A Grassroots Human Trafficking Info Hub Built Upon Human Rights, Intersectional Feminism, and Equity
Marissa Kokkoros | September 23 | 1:45-2:45 pm
Topic: Programming, International | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Aura Freedom's Human Trafficking (HT) Info Hub is an online resource created to prevent sex trafficking in Canada. It is built on extensive grassroots frontline work and activism with the focus of addressing root causes to prevent sexual exploitation in Canada and beyond. This framework is drawn from Aura Freedom’s award-winning "Human Trafficking Peer Prevention Project" (HTPPP), in which, selected youth, including survivors of domestic sex trafficking, received HT-related and anti-oppressive training, coaching, and mentoring that they later employed to bring awareness to HT and empower other vulnerable youth in schools, youth shelters, migrant-focused organizations, Indigenous groups, and other communities in Toronto. Through this project, plus advocacy at different levels of government, and more than 10 years of doing human trafficking prevention work and supporting survivors, the HT Info Hub highlights the accumulated knowledge and expertise of Aura Freedom and its collaborators that is centered on human rights, intersectional feminism, and equity for everyone. The HT Info Hub lists information on coercive control, the luring and grooming process, barriers to getting help, control tactics, healthy relationships, root causes, and much more. The presentation will introduce attendees to Aura Freedom’s ground-breaking online resource center to prevent sex trafficking, which is a part of their ongoing “Relentless Resilience” movement to end gender-based violence in Canada. HT Info Hub will be highlighted as a resource that the attendees can use to learn more about domestic sex trafficking and employ grassroots expertise and experience to build their own preventative programs. Attendees should come with an open mind and willingness to learn more about the nuances of trafficking.
Presentation Objectives:
· Guide attendees through an interactive tour of the various features, sections, and resources of the HT Info Hub
· Address root causes to prevent youth sexual exploitation
· Discuss strategies to build anti-trafficking programs rooted in equity and grassroots activism
· Highlight the HT Info Hub as a trustworthy resource that is trauma-informed and survivor-centric and based on years of grassroots anti-trafficking work and research