Justice committee  Thank you for the question. An example of one of the freedom businesses I've visited is Freeset, which employs 250 women who were trafficked. They're taught a variety of skills, such as learning how to put textile printing on clothing, and sewing. There are other freedom business

Justice committee  It's an opportunity for women who are trafficked to receive an income and to have a community of women with lived experience who can relate to them. As well, it offers freedom through counselling and also gives them life skills training. One of the freedom businesses I visited,

Justice committee  I'll speak to the second part of the question, how it can be improved. A point I tried to make is that we need to look at this issue through an interdisciplinary lens. So we're talking a lot about reporting statistics, which is important to understand the magnitude of the issue

Justice committee  Yes, the average age of women and girls who are trafficked in Canada, being forced into trafficking, is 13 or 14.

Justice committee  I don't have a specific statistic, but from anecdotal conversations and what folks have told me—particularly in the context of India, where I was working with women—women in their mid-20s often become indisposed to trafficking and can be recruited to become recruiters, as folks m

Justice committee  Yes, and based on the research I conducted, what would happen to those women if they didn't have a place to go was that they would be recruited as women who would assist with the trafficking.

Justice committee  I have given it some thought, and one area I think it could be implemented in is the D.A.R.E. program that already exists. When things like drugs and alcohol are being discussed with the students, it could be something that's taking shape in those conversations. Also, I think tha

Justice committee  Thank you for inviting me to share with you today. I would also like to thank the committee for launching an investigation on this important issue. I'd also like to recognize and thank the women and girls who have shared their trafficking stories with me and the many people gui