Network Building
Context
In Canada, 66% of police reported sex trafficking incidents in Canada were reported in the province of Ontario (Convoy, 2022). Those affected often require health, community, and social supports to deal with the traumatic impacts of sex trafficking. However, the needs of persons sex trafficked are often not effectively addressed, leading to a cycling of in and out of treatment and placing them at risk of being re-trafficked (Jacobson et al., 2023; Recknor et al., 2023). A recent survey revealed that 95% of more than 500 health, social service, and community providers across Canada believed they would benefit from additional training on sex trafficking (Forte et al., submitted); few strongly agreed that they could provide appropriate resources and referrals (8%) and collaborate with other professionals to support persons sex trafficked (20%; Du Mont et al., unpublished data). Across diverse service providers interviewed, there was a strong call to jointly mobilize an intersectoral, collaborative, and coordinated approach to sex trafficking service provision (Du Mont et al., 2023; Du Mont et al., 2024).
“Intersectoral, collaborative, and coordinated supports enable the smooth and rapid referral of sex trafficking survivors to what is needed; ensure a continuum of care; reduce barriers to access; and facilitate safety planning, knowledge sharing, and collective advocacy”
In response to these findings, we partnered with the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres (SA/DVTCs) on the development of a project, Enhancing care for sex trafficked persons through education, awareness, and community planning. This multi-phase initiative aims to establish a new, province-wide network as a one step toward mobilizing an intersectoral, collaborative, and coordinated approach to sex trafficking service provision in Ontario.
(Du Mont et al., 2024, p. 1582)
Team: Janice Du Mont, Corinne Rogers, Daisy Kosa, Sheila Macdonald, and Robin Mason
Trainee: Jessica Zhang
Funder: Government of Ontario
Planning Stage
From June 4 to 13, 2025, representatives from healthcare, social service, and community organizations working with persons sex trafficked, lived experience consultants, and leaders from the Ontario Network’s SA/DVTCs attended one of seven regional Community Capacity and Network Building Meeting held in Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay. The intent of these meetings was to foster long-term referral relationships, strengthen or expand existing collaborations, support a consistent continuum of care for sex-trafficked persons across the province, explore barriers and facilitators to action, and discuss the potential value of a new Provincial Network.
In total, there were 159 attendees across the 7 regional meetings in Ontario, including 83 unique organizations, 114 unique representatives, 20 lived experience consultants, and 3 research trainees. Some organizations and their representatives attended multiple regional meetings.
