, I saw that it can happen to anyone,” said a focus group participant.

The report’s other findings include:

• Migrant workers, especially those working in the agricultural and low wage sectors, are frustrated by policies that make it difficult to acquire permanent residency status and relocate their families to Canada.
• Migrant workers’ primary concern is family separation, followed by low wages and employer discrimination.
• Migrant workers’ safety was jeopardized due to limited healthcare access and COVID-19 testing, as well as by their inability to socially distance.

The report recommends that the federal and provincial governments implement additional safeguards to protect migrant workers from being exploited. More specifically, it calls on governments to:

• establish Open Work Permits for all migrant workers;
• ensure that migrant workers have greater access to information on their labour rights before, during, and after their arrival in Canada;
• increase investments in on-site social services for migrants, including language training, legal aid, healthcare, and information on labour rights, and;
• accelerate the federal government’s new family reunification policy for low wage and agricultural workers, and extend this policy to workers with young families.

“Migrant workers are essential to the Canadian economy and deserve justice, fairness, and appropriate attention from all levels of the government and employers. Many of them sacrifice time with their families to pursue work in Canada. Protecting them from being exploited in our communities should be a top priority for all of us,” said Julia Drydyk, Executive Director, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. “Federal, provincial and municipal governments should increase funding to community organizations to provide more on-site services for low-wage migrant workers.”

In 2022, the Government of Canada announced a necessary policy change that will allow spouses and working-age children of migrant workers to relocate to Canada. Although this new policy will help address some concerns, additional steps are needed to reduce the exploitation of migrant workers.

“Migrant workers help Canada to fill critical labour shortages. With growing demand for new migrant labours, our concern about their safety and well-being is increasing. Unfortunately, existing policies can’t protect landed migrant workers who are already in a precarious situation, and will put new labours at higher risk of being victim of forced labour, discrimination and unsafe working conditions. This shocking reality should change before we welcome new migrant workers,” said Loly Rico, Executive Director, FCJ Refugee Centre.

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The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking operates the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010), a confidential, multilingual service, operating 24/7 to connect victims and survivors of human trafficking, including labour exploitation with over 900 social and legal services nation-wide. 

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Aziz Froutan
Communications Manager
The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
afroutan@ccteht.ca
647-714-2527

Carolina Teves
Associate Director, Communication and Access to Education
FCJ Refugee Centre
cteves@fcjrefugeecentre.org

About the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking:

The Centre is a national charity dedicated to ending all types of human trafficking in Canada. We work with like-minded stakeholders and organizations, including non-profits, corporations, governments and survivors/victims of human trafficking, to advance best practices, eliminate duplicate efforts across Canada, and enable cross-sectoral coordination by providing access to networks and specialized skills. We operate the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010, a 24/7, multilingual access to a safe and confidential space to ask for help and connect to services.

About FCJ Refugee Centre:

FCJ Refugee Centre serves refugees and others at risk due to their immigration status, overcome the challenges of rebuilding their lives in Canadian society. With an open-door approach, we offer an integrated model of refugee protection, education, migrant worker and anti-human trafficking support, and settlement services, including shelter for women and their children. We ensure victims/survivors of human trafficking have access to orientation, legal assistance and referrals, information about their immigration options, appropriate housing, employment support, counseling and other forms of psycho-social support.

The FCJ Refugee Centre, together with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO), is organizing monthly virtual information sessions for migrant workers.

In these sessions you will learn important infomation on issues like:

• What are your labour rights in Canada?
• What is labour exploitation and human trafficking?
• Immigration remedies such as the Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers, VTIP-TRPs, and other available resources.

The sessions will take place online, every last Sunday of the month, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. They are available in English and Spanish. They may also be available in other languages if requested.

Register »

The Youth Alliance Against Human Trafficking would like to introduce the #StayAwakeCampaign.

This three-week campaign will consist of content that raises awareness around the issue of Human Trafficking amongst precarious migrant youth.

The United Nations defines Human Trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.

The #StayAwakeCampaign will use an intersectional approach to address the issue of Human Trafficking while considering all aspects of vulnerability and oppression amongst migrant youth.

We hope to equip vulnerable young people with the information they need to make informed decisions and connect individuals with lived experience to inclusive and appropriate resources.

Learn more and stay tuned for new content at the main campaign page »

Register »

The Migrant Women’s Counter Human Trafficking Alliance continues organizing our bi-weekly meetings. The sessions are open to all newcomer migrant women!

The goal for members is to engage in community building and social connection. Sessions will provide a safe space and tight knit community for all migrant women. This will allow the opportunity to form friendships, encourage healing, build awareness and promote resilience.

The sessions include an introduction workshop on Meditative Art.

Please note that registrations will be limited to ensure that the group will remain to be a closed and safe space for all its members.

Future workshops will be announced shortly.

Please contact Isabella Eldeib at (416) 469 9754 ext.222 or isabella.eldeib@fcjrefugeecentre.org with any questions.

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Register

To register please select which group you prefer to join either: MORNING (Monday’s at 10:30 am) or AFTERNOON (Tuesday’s at 4:00 pm).

Register »

The Migrant Women’s Counter Human Trafficking Alliance is a regional project that aims to enhance capacity and knowledge regarding the specific barriers and challenges presented in international cases where women have been victimized and marginalized by Human Trafficking. At FCJ Refugee Centre we are committed to approaching women through a peer led model that will provide them with holistic information and access to wrap around services and support.

The goal of our sessions is for participants to engage in community building and social connection. Sessions will provide a safe space and tight knit community for all migrant women. This will allow the opportunity to form friendships, encourage healing, build awareness and promote resilience.

Planned sessions for the group include workshops such as: knowing your labor rights, a guest speaker from Women’s College SA/DV Centre (Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre), a mindful mediation class and utilizing art therapy to deal with anxiety.

Our group will meet twice a month on the specified dates on the calendar. Please note that registrations will be limited to ensure that the group will remain to be a closed and safe space for all its members.

Please contact Isabella Eldeib at (416) 469 9754 ext.222 or isabella.eldeib@fcjrefugeecentre.org with any questions.

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To register please select which group you prefer to join either: MORNING (Monday’s at 10:30 am) or AFTERNOON (Tuesday’s at 4:00 pm).