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Confidential support is available. You are not alone.
Resources
Muskoka Victim Services provides on-site assistance to victims of human trafficking. Help is confidential.
Understanding Trafficking
Human trafficking is a crime under Canada’s Criminal Code. It involves recruiting, moving, holding or controlling a person in order to exploit them, most often for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
Trafficking can happen anywhere, including in small towns and rural communities. A person doesn’t have to be moved across a border to be trafficked, and traffickers are often someone the person knows, such as a partner, friend or family member.
Possible Signs
No single sign confirms trafficking, but several together may be cause for concern.
Someone else holds their ID, money or phone, or speaks for them.
They are cut off from family and friends, or don’t know where they are.
New expensive items, a much older partner, or unexplained absences.
They seem fearful or anxious, or say they owe a debt they can’t repay.
Our Crisis Responders provide on-site emotional support, practical help and referrals for victims of human trafficking. Victims may also be eligible for expanded supports through the provincial Victim Quick Response Program+.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline is confidential, available 24/7 and offers multilingual support.
Help Is Confidential
Supporting Someone
People who are being trafficked may not see themselves as victims, and may feel loyal to or afraid of the person exploiting them. Patience and trust matter.
Keep in touch without pressure. Being a steady, non-judgmental contact can make it easier for the person to reach out.
Confrontation can put the person at greater risk.
Call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010 to talk through what you have noticed. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Financial Assistance
The provincial Victim Quick Response Program+ includes expanded supports for victims of human trafficking. It is a program of last resort, and eligibility requirements apply. Our staff can explain the program and help with an application.
