Getting Out: A National Framework for Escaping Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in Canada

By Amanda Noble, Isaac Coplan, Jaime Neal, Amanda Suleiman, Susan McIntyre

Exiting sex trafficking can be a long and arduous process, with survivors having many needs that must be addressed before, during and after exiting. Often this process takes many attempts. To date, very little work has been done to document the process survivors must undergo in order to successfully escape from sex trafficking or to document their specific needs while attempting to do so. The following pages detail the findings of a national research project conducted in eight Canadian cities: Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Thunder Bay, Montreal, Halifax, and St. John’s. Through a combination of focus groups and interviews, we spoke with 201 stakeholders from 147 organizations, including service providers, healthcare professionals, police, and most importantly, 50 survivors of sex trafficking. This research project sought to answer five key questions related to exiting the sex industry: What is the process of exiting sexual exploitation? What are the major barriers to escaping sex trafficking? What basic, instrumental, and psychological needs do survivors have when exiting sex trafficking? At what point in the journey are certain needs more pressing?….. This report aims to provide guidance to service providers (including frontline agencies, health care providers, first responders and child protection agencies) so that they can better understand the unique and complex needs of those who have survived sex trafficking.

Toronto: Covenant House & The Hindsight Group. 2020. 84p.