Content warning: This article covers child sex trafficking, which may be disturbing for some readers.
Child sex trafficking and online child sexual exploitation are a serious public health crisis in Canada and the 2nd largest organized crime in the world behind drug trafficking.
Over the past five years, there has been an 815 per cent increase in the number of reported cases of online sexual exploitation. Worldwide, children make up nearly one-third of all sex trafficking victims.
This year, the Faculty of Community Service brought together leaders in social work, child protection, children's mental health, education and more to build organizational capacity to identify, effectively respond to, and prevent child sex trafficking and online child sexual exploitation. The leaders are the key decision-makers for how policy and practice unfolds in their organizations.
Through the Executive Program in Combating Child Sex Trafficking & Online Child Sexual Exploitation, participants learned how their organizations can better respond to risks, harms and complex needs of victims and survivors.
Led by child and youth care professor Jennifer Martin, the program provided participants with a thorough understanding of child sex trafficking and online child sexual exploitation, and gave them the tools to address these issues.
Participants reflect on program teachings
"It was uplifting to take part in a program specifically for this field. The anti-trafficking sector is little understood but much needed," said course participant Camille Beausejour. "I believe this program will contribute to an improved understanding of this subject for service providers, community members and survivors."
Beausejour has worked in anti-trafficking for several years. As a case manager at BridgeNorth, an anti-trafficking agency in York Region, she worked with youth who were at-risk or who experienced trafficking or exploitation.
"I drew on lived experience and trauma-informed practices to meet the youth where they were at, which is crucial for youth with these experiences and a priority for BridgeNorth," said Beausejour, who is now a program coordinator at BridgeNorth.
For those with less direct experience, the TMU course taught participants how to use lived experiences, survivor-informed approaches and insights into the most impacted communities to inform strategies and responses at their organizations.
"One of the most valuable lessons I learned from the program is the critical role that lived experience experts play in fostering holistic healing and recovery for survivors," says Jessica Valleau, manager, anti-human trafficking at multi-service agency Strides Toronto. "Their insights bring authenticity and depth to our understanding of trauma, helping to shape more effective and compassionate care approaches."
Leanne Petkau, who lives and works in Northwestern Ontario, found value in learning how certain populations are vulnerable to exploitation.
"We have a large Indigenous population in Kenora. Part of the program addresses how colonization affected Indigenous women and youth and why they are more vulnerable to exploitation," says Petkau, CARE coordinator for Kenora Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services.
"Another area directly related to my work in child welfare were the discussions on the links between human trafficking and involvement with the child welfare system. Youth do not need to have been in care or had long term involvement with the child welfare system for it to add to their vulnerability," she says.
Creating connections to better serve youth
The program teaches participants how to work collaboratively across sectors and levels of government to streamline services, solve challenges and offer increased wraparound supports to prevent and respond to the sexual exploitation of children.
Valleau is working to develop a new residential treatment program for female identifying youth who are survivors of childhood sexual exploitation or trafficking. The collaborative environment of the program enriched her learnings and highlighted innovative, survivor-centred approaches to care.
"This collective effort is essential to meeting the complex and evolving emergent needs of survivors throughout their healing journey," says Valleau. "The program provided practical tools and frameworks that I can directly apply to enhance the quality and effectiveness of services within my field."
In addition to highlighting the importance of formal collaboration, the program was also an opportunity for participants to make lasting connections that will improve their work.
"At times I feel very removed from Southern Ontario when I look at the programs and resources that are available there compared to here in the north. I now have connections with people that have resources I do not and they are more than happy to share with me. I have and will continue to call up people that were in the program and request help or information," said Petkau.
Registration is now open for the Fall 2025 hybrid session of the Executive Program in Combating Child Sex Trafficking & Online Child Sexual Exploitation. For more information and to register, visit the program's website.
