Our Story

The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) Canada was established in 1996 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Since 1996, GAATW Canada has addressed trafficking issues and networked with women’s, 2SLGBTQIA+, sex work, and labour organizations locally and globally.

GAATW Canada is a member organization of GAATW, an alliance of over 105 non-governmental organizations worldwide. Alliance members include women’s rights, human rights, migrant rights, and anti-trafficking organizations, as well as self-organized groups of migrant workers, domestic workers, sex workers, and survivors of human trafficking. GAATW’s International Secretariat is located in Bangkok, Thailand.

In 1997, GAATW Canada hosted the North American Regional Consultative Forum on Trafficking in Women—the first consultation of its kind held in Canada.

Over the years, GAATW Canada has engaged in policy advocacy and conducted several research projects to inform Canada’s response to human trafficking.

GAATW Canada was incorporated as a federal non-profit organization in 2022 and registered as a charity in 2025. With our revitalized organization now operating at a greater capacity, we are poised to strengthen our partnerships, ultimately enhancing our impact and evidence-based contributions to addressing human trafficking in Canada.

About Our Name

The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) Canada would like to provide clarification about our organization’s name.

We understand that certain words, like “trafficking” and “women”, may cause hesitation and uncertainty for some.

Our name comes from the international organization, the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, based in Bangkok, Thailand. As a member of GAATW and building on its years of research and dedication to critical anti-trafficking work, we have used this name with the Canadian designation since our founding in 1996.

However, since language and ideas evolve, and considering the nuances specific to our Canadian context, we want to clarify a few points.

“Trafficking”

While addressing human trafficking and related issues is GAATW Canada’s focus, we care about all forms of exploitation. We recognize that violence and exploitation exist on a continuum and that many underlying and interconnected issues must be addressed simultaneously if we are to prevent human trafficking.

We do not conflate issues, impose labels, or expect our partner organizations and allies to rebrand to fit into an anti-trafficking framework. Our focus is on working with groups that do vital work in their communities, rather than on the labels they assign to that work.

“Women”

For GAATW Canada, the word “women” in our name no longer tells the whole story.

We recognize and include in our work cis and trans women, Two-Spirit, non-binary, and gender-fluid people, intersex people, cis and trans men, and any and all others impacted by violence and exploitation.

We believe that effectively combatting violence, exploitation, and human trafficking requires addressing issues that affect everyone.

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Our Mission

From a labour rights perspective, GAATW Canada bridges community and scholarly expertise to address human trafficking through research, policy change, advocacy, education, and mutual partnerships.

We advocate for effective approaches that aid people who are trafficked while reducing the harms linked to the rescue industry.

We aim to create a fairer, more compassionate society where exploitation has no place. We listen to diverse voices—including Indigenous peoples, migrant workers, sex workers, and other affected groups—to honour the varied experiences of exploitation at individual, community, and regional levels. We move beyond rescue and criminal legal methods, fostering lasting change and building a society where everyone can flourish free from exploitation.

Imagining The Future

GAATW Canada imagines a world where…

migrant workers are treated with dignity, fairness, and respect
sex workers are not criminalized and are able to work safely
Indigenous women are respected, valued, and live free from violence
everyone can exercise their full human and labour rights
all people live free from violence, exploitation, and trafficking

Our Values

Accountability, Anti-colonialism, Anti-racism, Decarceralism, Gender inclusivity, Intersectional feminism, Justice, Labour and Human Rights.

Position Statement

GAATW Canada’s work is rooted in several guiding principles. This is our platform for a more just Canadian society to prevent, reduce, and address human trafficking and promote the rights of individuals who are at-risk or trafficked,as well as individuals who have been harmed by anti-trafficking initiatives.

‘Trafficking’ and the labour exploitation of individuals must be understood in the context of modern capitalism, patriarchal social attitudes, gender inequity in labour markets, increasingly restrictive immigration policies, weakening of labour rights, systemic racism, and impacts of climate change-related conditions that drive migration.

