Hi! My name is Cassandra and I am a survivor, mother, student, and legal advocate. I speak up for survivors because I know what it feels like to survive exploitation and then face it again within systems that claim to protect. I use my voice, experience, and knowledge to push for real change, ensuring survivors are fairly compensated, protected, and empowered. This campaign is about making sure survivor voices are heard safely, valued appropriately, and included in meaningful opportunities to shape policy and programs.

I am launching a public petition and legislative advocacy campaign to call for amendments and regulatory implementations under Ontario’s Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017. Having personally experienced the systemic exploitation that persists even within protective frameworks, I feel compelled to advocate for tangible change, particularly around survivor labour protections and meaningful professional development opportunities.

Like many others, I know what it feels like to survive exploitation, only to face it again within systems that claim to protect. The expectation to share my lived experience, trauma, and healing journey without fair compensation, real opportunities, or adequate safeguards became an insidious cycle of exploitation. I have witnessed firsthand how survivor stories are publicly celebrated but privately neglected, allowing organizations to build programs, secure funding, and gain recognition, while the true storytellers (survivors) are left struggling.

My petition specifically calls for the fair and professional compensation of survivors engaged with publicly funded anti-trafficking and victim-serving organizations. Practices such as unpaid roles, honorariums, or minimum-wage compensation for survivors who share their invaluable insights are far from sufficient. Survivors deserve more than token gestures; they deserve compensation that reflects their expertise and programs that provide them with real, skills-based professional experience. This means opportunities for training, mentorship, and career pathways that go beyond monetary gain, empowering survivors to build sustainable professional and personal futures.

All non-profit organizations that engage survivors for their lived experience should be licensed and required to complete trauma-informed training before they can rely on survivor voices. This ensures survivors are not re-traumatized, exploited, or placed in unsafe situations while contributing to programs, panels, or advocacy initiatives. Licensing and mandatory training create accountability and establish minimum standards for organizations to meaningfully, safely, and respectfully work with survivors. Furthermore, ethics review boards should be required to review nonprofit applications that use survivor input. Similar to university research projects, this should be mandatory rather than optional.

The statistics surrounding human trafficking in Canada are alarming. According to Statistics Canada, 96% of victims in Canada are women are girls and 25% are under the age of 18 and 20% were aged 25 to 34.

Efforts to combat this crisis must extend beyond rescue, they must include survivor empowerment and dignified participation in rebuilding their lives.

To achieve this, I propose the introduction of regulatory requirements ensuring: Fair wages and protections for survivor roles within funded organizations. Mandatory skills-based programs offering professional experience and career development. Transparent monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to prevent re-exploitation under the guise of advocacy and support.

This campaign is a crucial step toward systemic change. By signing this petition, you are standing up for the rights of survivors and supporting their rightful place as knowledgeable contributors in efforts to combat human trafficking.

Please sign this petition and join us in urging the Ontario government to prioritize survivor labour protections, fair compensation, and meaningful professional opportunities, and to amend the Human Trafficking Act to ensure justice and fairness for all survivors. Together, we can build a province that genuinely values, protects, and empowers its survivors