Ontario Marks Human Trafficking Awareness Day

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TORONTO - Today, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Michael Parsa, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner, and Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria released the following statement to mark Human Trafficking Awareness Day:

"Human trafficking is a horrific crime that targets our most vulnerable, violates victims' most basic human rights and has a devastating impact on families and communities across Ontario.

Ontario is taking action to support survivors and hold offenders accountable, through a historic investment of $345 million in our Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy, the largest investment of its kind in Canada. We are taking a whole-of-government approach to end human trafficking in Ontario, including:

• Launching three Children at Risk of Exploitation (CARE) units since 2021 that unite child protection workers, police and Indigenous liaisons to better safeguard children and youth who have experienced trafficking or are at high risk.
• Equipping law enforcement and justice partners with stronger tools to identify and target perpetrators, dismantle trafficking networks and bring criminals to justice, including through the Intelligence-led Joint Forces Strategy dedicated to fighting human trafficking through intelligence gathering.
• Investing $6 million from 2025 to 2027 through the Victim Support Grant program to fund 19 projects that help police better support victims of crime, including survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking.
• Developing new resources for parents to have early and age-appropriate conversations with their children about human trafficking and how to recognize the warning signs.
• Partnering with the trucking industry to raise awareness and strengthen prevention efforts as well as improving safety at transportation hubs, including ONroute service centres, by improving lighting, security cameras, and displaying the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
• Strengthening law enforcement's access to key information in human trafficking investigations by updating guest registry requirements for the accommodation sector, including hotels and online accommodation platforms.

We are deeply grateful for the compassion, dedication and expertise of service agencies and frontline staff across Ontario. Together, we will continue to support victims and survivors and work together to build a safer Ontario for everyone."

For more information, visit ontario.ca/HumanTrafficking. If there is immediate danger or you suspect someone is being trafficked, call 911 or your local police service.

Call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 if you or someone you know needs support, or to report a potential case.

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