Currently, anti-trafficking work largely ignores these larger, causal issues and instead focuses on individuals (e.g., traffickers, victims). This focus often results in disempowering, short-sighted services for individuals who are at risk or trafficked in Canada.

We acknowledge the limitations and harms of Canada’s law and order trafficking framework and aim to shift to approaches that respect individual choice and labour rights.

GAATW Canada commits to action and advocacy to make concrete political and social change in the anti-trafficking landscape across Canada.

We strive to be inclusive and non-discriminatory in all our work. This means we do not discriminate on any grounds, including race, ethnicity, descent, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, immigration status, birth or other status, or occupation (including work in the informal sectors such as domestic work and sex work, among others).

We employ the highest degree of accountability in our work to encourage a more transparent and effective use of anti-trafficking funding, resources, and statistics among all anti-trafficking stakeholders in Canada.

This statement does not address specific issues of child or youth exploitation or trafficking. It is not our intention to exclude these serious issues; rather, GAATW Canada acknowledges that child and youth exploitation and adult exploitation are different issues, and we specifically focus on adult labour exploitation and trafficking.

Staff

The people who work at GAATW Canada share the principles and values of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, an international alliance of member organizations from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Alison Clancey

National Director

Alison Clancey has worked in anti-trafficking curriculum development, training, frontline service, public education, policy, and advocacy for over a decade. Alison’s interest in addressing human trafficking through a labour rights framework stems from her previous career and experience working critically with law enforcement and the anti-trafficked.

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I joined GAATW Canada because if we are as a nation to address human trafficking effectively, a significant shift in the understanding and response to human trafficking is required.

It is my hope that my community development experience facilitating complex multistakeholder processes that tackle challenging social issues will advance GAATW’s mission.

Borislav Gerasimov

Research Lead

Borislav is the Editor of Anti-Trafficking Review – the first open access, peer reviewed journal dedicated to the issue of human trafficking. For the past 20 years, he’s been working at women’s rights and anti-trafficking NGOs at the national, European, and international level.

He has also volunteered for LGBTQI+ and sex worker rights NGOs in Bulgaria and the Netherlands. Borislav holds a degree in English Philology from Sofia University, Bulgaria.

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I joined GAATW Canada because I see an urgent need for a change in the discourses, policies, and practices related to addressing human trafficking in Canada. I hope that my experience with communications and advocacy in Europe, Asia, and globally will help me contribute to achieving this change.

Julie Murray

Research Assistant

Julie is a dedicated researcher with a strong background in investigating social justice issues, including the criminalization and stigmatization of sex work, as well as human trafficking policy and its impact on sex working communities.

As a passionate labour rights advocate for those in precarious or non-standard work, Julie has been involved in collaborative research projects that have critically examined how trafficking, labour exploitation, and abuse are understood within various legal and policy contexts, and the implications these distinctions have on marginalized communities.

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I joined GAATW Canada because I deeply value its critical perspective on human trafficking, particularly its advocacy for the labour rights of sex workers, migrant workers, and other communities affected by anti-trafficking rhetoric in Canada. I share GAATW’s commitment to evidence-based advocacy and education, and I hope to contribute to these important discussions and help drive systemic change.

Victoria Harraway

Knowledge Translation Lead

Victoria has worked in the nonprofit sector supporting (im)migrants, educating on social justice issues facing equity-deserving groups, advocating for labour rights, and encouraging media accountability around reporting on sex work and human trafficking.

Victoria has an academic background in criminology and human rights/civil liberties. She holds a master’s degree in criminology from Simon Fraser University.

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I joined GAATW Canada because I appreciate its critical and evidence-based approach to human trafficking and its commitment to accessible, inclusive advocacy. To effectively address human trafficking, we cannot ignore migrant rights, labour rights, sex worker rights, queer rights, Indigenous rights, and more. I hope to help GAATW Canada educate and advocate for a safer, more just society for absolutely everyone.

