The Ontario government says it will spend $20 million each year to support the fight against human trafficking.
The government announced Thursday that it is working on a new strategy to combat human trafficking that will be led by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues Jill Dunlop.
"Ontario has more police-reported incidents of human trafficking than any other province in Canada," Jones said in a news release issued Thursday. "Ensuring the safety and security of Ontarians is the government's most fundamental responsibility, which is why we are committed to providing ongoing funding to stop the criminals who are profiting from this crime, so we can protect our children and keep our communities safe."
The province held 13 roundtable meetings on human trafficking over the summer. It gathered input from survivors, law enforcement, frontline service providers, and Indigenous partners. According to the government, Jones and Dunlop will be tasked with looking for ways to "collaborate across government, across sectors and across jurisdictions to raise awareness, help survivors, keep children and youth safe, and hold offenders accountable."
"During discussions across the province, frontline workers and survivors of human trafficking told us there is a need for consistent and reliable funding," Dunlop said. "We are taking action to respond to what we heard. This annual investment for dedicated anti-human trafficking initiatives will ensure victim supports are available on an ongoing basis, and that critical prevention and enforcement actions continue."
The issue of human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking, continues to be a major one in southwestern Ontario. Women's advocates like Megan Walker of the London Abused Women's Centre, have described the trafficking of women along the 401 corridor as being at "crisis levels." In an interview with BlackburnNews.com last year, Walker said that, over a two year period, her agency tracked over 1,437 women and girls who were either being trafficked or were at high risk. Many of the girls targeted were living in group homes and had been exposed to luring.
