Agencies join forces
New plan in place to support victims of human trafficking
New emergency protocol has been developed in Niagara to better meet the needs of women victims of human trafficking.
Some 15 agencies have worked together over the past two years to better understand and collaborate on solutions to a problem that is growing in the region, says Krystal Snider, skills development co-ordinator at YWCA Niagara Region.
The end result is an emergency plan that is “human rights-focused and survivor-centred,” she says.
What that means is that victims will determine what supports best meet their own, very specific needs.
“It means that whatever she’s identifying as her need is what’s being offered to her,” she says.
“She knows her life more than anybody else. And she knows her needs better than anybody else.
“Everybody’s needs are so individual.”
That might mean she does not want to go to a shelter. Or that when she identifies as a victim of sexual exploitation, police do not need to be notified or charges laid. In some cases, if police launch an investigation, it could antagonize male pimps and lead to more violence, she says. Indeed, a court process might not be a healing experience for her either.
The duty to report becomes more nuanced and discretionary.
There was a need for a consistent protocol to eliminate gaps in service. Some agencies were more aware of a victim’s needs than others. “There was a lack of knowledge around how to support these women,” Snider says.
Human trafficking involves recruiting, transporting, keeping and having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation for sex or forced labour. The protocol is specific to sexual exploitation and will be officially signed Feb. 28 at regional headquarters.
A $25,000 violence prevention grant from the Canadian Women’s Foundation in 2016 started the process. It was given in partnership to the YWCA, Niagara Sexual Assault Centre and Victim Services Niagara. Using the grant, community agencies, housing providers, survivors and government agencies worked together to develop a protocol.
However, there are no additional funds for resources, to hire more staff or develop new programs specific to trafficked women. The plan involves better using what already exists, Snider says.
Indeed, the needs of a victim are complex. Physical and emotional safety is paramount.
“Often with trafficking there’s such a slow process of recruiting and romancing, where a woman or girl is feeling like her needs are being met,” says Snider.
“And then there’s horrific violence and trauma.
“But you’ve relied on this person to meet your needs for so long, and the only way that’s being met is through violence.
“To leave that situation you feel like nowhere’s safe.”
A woman’s cultural needs also need to be respected, as is the case with Indigenous women.
“They need to be connected with the proper cultural supports for their healing,” Snider says.
With a consistent action plan, agencies know how to respond when a women identifies as a victim of human trafficking. Snider hopes the next step will be training so agencies can better identify women, to relive the burden of selfdisclosure. That will also help agencies collect better data to understand the scope of a problem.
It’s known that the Golden Horseshoe area is a hot spot for trafficked women, she says. And anecdotally, she’s had 134 women in one year disclose to her.
“It’s such a big problem.
“It frustrates me because we can identify that Niagara is a major hub for human trafficking, the government can identify it, everybody can identify it, but then there’s no formal services here.”
The best they can do as agencies is to have a plan that will connect to services they need, she says.
“It can be really overwhelming to give a survivor 10 different numbers for 10 different needs,” says Snider.
“But if you have somebody that can co-ordinate those needs, that might feel a little less overwhelming.”
As well, agencies have adjusted their own specific protocols, too.
The YWCA, for example, puts a priority on trafficked women. They will be offered a place to stay in the emergency shelter regardless of capacity.
And fire departments have offered to be vigilant when they perform safety checks in hotels for working smoke detectors in order to notice signs of trafficking. As well, they will not always be required to report suspicions to police, but follow guidelines to determine the best and safest action for the women, says Snider.
That might include slipping a woman a business card for an agency.
Snider hopes the overwhelming message is this: “There are options for exiting and healing.”
“And there are contacts and support if you are not ready to do either of those things.”