Human Trafficking Standing Committee Chair: Kelly Tallon Franklin
An informative series, you will hear actual incites, current trends, survivor lived experiences, and professional stakeholder conversations vital to our personal and organizational understanding. Learning together we are excited to present esteemed experts who will give real time recommendations to empower women in their participation to end one of the most egregious forms of violence, control, and manipulation of women and girls known in history.
Moderator: Pauline Platt
Host Club: BPW North Toronto
Panelists:
Alexandra Ford – the Laughing Survivor
Samantha Mc Neil – Peel Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy Nurse Advisor
Kate Price – Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT) Alberta ED
Watch Session #1 below.
Welcome to the Business & Professional Women Canada: Human Trafficking Webinar Series. This recording is the first of four webinar series, and was hosted by Pauline Platt, representing the BPW North Toronto club. As an informative series, attendees heard actual incites, current trends, survivor lived experiences, and professional stakeholder conversations vital to personal and organizational understanding. Kelly Tallon Franklin, Vice President of Communications and Chair Person of the Priority Theme Anti Human Trafficking Task Force, lead the creation and development of this webinar series with esteemed BPW Clubs, Presidents and volunteer members.
We were excited to include three panelists for this event: Alexandra Ford, Samantha McNeil and Kate Price.
Alexandra Ford ~The Laughing Survivor~ is an experienced independent consultant and renowned expert specializing in critical issues such as human trafficking, trauma recovery, consent advocacy, healthy relationships, and gender-based violence. Her journey through childhood abuse, substance dependency, and exploitation uniquely equips her to address these challenging topics. Combining academic expertise with a talent for injecting humor into difficult conversations, Alexandra is a sought-after speaker and consultant. Her approach sparks engaging discussions and fosters empathy on complex subjects. Passionate about meaningful dialogue, strategic foresight, and ethical survivor engagement, Alexandra is dedicated to preventing trauma and promoting resilience at all levels.
Samantha McNeil is a Registered Nurse and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner with 24 years of experience working with victims, survivors and individuals at-risk of sexual violence, domestic violence and sex trafficking. Samantha is the Advisor of the Peel Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy with the Region of Peel and an Instructor at Sheridan College. Her experience spans across public health, hospital nursing, community clinical settings and with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Samantha supported the development of the Region of Peel’s Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy and provides clinical training across Ontario on human trafficking and sexual exploitation to health care providers, social service workers and pretty much anyone else that will listen. Samantha is a strong social justice activist and change-maker and she is most proud to be a mom of two amazing boys.
Kate Price is the Executive Director of ACT Alberta, a seasoned fundraiser, and a non-profit strategist that is passionate about social impact work. Over the last fifteen years, she has worked at the intersection of altruism and innovation, raising millions for Canadian charities. She has held executive leadership roles with Discovery House Family Violence Prevention Society and Fort Calgary National Historic Site, and led Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s flagship fundraiser, the Midsummer Ball Weekend. She is fortunate to have sat previously on the Board of Directors for the National accessArts Centre, Canada’s largest disability arts organization. Kate holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Royal Roads University, her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation, and is an MBA candidate with the University of Calgary.
Moderator: Tina Jordan
Host Club: BPW Bowmanville
Panelists:
Jasmine DaFina – Safe Hope Homes ED
Kelly Tallon Franklin – Courage for Freedom CED
Bridget Perrier – Space International Canadian Coordinator Victim Services Human Trafficking Counsellor
Watch Session #2 below.
Welcome to the Business & Professional Women Canada: Human Trafficking Webinar Series. This recording is the second of four webinar series, and was hosted by Tina Jordan, representing the BPW Bowmanville club. As an informative series, attendees heard actual incites, current trends, survivor lived experiences, and professional stakeholder conversations vital to personal and organizational understanding. Kelly Tallon Franklin, Vice President of Communications and Chair Person of the Priority Theme Anti Human Trafficking Task Force, lead the creation and development of this webinar series with esteemed BPW Clubs, Presidents and volunteer members. We were excited to include three panelists for this event: Jasmine De Fina; Kelly Tallon Franklin and Bridget Perrier.
