Federal Government Supports the "Human Trafficking: I'm Not for Sale" Program

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 16, 2015) - Department of Justice Canada

Today, Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced more than $24,000 in funding for the Wachiay Friendship Centre Society, which will partner with the RCMP Victim Services in Courtenay and Campbell River to deliver the "Human Trafficking: I'm Not For Sale" program.

The "Human Trafficking: I'm Not For Sale" program will focus on the realities and dangers of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. It will be delivered to young women and girls in junior and senior high schools in School Districts 71 and 72, and to First Nations and Tribal Councils, Women's Resource Centres, local boys and girls clubs, and the Vancouver Island Health Authority. The goal of the program is to educate, inform and assist young women and girls to help them make better decisions that will contribute positively to their personal safety, health and well-being.

This funding announcement aligns with the Government's Plan for Safe Streets and Communities, which focuses on holding violent offenders accountable, enhancing the rights of victims, and increasing the efficiency of the justice system.

Quick Facts

• The funding is being provided through the Department of Justice Canada's Victims Fund and the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program.
  
  
• The funding will be provided as follows:
  
  
  • $10,000 through the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program
  • $14,075 through the Victims Fund
    
    
• The Victims Fund provides grants and contributions to support projects and activities that:
  
  
  • Encourage the development of new approaches;
    
    
  • Promote access to justice;
    
    
  • Improve the capacity of service providers;
    
    
  • Foster the establishment of referral networks; or
    
    
  • Increase awareness of services available to victims of crime and their families.
    
    
• The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program supports activities that respond effectively to the changing conditions effecting Canadian justice policy. Whether it is promoting or supporting newly reformed justice systems or improving the delivery of justice services, the Program allows the Department of Justice Canada to develop and test these approaches in collaboration with organizations and other levels of government. More specifically in regard to this project, the Program aims to support initiatives that contribute to reducing the vulnerability of young Aboriginal women to violence.
  
  

Quotes

"Protecting Canadians is a top priority for our Government, and today we are taking further action to prevent human trafficking and victimization of young women and girls. We are very proud of the innovative work done with our partners like the Wachiay Friendship Centre Society to address sexual exploitation and human trafficking. It is important that young people are educated and informed so they can make safer and healthier choices that will contribute positively to their well-being."

Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"The Wachiay Society is well placed to use this money effectively to help protect women from harm."

John Duncan, MP Vancouver Island North

Related Products

Backgrounder: Federal Victim Strategy and Victims Fund

Associated Links

Department of Justice - Victims Fund

Department of Justice - Justice Partnership and Innovation Program

Backgrounder

Federal Victims Strategy and Victims Fund

The Federal Victims Strategy brings together federal efforts to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. It was created in 2007 and made permanent in 2011. The objective of the Strategy, which is led by the Department of Justice Canada, is to give victims a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. The Department of Justice Canada works in close collaboration with other federal institutions, as well as victims, victim advocates, provincial and territorial governments, service providers, and others involved in the criminal justice system. The Department of Justice Canada develops policy and criminal law reform, funds various programs to meet the needs of victims of crime, explores best practices to address victims' needs, and raises awareness about the concerns of victims of crime and their role in the criminal justice system.

Within the Federal Victims Strategy, the Victims Fund is a grants and contributions program administered by the Department of Justice. More than $11M is available each year to provinces, territories and non-governmental organizations whose projects, activities and operations support the objectives of the Federal Victims Strategy.

The Victims Fund provides funding to projects and activities that:

• Enhance victim assistance programs across Canada;
• Promote access to justice and participation in the justice system and the development of laws, policies, and programs;
• Promote the implementation of principles, guidelines, and laws designed to address the needs of victims of crime and articulate their role in the criminal justice system;
• Contribute to increased knowledge and awareness of the impact of victimization, the needs of victims of crime, available services, assistance and programs, and legislation; and
• Promote, encourage and/or enhance governmental and non-governmental organizations' involvement in the identification of victims' needs and gaps in services, as well as in the development and delivery of programs, services and assistance to victims, including capacity building within non-governmental organizations.

Since 2006, the Government of Canada has allocated more than $140 million to give victims a more effective voice in the criminal justice system through initiatives delivered by the Department of Justice Canada.

More information is available on the Department of Justice Canada's website.

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