Increased funding will be used to assist Peel victims of sex trafficking

 

The Provincial government has announced funding to help Peel Region deliver programs to those who have been victims of human trafficking and to prevent it from happening to others.

Specifically, the $3.1 million will go to services operated by Catholic Family Services of Peel-Dufferin through its integrated services hub for children and youth that supports victims, survivors and individuals at-risk of human sex trafficking.

The funding also compliments the Peel Region’s strategy to address human trafficking through a yearly $1.8 million commitment to also fund the program.

According to Peel Region research, the average age of victims of human trafficking is 12 to 24 with the GTA accounting for 62 per cent of the cases in Canada. In Peel, the airport and major highways are considered useful resources traffickers use to move their victims.

Using its integrated service hub, Catholic Family Services of Peel-Dufferin addresses sex trafficking through prevention, intervention and exit programs that provide transitional housing for victims.

“The Province’s support for Peel’s approach will help survivors in re-establishing their lives and prevent those at-risk from being preyed upon by the traffickers,” said Janice Sheehy, Peel’s Commissioner of Human Service.

If you’re a victim or survivor of human sex trafficking or forced labour, or you know someone who is, contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.