344 – Human Trafficking and Financial Fraud: A Survivor's Story

You may think that human trafficking is something that only happens in countries outside of Canada, or only happens to poor people, or recent immigrants. That is not the case. Most police reported cases in Ontario are girls and women who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. But what does human trafficking have to do with debt and financial fraud? On today's podcast, we have a first-time special guest who shares her remarkable story of survival and explains how trafficking victims are targeted in Canada, how common this is, and how perpetrators financially abuse their victims. This leaves many trafficking survivors with not only psychological and emotional trauma, but also major debt problems to overcome.

We have resources listed below to help you recognize the signs of human trafficking, what you can do to protect yourself and others you know and to help you understand that human trafficking in Canada is more common than we'd like to believe.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Human Trafficking - Know the Signs: https://www.ontario.ca/page/human-trafficking

RAP Sheet – Human Trafficking: https://preventingcrime.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/RAP-Sheet-on-Human-Sex-Trafficking.pdf

Project Recover Organization: https://projectrecover.ca/

Concord Adex Survivor's Fund: https://www.survivorsfund.ca/donations/the-concord-end-of-crisis-housing-fund/

Waterloo Regional Police Services – How to Stay Safe Against Human Trafficking: https://www.wrps.on.ca/en/staying-safe/human-trafficking.aspx

Ontario's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-anti-human-trafficking-strategy-2020-2025

What is Human Trafficking: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/human-trafficking.html