In 2021-22, the Ministry of Education directed Ontario school boards to develop an anti-sex trafficking protocol that was tailored to the needs of their community. According to the Ministry of Education, “human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative crimes worldwide. It is predatory and devastatingly damaging to victims, survivors, their families and communities. Human trafficking can include recruiting, harbouring or controlling a person's movements using force, physical or psychological coercion or deception.”
The focus of the SCDSB’s
APM A7615 – Anti-Sex Trafficking Protocol is to protect students and empower school communities to play a key role in fighting sex trafficking and keeping children and youth safe from sexual exploitation.
As part of the protocol, the SCDSB has developed training on anti-sex trafficking which all new and current school-based staff must complete. This training will be updated to stay current with emerging issues related to sex trafficking and changes in community services and response.
Students will continue to learn about healthy relationships and consent as part of the
Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum (2019). The SCDSB is committed to continuing to build the digital literacy skills of our students as an additional important safeguard.
Resources for parents/guardians
Videos
Development of the following videos for parents/guardians was led by One Child, in cooperation with the SCDSB and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board. Each video is just over an hour long and can be paused and resumed at any time. The content was developed for a mature audience, and is not recommended for children aged 12 and under. Parents/guardians may want to preview the content before sharing with younger children.
In this video, viewers will get an overview of sex trafficking and its devastating impact on its victims, as well as how traffickers find victims.
This second video captures the experiences of two women who were involved in sex trafficking and their unique perspective. It also includes an internet safety expert who highlights the ways in which children can be lured.
Online resources
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is a confidential, multilingual service, operating 24/7 to connect victims and survivors with social services, law enforcement, and emergency services, as well as receive tips from the public.
If you think you might be a victim of human trafficking or think someone else may be, or if you would like to report a possible case of human trafficking, call 1-833-900-1010 or email [email protected].
Hotline Response Advocates are available 24/7/365 and support is available in over 200 languages. The hotline can connect callers to local service providers and/or emergency services in communities across Canada.