Jasmine De Fina is a Human Trafficking Consultant, advocate, and the Executive Director of SafeHope Home. Jasmine is a recognized expert in human trafficking and has significant experience educating frontline workers, government leaders, the court system, law enforcement, community agencies, and the public to provide insight into the issue of human trafficking and information on how to better understand, support, and work with survivors. Jasmine is a survivor. With the support of Natasha Falle and Bridget Perrier, Jasmine turned her own story and experiences into a fulfilling career as a human trafficking expert, advocate, and community leader. She has worked as a National Advocate supporting the implementation of Bill c36 and as a member of Victim Services of York Region, where she developed the internal Human Trafficking Response program. She also served as a peer mentor providing support to other survivors and to teams of Crisis Intervention Counsellors. She is also contracted by the provincial government to lead Maya Chacaby’s Indigenous cultural competency training and Jen Richardson and Jane Runners’ Sexually Exploited Youth Training. Jasmine is also a sought-after public speaker and is regularly engaged as an expert panellist and has been featured on CBC News, Global News, The Toronto Star, Radio, and many other platforms.
Jasmine has been working with SafeHope Home since 2018, first in the role of guest speaker, then Peer Mentor and Program Manager. She was invited to serve as the interim Executive Director in April 2022 before formally accepting the role of Executive Director in August 2022. Jasmine identifies as a person of mixed heritage with Métis, French, Irish, and Scottish ancestry and roots in Northern Ontario and Quebec. Like many Indigenous people on Turtle Island her heritage is a result of the complicated and traumatic history of colonization and helps fuel her passion for this work. Jasmine is also a proud mother of two daughters and two puppies.
Kelly Tallon Franklin is an award-winning speaker and advocate on the issues of human rights, justice, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, gender based violence and equine trauma therapies. As Chief Executive Director and visionary Founder of Courage for Freedom, she has a personal story of overcoming violence, drugs, and incarceration suffering coercion, exploitation stripped of dignity and hope. She fought resiliently out of childhood sexual abuse, gender-based violence, and survived sex and labor trafficking. Fierce and tireless Kelly found the strength to launch an incorporated registered charity in 2007 and developed coalitions and task force teams while remaining connected to front-line support needs to stay relevant and leading.
Focused on community work in all regions of the globe, she offers training, education, awareness, and care to women, girls, and their families utilizing her intel and procedural knowledge of how advancing the rule of law demanding governmental will requires intelligent focused actionable advocacy led by Survivors.
She has inspired teams and implemented national and global projects. With best-selling book(s), accolades, and high demand from global speaking invitations, she offers accurate information to focus concerns and solutions in interested communities, regions and member states, starting in prevention. She is a team leader and mentor developer.
Her current body of work prioritize the need for concrete national ethical movement development, policy and consultation that is survivor led and informed, and reformation of priorities in law, and of prevention measures. Kelly’s big picture thinking and understanding of systems analysis, entrenchment and work in United Nations Standing Committee on Human Rights, Women in Organized Crime, and intersections in current Global trends in poly-crises that intersect with human trafficking, gender based violence, femicide and non-state torture provide the backdrop for her and all allies to initiate change, mentor and legacy build for the future of women and girls in eradicating human trafficking.
Bridget Perrier – Space International Canadian Coordinator
Bridget Perrier is an activist and trafficking survivor who cofounded Sex Trade 101 and is currently active and operating in Anti Human Trafficking efforts with Space International Canadian Coordinator. She became a victim of child trafficking at the age of 12 while she was staying at a group home. She moved from Thunder Bay to Toronto in 2000. She is the stepmother of Angel, whose bio-mother was Brenda Wolfe, one of Robert Pickton’s murder victims. In 2012, after being removed from a news conference, relating to Bedford v. Canada, Perrier demonstrated a pimp stick to the media, saying that she had been battered with a pimp stick by her pimp every day that he prostituted her. Perrier opposed the legalization of brothels as proposed in Bedford v. Canada, saying, “Having a legal bawdy house is not going to make it any safer. You are still going to attract serial killers, rapists, perverts.” Bridget shared her story in the ground breaking article by Dr. Vincent J. Felitti in Cancer InCytes magazine (Volume 2, Issue 1) about how childhood trauma is associated with chronic diseases during adulthood and how child trafficking will eventually worsen the economic burden on civil governance. Brigette is an indigenous woman (meaning “power, strength, vigor, virtue”) who has been a pioneer and continues as a respected advocate activist across Canada and Globally.
