Consent Week: Human Trafficking in Canada: Hiding in Plain Sight

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Session description: Vulnerable victims, strong survivors! Learn how traffickers prey on vulnerabilities and what you can do to mitigate risk and prevalence.
Did you know that the vast majority (95%) of human trafficking survivors in 2019 were girls and women; or, that most (89%) victims are below the age of 35; what about the fact that 51% of trafficked girls were or currently are involved with the foster care system; or that the proportion of black and Indigenous children in care is higher than their proportion the child population.
These facts highlight structural, economic, racial, and gendered vulnerabilities that heighten girls’ chances of being victimized. Traffickers mainly prey on women and girls who are vulnerable — that’s why understanding these vulnerabilities and how they intersect is so critical.
All girls deserve to be–better yet–need to be supported. Learn the recent research, familiarize yourself with the signs, garner resources and insights, and share space as we collectively explore the antidote to human trafficking!

Facilitated by: Claudia Leyds (Outreach and Support Worker), Daisy Pyman (Youth Counsellor and Support Worker) Women’s Support Network of York Region

Claudia (she/they) is an Outreach and Support Worker at the Women’s Support Network of York Region.  They are also a survivor of domestic and sexual violence.  Claudia has always believed in the importance of the awareness, eduational, and preventative work in the gender-based violence sector.  As a graduate of George Brown College’s Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate program, Claudia uses their lived experience alongside their previous and continuing education to support survivors in their community.  By combining their passion for communication and for creating public engagement and awareness to educate both survivors and allies, Claudia strives to make measured change in the lives of individuals as well as the community in its entirety.

Daisy is known professionally as a Youth Counsellor, Case Manager, and Outreach Support Worker. She works at the Women’s Support Network of York Region, which supports an expansive catchment area with a population of 1.1 million community members. Predicated on a strengths-based, feminist, and client-centered therapeutic lens, Daisy works closely with survivors or individuals at risk of sexual violence and human trafficking to ensure safety, stabilization, and reintegration. She is presently a Master of Education Student Specializing in Counselling and Psychotherapy and holds a previous Master of Science Degree in Psychology. As a feminist, Daisy acknowledges that access to post-secondary education is a function of privilege, which she uses to assist with advocacy. She has had the opportunity to work alongside resilient foster children and youth and is passionate about supporting survivors as a survivor herself.