The Ontario Government is taking more steps in protecting youth in Northwestern Ontario from human trafficking.
In an announcement made yesterday, Wednesday, January 31, 2024, Michael Para, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, along with Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford, announced that the province had begun community engagements on the establishment of a new Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) Unit in the Kenora District to help protect those most at-risk of human trafficking.
According to the government release, Ontario has been identified as a hub of human trafficking, with the province accounting for the majority of police-reported incidents in the country, approximately two-thirds of all cases. The most common form of human trafficking reported is sex trafficking. While young women and girls, especially from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, are particularly vulnerable to being the target of human traffickers, there is still a risk for boys, men and those who are 2SLGBTQQIA. The average age of those recruited or forced into sex trafficking in Canada is 13 years old.
CARE Units are a part of the province’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy, which was begun in 2020 and has committed $307-million in investments from 2020 to 2025 to implement. The plan at the time represented “the largest total investment in dedicated anti-human trafficking supports and services in Canada,” according to the Government of Ontario. The first CARE Unit prototypes were implemented in the City of Toronto and Durham Region in 2021, and between 2022 and 2023 served 218 children and youth, with 136 of those being under the age of 15.
CARE Units are specialized intervention teams that pair child protection workers with police officers and Indigenous liaisons. The Units help to identify and locate children who are experiencing, or are at high risk of, exploitation and trafficking, connect them to support services and investigate and hold offenders responsible. Staff within the units work to build trust and provide referrals to trauma-informed, person-centred and culturally safe services to children and youth who are being trafficked, or are at risk.
In order to establish a CARE Unit in Kenora, the government is engaging with Indigenous representatives, community-based organizations, children’s aid societies and police services as a first step. The government notes that each CARE Unit is a unique reflection of the communities they serve.
“Children and youth, and Indigenous women and girls are among those at highest risk for sex trafficking,” Rickford said.
“We are engaging communities as well as Indigenous partners to develop a CARE Unit model for Kenora that reflects the unique needs of the region, so we can help protect more young people from this crime and connect them to culturally appropriate supports.”
The Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy’s five-year plan engages several different ministries within the province, including the ministries of the Solicitor General, Attorney General, Education, Health, Transportation and Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. The strategy notes the government will work across jurisdictions and with community groups, educators, Indigenous communities and organizations to ensure it is meaningful and effective.
“Trafficking in all its forms is a vicious crime that must be brought to an end,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.
“This innovative approach would bring together the combined expertise of the police and professionals who work specifically with children and families in the community, to better serve and protect those at risk. We will bring human traffickers to justice and provide a safer future for children and youth.”
Other initiatives included within Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy include:
- launching a new, province-wide marketing campaign targeted to teens, as well as parents of children and youth, to raise awareness and ensure that everyone knows where to get help
- developing public education materials to respond to specific sector needs and expanding distribution of existing awareness materials through partnerships across government and sectors
- increasing awareness of available training on how to identify and support survivors of human trafficking at the province’s emergency departments and sexual assault/domestic violence treatment centres
- continuing to engage at the federal, provincial and territorial levels to share best practices and ensure that preventing and combatting human trafficking is a national priority
