Government of Canada announces funding for project to support human trafficking survivors

From: Public Safety Canada

News release

April 1, 2021
Ottawa, Ontario        

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that devastates victims, survivors, their families, communities and society as a whole. It also disproportionately affects women and girls, as well as vulnerable and marginalized individuals. The Government of Canada is committed to ending human trafficking in all its forms, including sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Today, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, announced that over $488,000 in federal funding has been made available over four years under the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime (CPCSOC) to Voice Found for the next phase of their Hope Found project.

This project helps those wishing to exit the sex trade to do so safely and empowers survivors to regain their independence. This funding will go towards providing victims and survivors with immediate supports, including food, shelter, clothing, and psychological and emotional help, and training to help prepare them for education and employment opportunities.

Voice Found is a survivor-led, Ottawa-based organization that has been supporting survivors of sexual exploitation and childhood sexual abuse for over 10 years. Since 2015, their Hope Found project has supported 236 individuals.

Quotes

“The funding announced today will build on the critical ongoing work being done by Voice Found to prevent human trafficking and provide victims and survivors with comprehensive care so they can heal. Through projects like this one, we are working together to build a safer and more resilient Canada, where all people are protected from human trafficking and its harms.”

- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

“We must stop human trafficking in all its forms. I applaud Voice Found for the important work they are doing to support survivors who are fleeing violence and exploitation. This additional funding from our government will go a long way to support the Hope Found project to expand its programming in Eastern Ontario, including right here in Ottawa-Vanier.”

- The Honourable Mona Fortier, Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance

 “Survivors of Human trafficking require long term and specialized support to overcome what was done to them without their consent. This investment from Public Safety Canada will allow us to enhance the Hope Found Project, which was developed, and continues to be led, by people with lived experiences.”

- Cynthia Bland, Founder and CEO, Voice Found

Quick facts

  • In September 2019, the Government of Canada launched the new comprehensive National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (National Strategy), a whole-of-government approach that brings together federal efforts, and is supported by an investment of $57.22 million over five years and $10.28 million ongoing.

  • This builds on previous investments of $14.51 million over five years, and $2.89 million per year to establish the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, which launched in May 2019, as well as ongoing work across the Government of Canada to combat human trafficking.

  • In 2020, Public Safety Canada launched a call for proposals for organizations working to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors. Through this call, $8.4 million is being made available for 20 projects that work to prevent and address human trafficking and support survivors.

  • The Government of Canada recently launched a national human trafficking public awareness campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness among Canadian youth and parents of the misperceptions of human trafficking, and increase understanding of its warning signs and how to report suspected cases to the appropriate authorities.

  • Ottawa is one of the cities that has been identified as having the largest number of police-reported human trafficking incidents. According to Statistics Canada’s latest Trafficking in Persons Juristat, between 2009 and 2018, 12% of all incidents of police-reported human trafficking occurred in Ottawa.

Associated links

Contacts

Mary-Liz Power
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
mary-liz.power@canada.ca

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613-991-0657
ps.mediarelations-relationsaveclesmedias.sp@canada.ca

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