Moderator and Host Club: BPW Hastings & Prince Edward
Panelists:
Susan (Sue) Orlando – Deputy Director Minister of the Attorney General Provincial Coordinator of Human Trafficking Prosecutions
Detective Constable Tracey Tucker – Ontario Provincial Police Human Trafficking
Gareth Williams – CFF President and former Vice President Probation and Parole Association Ontario
Watch Session #3 below.
Welcome to the Business & Professional Women Canada: Human Trafficking Webinar Series. This recording is the third of four webinar series, and was hosted by Toby Toth President, representing the BPW Hastings & Prince Edward County club. As an informative series, attendees heard actual incites, current trends, survivor lived experiences, and professional stakeholder conversations vital to personal and organizational understanding. Kelly Tallon Franklin, Vice President of Communications and Chair Person of the Priority Theme Anti Human Trafficking Task Force, lead the creation and development of this webinar series with esteemed BPW Clubs, Presidents and volunteer members. We were excited to include three panelists for this event: Susan Orlando; Tracy Tucker and Gareth Williams.
Sue Orlando has been the Provincial Coordinator of Ontario’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Team since it was formed on January 3, 2017. She leads a team of 15 specialized prosecutors and 6 business professionals from across the province. Prior to assuming this role, she was the Director in the Office of the Assistant Deputy Attorney General – Criminal Law Division, where she was responsible for providing legal and strategic advice and support to the Chief Prosecutor for Ontario. A graduate of the University of Ottawa Law School, Sue was called to the Bar in 1997 and began her career as an Assistant Crown Attorney in downtown Toronto.
Detective Constable Tracy Tucker – Ontario Provincial Police Anti Human Trafficking Unit/IJFS (Intelligence Led Joint Force Strategy.
DC Tucker has been a member of the OPP for 27 years. Her investigative passion is Human Trafficking and has been her primary focus since 2016. DC Tucker has a victim centred and trauma informed approach when investigative this heinous crime. DC Tucker is incredibly thankful for all the partnerships she has created during the course of her investigations, in particular with Kelly which has enabled her to participate in this webinar series.
Gareth Williams has a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a concentration in Sociology, a Graduate Certificate in Victimology, as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Victimology, Victim Assistance and Criminal Justice from the Inter-University Centre of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Gareth has been with the Ministry of the Solicitor General as a Probation & Parole Officer from 2016-2021; working at the Ottawa Centre office, Red Lake office with northern fly in remote Indigenous communities, and lastly at the Kingston office. Gareth supervised the intensive high-risk caseload and human trafficking files.
Gareth has independently sought professional development within the matter of Anti Human Trafficking and Anti Sexual Exploitation, he sits on the Board of Directors for Courage For Freedom since 2021. As well he was the past Co-Chair of the KFL&A Anti Human Trafficking Working Group from 2019-2023, strategic in development and release of the regional Protocol for providers working direct or indirectly with trafficking matters. He has worked in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skill Development and now currently works in the Ministry of the Attorney General. Gareth has received recognition awards as well as being nominated for the OPS Amethyst Award for Outstanding New Professional in 2020 for his work in anti human trafficking.
Date: August 9, 2024.
Keynote Presentation: Jennifer Holleman raised in rural Nova Scotia became a Global Advocate for Anti Human Trafficking as the result of the untimely loss of her daughter Maddison. She can attest to the importance of understanding the interconnectivity of East to West Corridors and current issues and trends in crime that continue to disproportionately affect women and girls. Author, Speaker, Award Winner, She has turned a mother’s most feared tragedy into a message of positivity and hope, not only for her daughter’s legacy, but for the many other young women and girls potentially affected by sexual exploitation and organizations who must take note and action.
Feature Film Presentation: Dark Highway is a just-released feature documentary with a sold-out premiere now scheduled to traverse the Canadian Film Festival scene. It is about the invisible crime of human and sex trafficking happening every day in Ontario relevant to all corridors in Canada. The film is led by filmmaker Anna Jane (AJ) Edmonds, a bystander, as she takes audiences along the 401 Highway to meet survivors of sex trafficking and their advocates and change makers. These personal conversations with AJ detail the luring, grooming, hunting, torturing, and exploiting of vulnerable people, and most notably children, in our communities, ends with a call to action, making it a must-see for all Canadians.
Preview the Dark Highway Trailer below.
BPW Canada and Courage for Freedom are working on this national campaign along with other concerned people. The campaign follows last year’s huge success of the #ProjectMapleLeaf campaign in Ontario. Over 1600 Ontarians celebrated with us on July 30, 2019. This historic event caught the attention of politicians and Ontario now has an Anti-human Trafficking Strategy. The success of the campaign is dependent on getting the word out. This is part of what BPW Canada members can help with. Just think what can happen in Canada.
