“Where is the money? Rethinking anti-trafficking funding in Canada.”
13 octobre 2026
How is anti-trafficking funding in Canada allocated — and what does it achieve?
Who receives funding, and who doesn’t? Who benefits from these investments? Are resources reaching people who have experienced trafficking and those most at risk? And do current funding approaches address the social and economic conditions that contribute to trafficking?
This GAATW Canada webinar takes a critical look at how anti-trafficking funding in Canada is distributed, asking the tough questions and inviting conversation about how we can address exploitation and trafficking while better serving communities at risk.
The speakers reflect on their funding experiences, including what gets prioritized, what gets left out, and how funding decisions shape the work happening on the ground. Together, they explore what anti-trafficking organizations in Canada support today and what we could do differently to advance trafficking prevention across the country.
Moderators:
- Borislav Gerasimov, Research Lead, GAATW Canada
- Julie Murray, Research Assistant, GAATW Canada
Guest Speakers:
- Angela Wu, SWAN Vancouver
- Jolin Joseph, Equality Fund
- Wade Arvizu, Catalyst Impact Group
Anti-Trafficking Funding in Canada Resources
In this series, we explore how government funding shapes the services available to migrant and racialized women experiencing GBV, and the ways in which human trafficking is understood and responded to in Canada.
We highlight the political nature of funding for human trafficking, migrant rights, and GBV services as they emerged from GAATW Canada’s research, and how funding can actually operate as a key driver of systemic and practical change.
More Resources Mentioned in the Webinar
GAATW Canada’s resources
- ‘Is it trafficking?’ research project
- 2026 webinar with Indigenous partners Red Response and Standing Together
Angela’s resources
Wade’s resources:
- Polaris, Resilience Fund final report (July 2026). 24 trafficking survivors received up to $500 a month, no strings, for 18 months. The share in exploitative work fell from 60% to 23%. It is small with no comparison group, so promising and early.
- FreeFrom, "Trust Survivors” (2021) . Of 1,000 survivors surveyed, 84% could not get cash support without requirements beyond having been harmed, and 68% could not, or would not feel safe, getting a police report.
- HHS/ASPE and Michigan State University, Domestic Violence Housing First evaluation (2022). 406 survivors in Washington State received flexible funds averaging about $1,950, with better housing stability, fewer PTSD symptoms and less abuse.
- Evans and Popova, World Bank (2014). A review of 19 studies found cash transfers do not increase spending on alcohol or tobacco. If anything, it goes down.
- Human Trafficking Legal Center, mandatory restitution report (2018). US courts ordered restitution in only 27% of trafficking convictions, even though it is mandatory, and only 2.8% of the roughly $9.2 million ordered in one year was collected.
Please feel free to share these resources with your network, friends, and family.