Manitoba Tightens legislation on Human Trafficking

News Release - Manitoba

May 17, 2011 EXPANDED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION STRATEGY WOULD FOCUS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING: SWAN, MACKINTOSH – – – Province Proposes Canada's First Child Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act, Crisis Hotline, Youth Stabilzation, Travel Code as Part of Tracia's Trust In continued co-operation with police, service agencies and Aboriginal organizations, the province is expanding its sexual exploitation strategy, called Tracia’s Trust, to target those who traffic, exploit and abuse victims, Justice Minister Andrew Swan and Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh announced today. “Aggressive strategies are required to combat one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world,” Swan said.  “Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation targets the most vulnerable in our society and crosses all ethnic and social boundaries.  By expanding Tracia’s Trust, we are responding to this menace and protecting Manitobans against its spread.” The expanded strategy would include the following initiatives over the next three years: Greater Perpetrator Accountability The sexual exploitation and trafficking act would be Canada’s first law to allow victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation to obtain protection orders against those who exploit them.  It would also be the first to enable human-trafficking victims to sue their abusers. Specialized prosecution of human-trafficking predators will be achieved by designating two Crown attorneys to co-ordinate and prosecute cases. Criminal property forfeiture legislation would be considered to seize and forfeit places where exploitation occurs. The Victims’ Bill of Rights would be expanded to give victims of trafficking offences the right to case information including negotiations and the right to present victim-impact statements. The prosecution policy respecting children exploited through prostitution will be expanded to include consideration of human-trafficking charges to underscore that these offenders should be dealt with severely by the courts.  This builds on existing prosecution policies that recognize that children exploited through sexual exploitation are victims. Under the Child and Family Services Act, a provincial specialized sexual exploitation and trafficking investigator position will be created to pursue, co-ordinate and investigate allegations and liaise with key professionals in other provinces and territories for services linked across Canada.  Routes Out A 24-7 crisis hotline will help victims. A secure, crisis-stabilization facility will be established for endangered youth. Older adult services will be expanded. Social services and provincial care for emergency and primary health care will be extended to people who are trafficked and are in Canada but outside of immigration laws. Manitoba Housing will implement supportive policies to house people who have been victimized by human trafficking. Employment and Income Assistance will provide priority assistance in a compassionate way to those affected by human trafficking.  This means that anyone who approaches the program needing assistance, even if they don’t have an address or Canadian Citizenship, will be able to get financial help.  Specially trained staff will work with affected individuals to get them the assistance they need and connect them to other supportive services. Specialized sexual exploitation and human-trafficking training will be provided to all child protection agencies, child abuse co-ordinators and to child abuse committees. Training on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation is also available to child protection workers. A trafficked persons response team co-ordinator will be funded to help identify, monitor and co‑ordinate services for trafficked children and adults in Manitoba. Resources for StreetReach Winnipeg will be expanded.  A law enforcement officer position will be funded and dedicated to the work of StreetReach Winnipeg team. Prevention and Public Awareness A travel and tourism code of conduct will be launched to engage the private sector in the fight against human trafficking and sex tourism. Commit to Kids, an initiative of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, will be phased in for child-serving organizations, starting with child-care and expanding to youth residential-care facilities to help agencies better detect predators and their efforts to lure or groom children as victims. Training on sexual exploitation in all its forms will be formally established for social-service providers. Regional teams will be established and maintained in up to 15 Manitoba cities and towns to raise awareness and counter local sexual exploitation. An awareness strategy will include a Human Trafficking Awareness Day during Sexual Exploitation Awareness Week and ongoing targeted information campaigns. Increased resources will be provided to assist Manitobans to address the underlying issue of child sexual abuse in their communities. Funding will be provided to support the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s national Missingkids.ca website, Canada’s first, one-stop resource centre to find missing children and provide comprehensive services to families and communities in the areas of prevention and education, as well as a place to receive support from a case worker. “This expansion builds on the solid foundation of Manitoba’s internationally recognized $8-million Tracia’s Trust strategy including $2 million being invested this year to establish 18 new safe, transition beds to help trafficked or exploited teens escape the streets as well as StreetReach, which has located and returned to safe environments or otherwise served 627 children and youth in Winnipeg and Thompson,” Mackintosh said. More information on Tracia’s Trust can be found at www.manitoba.ca/fs/traciastrust or by clicking the link on the Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs home page.