The Facts
Join the #EradicateChallenge
Add your voice to ours by joining the #EradicateChallenge.
Save the Dates – February 22 and July 30
February 22:
On February 22, Canada’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, we asked all Canadians to join together coast to coast to coast to spread the virtual #EradicateChallenge and send a strong polarized message that we want to “end the buying and selling of girls and boys, children in Canada”.
July 30 is the UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and in Canada we will celebrate #ProjectMapleLeaf and the #EradicateChallenge. Courage for Freedom will disclose the party location to each Province and participant closer to the date. Until then, BPW Canada and Courage for Freedom will work on research, building the movement, training industry sectors and communities and creating greater awareness and comradery.
Join the movement. Together we can raise awareness and eradicate human trafficking.
Join the #ProjectMapleLeaf Campaign: Click here and this will make sure you stay informed.
As you can well imagine this is an exciting undertaking. We are still recruiting volunteers to help with various parts of the campaign. Please email BPW Canada, if you can help in any way. Many hands make for light work.
Kelly Tallon Franklin
#ProjectMapleLeaf Chair
BPW Canada Human Trafficking Committee Chair
On February 16, 2021, the All Political Party Group to End Slavery of Persons presented a motion, unanimously adopted, to make official February 22nd as the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. February 22 will now be honoured as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, each and every year, across Canada.
February 22 coincides with the 2007 declaration by the Canadian House of Commons to condemn all forms of human trafficking and slavery.
The House of Commons proclaimed February 22 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day to help bring awareness to the magnitude of modern-day slavery in Canada and abroad and encourage Canadians to take steps to combat human trafficking.
March 15, 2021: Letter to RCMP Commissioner signed by 70+ Senators and MP’s representing all eight political parties and Senate groups supporting the voices of survivors regarding exploitation and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on MindGeek.
Dear Commissioner:
We join the voices of over 100 survivors of sexual exploitation along with hundreds of non-governmental organizations to call for a full criminal investigation into MindGeek and its subsidiaries.
Over the past month, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics has heard shocking evidence from survivors and child protection agencies that MindGeek has regularly made available content featuring child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.
Even more alarming, we have heard evidence that MindGeek continues to make available material featuring child sexual abuse material and non-consensual acts as one survivor testified to the Ethics Committee on February 19, 2021: “Thanks to Pornhub, today is day 1,292 that I have been naked on these porn sites.”
“That the Standing Committee on Health be instructed to examine the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women and men, recognizing and respecting the provincial and territorial jurisdictions in this regard, and that the said Committee report its findings to the House no later than July 2017”.
Human Trafficking in persons is an issue that BPW Canada has been addressing since convention 2000. A resolution was passed in the Sault Ste. Marie Convention after it came to BPW Canada members’ attention that young girls were being smuggled into Canada from Mexico, Thailand, India and the Philippines and other countries illegally, and were being held as sex slaves. Canadian laws prohibited the sexual procurement of children in Canada and in other countries in the world but these laws were not being enforced.
At the United Nations at the Committee meetings on the Status of Women in 2005, there were parallel workshops addressing the expansion of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls around the world.
World Cup Soccer in 2006
BPW became aware that Germany was setting up a football-size area where players and fans could have sex with prostitutes without being exposed to the public. It was anticipated that women would be trafficked across Asia and Europe to fill the need. BPW Clubs started writing letters and signing petitions, along with an extensive prevention campaign by immigration and law enforcement. In the end, during the World Cup, Germany experienced a short-term increase in demand for prostitution, but instead, local prostitutes from elsewhere in the country were drawn in to host cities. The next year, at the Athens Olympics, prevention efforts were poor. Researchers found that there was a 95% increase in human trafficked victims during the Olympics.
A further resolution, Combatting Human Trafficking in Canada, was presented and approved at the convention in 2010 urging the Government to provide services to assist victims in Canada. Read the 2010 resolution.
Certificate of Appreciation – July 2012
In 2013, BPW Canada developed the resolution: Identification of Businesses and Individuals With a Risk of Sexual Exploitation to Combat Human Trafficking.
Learning Report, September 2012
Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre
Books on Human Trafficking
Project Unveiling, July 30, 2019