Board of Directors

Directors draw upon their decades of scholarship and professional knowledge in the areas of anti-trafficking, labour rights, gender-based violence, and non-profit management to govern the organization.

Dr. Annalee Lepp

Co-Chair, Treasurer

Dr. Annalee Lepp is a founding member of GAATW Canada and was the long-time Vice-President of GAATW International Board of Directors. Dr. Lepp is also Associate Professor (Gender Studies) and Dean of Humanities at the University of Victoria.

Since 1997, she has been involved in various collaborative research projects that examine Canadian state policies and practices as they relate to trafficking in persons and irregular cross-border movements as well as the impact of anti-trafficking policies on sex workers’ rights in Canada.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board to continue my decades-long work with the organization.

I hope that I can continue to shape the direction of GAATW Canada’s work that is in line with the principles that drive the work of GAATW’s International Secretariat and the global alliance.

Leigh Elliott

Co-Chair

Leigh Elliott is the Executive Director of Peers Victoria Resources Society, a multi-service grassroots agency established by, with, and for sex workers in Victoria BC. Leigh has a Master of Arts in political theory with a focus on biopolitics, agency, and the harmful conflation of human trafficking and sex work.

Leigh has also conducted community-based research on sex work, housing, gender-based violence and violence prevention.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board because I believe there needs to be a national voice that speaks from an evidence-based framework on the topic of human trafficking.

I hope the impact of GAATW Canada will be to help propel a movement to change the conversation around human trafficking, to end the conflation between sex work and human trafficking, and to advocate for labour rights in all sectors.

Rhea Rollmann

Secretary

Rhea is an award-winning journalist, writer and audio producer based in St. John’s, NL.

Much of her reporting focuses on labour, equity and human rights, and her academic work has focused on equity policy, gender representation and labour rights. She also has an extensive background in community media (print and radio), labour organizing and queer/trans activism.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board because of its strong reputation for countering harmful anti-sex worker, anti-migrant trafficking narratives and its important evidence-based research and advocacy work in expanding the rights of precaritized workers and equity-denied groups.

Dr. Julie Ham

Member at large

Julie’s recent research explores knowledge production and cultural production by migrants in Hong Kong through participatory and visual methodologies.

Her research is grounded in academic-community collaborations that speak to priorities identified by migrant and minority communities, such as the dehumanization of domestic workers, harms produced by the anti-trafficking industry, the impact of social difference in sex work, the trajectory of migrant remittances, cultural production and dynamics that support or hinder social change for migrant communities.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board to support the rights and well-being of sex workers, migrant workers, migrants and other communities that have been borne the brunt of repressive anti-trafficking measures.

Jonny Mexico

Member at large

Jonny is an uninvited queer settler living in Winnipeg.

They have consulted on and advised research projects related to sex work, exploitation, and harm reduction. With over 25 years of experience in harm reduction work, Jonny currently serves as the Winnipeg Coordinator for the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network. They are also a member of the Sex Workers of Winnipeg Action Coalition and ACT UP (Winnipeg), and chair the Winnipeg Regional Team for Tricia’s Trust. Jonny holds a degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in activism.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board because I am passionate about transformative work within systems and fully believe being a shit disturber is an act of love.

Dr. Julie Kaye

Member at large (on leave)

Dr. Julie Kaye works as an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan and Co-Founder of Standing Together where she works together with relations and grassroots organizers of MMIWGT2S+ and decolonial, anti-violence organizing and research alongside Indigenous-led responses to colonial gendered violence.

Dr. Kaye’s work also examines settler-colonialism and colonial gendered violence and racialized policing as well as harm reduction, consent, and body sovereignty.

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I joined GAATW Canada’s Board because I was honoured early in my education to benefit from learning from the critical anti-trafficking work of GAATW. This foundational education has been essential to my relations with community and I look forward to supporting future generations of community leaders through GAATW Canada.