Local organizations are receiving support for Anti-Human Trafficking initiatives.
Today, the Ontario government announced it has earmarked $46 million for 27 new community-based projects across the province. The money is for community supports, and Indigenous-led initiatives.
The funding is a part of the province's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy that aims to raise awareness, protect victims, support survivors and hold offenders accountable.
Timmins and Area Women In Crisis (TAWC) is receiving $964,100 for a new mobile team that will provide culturally-appropriate, survivor-led programming for victims and survivors of human trafficking in five remote and 11 rural First Nation communities. The programming will be in the preferred languages for vulnerable and underserviced Indigenous communities, according to the annoucement.
The Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is receiving over $10.8 million to create a youth response team in 10 communities across the province, including Timmins. The youth team will consist of specialized workers and peer mentors with lived experience who will provide early intervention, street-based outreach and immediate response and referrals.
The ONWA funding is in both categories. The youth response team received $3 million through the community supports stream, and $7.7 million under Indigenous-led initiatives.
“Indigenous women and children make up a disproportionate number of those exploited through human trafficking in Ontario,” Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford said in a statement. “We are taking serious action to put an end to human trafficking in Ontario and ensuring victims have access to culturally appropriate supports and services as a part of our plan to combat this abhorrent crime.”
