Human Trafficking Resources
As awareness grows about the realities of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation around the world and in our own communities, there are increasingly more resources.
Here we highlight a few of our favourites, recognizing that this is not a complete list of available and reliable resources available.
More resources can also be found on the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking website.
Scroll down for recommended books, reports, guides, films, and videos.
Books
Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking by Benjamin Perrin
Gangs and Girls: Understanding Juvenile Prostitution by Michel Dorais and Patrice Corriveau.
Girls Like Us: A Memoir by Rachel Lloyd
Reports & Guides
Hamilton Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition Guide for Supporting Trafficked Persons
In 2018, Restorations was asked by the Coalition to compile, write and edit a guide for service providers to better understand, identify and respond to human trafficking in our community. Since publication, the guide has been shared across southern Ontario and has been a helpful resource to many! You can access the guide on the Coalition’s website.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country.
The two-volume report can be found here.
Getting Out: A National Framework for Escaping Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Canada
This study by Covenant House Toronto provides a comprehensive review of the process victims experience when exiting/escaping situations of sex trafficking, highlighting their multiple needs and the barriers they face, in addition to the promising practices service providers can adopt to better support the unique needs of this population.
This research report is based on consultations with over 200 stakeholders, including 50 survivors, across Canada. You can access the report on Covenant House’s website.
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Between 2013-2014, the Canadian Women’s Foundation commissioned a series of papers and reports outlining research and consultations conducted with survivors of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation as well as service providers.
Report from the National Experiential Women’s Roundtable, 2013
Report from the National Roundtable on Service Delivery for Trafficked Women & Girls, 2013
An Assessment of Sex Trafficking, 2013
An Overview of International, National, Provincial & Municipal Laws & their Enforcement, 2013
Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Aboriginal Women & Girls, 2014 (prepared by the Native Women’s Association of Canada)
Summary document & FAQ
From Heartbreaking to Groundbreaking: Stories and Strategies to end Sex Trafficking in Canada, 2014
Report of the National Task Force on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada, 2014
Indigenous Voices & Perspectives
Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2018 fact sheet
Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2018 submission to the Standing Committee on Justice & Human Rights
Native Women’s Association of Canada, 2014 Literature Review & Key Informant Interviews
Ontario Native Women’s Association, Indigenous Anti-Human Trafficking Engagement Report, 2017-2018
Ontario Native Women’s Association, 2016 report
Government Reports & Resources
Statistics Canada: Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2016
Statistics Canada: Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2018
Public Safety Canada: National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (2012-2016)
Public Safety Canada: The Way Forward to End Human Trafficking (National Consultations Discussion Paper, summer 2018)
Report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, House of Commons: Moving Forward in the Fight Against Human Trafficking in Canada (December 2018)
Government of Ontario: The Trap: Human Trafficking Digital Education Tool (Youth Resource)
Government of Ontario: Speak Out: Stop Sex Trafficking (Youth Resource)
Films
Priceless (2016)
A widower who loses custody of his daughter finds himself unable to hold down a job. He agrees to drive a truck across the country, no questions asked. But when he discovers what he is delivering, he is faced with a life-changing choice.
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (2011)
A documentary that exposes the disturbing trends of modern day sex slavery. With footage shot in over nineteen different countries, Nefarious exposes the nightmare of sex slavery as experienced by hundreds of thousands daily, through the eyes of both the enslaved and their traffickers. Nefarious features expert analysis from international humanitarian leaders, and captures the gripping and triumphant testimonies of survivors in order to galvanize hope and vision.
Red light Green Light (2013)
As nations around the globe attempt to fight sex trafficking, many consider legalizing prostitution. Two filmmakers travel across ten countries to explore the issue, attempting to answer the question:
“How can we prevent sexual exploitation before it happens in the first place?”
Though governments are getting better at prosecuting traffickers and providing aftercare to victims, it is time we begin to ask the question of what lies at the root.
Call + Response (2008)
CALL+RESPONSE is a feature documentary that seeks to raise awareness about the 27 million slaves in the world today. The film includes ground breaking performances by Grammy award winning and critically acclaimed artists (Natasha Bedingfield, Moby, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Switchfoot, Imogen Heap, Emmanuel Jal, Talib Kweli, The Scrolls, Rocco Deluca, and Five For Fighting, ) as well as luminaries such as Madeleine Albright, Nicholas Kristof (NY Times), Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Dr. Cornel West and many other prominent political and cultural figures who weigh in on the 21st century slave trade.
Videos
An inside look into an investigative project conducted by The Toronto Star on human trafficking. You can read the full investigative article here.
