The Government of Ontario has announced more cash to battle human trafficking.
In a news release issued on Friday morning, the province said a total of $307 million will be invested to protect children and youth, and crackdown on offenders.
The Ford government said the new, comprehensive five-year strategy aims to combat human trafficking and end child sexual exploitation across the province, along with supporting survivors and raising awareness. Premier Doug Ford said the new strategy is the largest total investment in dedicated anti-human trafficking supports and services in the country and is a major step forward in Ontario's fight against human trafficking.
"Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society -- our children," the premier said. "We must put an end to this disgusting industry and take immediate steps to keep our kids safe."
Ford added police will get the tools and resources they need to put those criminals behind bars.
The action plan will focus on launching a new, province-wide marketing campaign to educate the public about what human trafficking is, how to recognize the signs, and where to get help. Law enforcement will also get more specialized Crown prosecution support for human trafficking cases, help to strengthen intelligence gathering and help to coordinate anti-human trafficking investigations. The Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Unit will also be expanded, specialized intervention teams will be set up, and dedicated, licensed residences will be established to support victims.
"Survivors of human trafficking require specific, ongoing supports to help them exit trafficking, heal from their trauma and rebuild their lives," said Jill Dunlop, Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues. "Our new strategy doubles the investment in community-based services for survivors, while also providing a range of new supports focused on children and youth, which has been a critical gap until now."
Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said human trafficking is a vastly under-reported crime often hidden in our communities.
"A crucial component of our new strategy involves strengthening law enforcement and justice sector initiatives so we can better support victims, improve our ability to target and find perpetrators, intercept human trafficking networks and ultimately bring criminals to justice," said Jones.
The province said human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes worldwide and approximately two-thirds of police-reported human trafficking violations in Canada occur in Ontario.
The average age of a sex trafficking victim is 13 and over 70 per cent of human trafficking victims identified by police are under the age of 25.
In November 2019, the province invested $105 million to combat human trafficking.
