HUMAN TRAFFICKING
LABOUR
• SLAVERY
• FORCED LABOUR
SEX • PROSTITUTION
MEDICAL • ORGANS
THIS INCLUDES
‘LEGAL’
EMPLOYERS
COMMON THEMES OF EXPLOITED WOMEN
CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY
SURVIVALTRAUMA
Complexity
of the
Sex Trade
Pathways
into the
Sex Trade
EXPLOITATION IN CANADA
Common Factors for Wanting to Exit
Personal exhaustion
Spirituality
Excessive Violence
Sobriety
Physical deterioration/health issues
Pregnancy
Relationships
Legal/justice/mandated
PROVEN CLINICAL NEEDS OF WOMEN
SEEKING TO EXIT
SAFETY – URGENT AND IMMEDIATE
HOUSING – URGENT AND IMMEDIATE
DETOXIFICATION
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
SAFE CONNECTION / RELATIONSHIP
STABILITY
PLACE / TEAM TO HEAR
HOW OUR AGENCY DOES IT
RESET Society – WHO ARE WE?
Started a true grassroots initiative
RESET is entering our 30th year
Provide a lifeline for women wanting to
exit sexual exploitation
Supported over 850 women and girls EXIT
sexual exploitation
Proven and trauma-informed Three Phase
continuum of services
RESET Society – WHO ARE WE?
Unique comprehensive programming includes
Immediate/safe rapid-exit and 24/7 support
Supported Housing with on-site programming
Trauma-informed Life-Skills program
Employment & Education support
Addiction recovery/relapse prevention support
Allow women to bring their children
RESET Society – WHO ARE WE?
RESET has been called the
pioneers in the sector by
stakeholders including
government, partner organizations
and social service agencies
Vision and Mission
Vision: For sexually exploited women and girls to know there is a way out
Mission: To provide comprehensive individualized support and safe housing to women and girls age 16 + exiting sexual exploitation and sex trafficking so that they may transform their lives
Program Outcomes
Phase One: i-EXIT
Phase Two: EXIT
Phase Three: Community Support
Safety and stabilization
Healing and capacity building
Independence and Empowerment
Build feelings of safety and trust
Stabilize their personal situation
Heal from their experiences of sexual exploitation
Build on strengths for sustained recovery
Transition into independence
Empowered to sustain stables lives and continue to build their strengths
RESET
Society
Program
Stats
2017/2018
Sexual exploitation and the nature of sex work has changed a lot in Canada during the last 25 years.
Think of how technology has enabled and impacted the sexual exploitation of women.
RESET has had to adapt and update our services to meet the needs of the women we work with and issues they may have.
HOW DO CLIENTS COME?
Clients can self-refer to our
organization
Referrals can come from City Police
Services, hospitals or other social
support agencies
Our referrals come from all over
Canada
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY
ARRIVE?
Through our i-EXIT Program we provide
housing to our clients at the point of intake
and also assign a 1 to 1 Key Worker who helps
the women meet their immediate needs.
For example, if a client needs to go to detox,
we can arrange that for her.
We keep a bed free in our property so she can
immediately return following treatment and
begin the RESET EXIT Program.
EXploitation Intervention & Transition
(EXIT) Program
EXIT is a 9 to 12 month recovery-oriented program that teaches
the life-skills needed to make healthy choices and that
supports our clients as they successfully rebuild their lives.
HOUSING
We offer two stages of housing:
Rapid-Exit and Supportive Housing. This allows women to
stabilize and begin the process of recovery and healing,
and eventually practice skills taught in the EXIT classroom
all aimed at supporting successful, self-guided transition.
That transition comes through completion of our EXIT
Program.
At all stages of our housing, onsite volunteers help RESET
clients apply the skills they learn in the EXIT Program.
There is no limit for how long women can remain in
RESET. They transition into community housing when they
are ready to move. There is also no limit on when past
program Participants may access Community Support
services.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
SERVICE
Our EXIT Program graduates can access our long-
term ‘Community Support’ service. They can
contact the RESET Community Support
Coordinator at any time in regards to issues or
challenges they may be experiencing.
The Coordinator supports them in accessing
appropriate resources to resolve their issue such
as housing, job security or in accessing
education.
We also provide a Educational Scholarships for
Participants wishing to pursue further education.
This reduces barriers to their success and helps
them realize their long-term goals.
STAFFING
AND
CONTENT
MATTERS
RESET Staff and staff from community organization partners, deliver the curriculum of our comprehensive recovery-oriented EXIT Life-Skills Classroom.
This program is designed and updated with key input from women with lived experience.
RESET considers our EXIT Program to be a community of healing and hope.
CONTENT
AND
LINKAGES
MATTER
The program includes therapeutic recreational programming, life-skills training, health and wellness education and promotion, employment skills development, parenting skills, educational guidance and support, and financial skills training.
LINKAGES ----- RESET Key Workers also provide links to crucial services that support our clients’ success and wellbeing such as facilitating access to mental health and physical health care providers, addiction treatment support, and support for legal issues.
There is a way out
We work hard at RESET to help women exit a
lifestyle that puts them at great risk and
achieve change that promotes:
safety, health, wellbeing, positive
relationships, resiliency, strong
support systems and independence,
all directed by client choice.
We believe that healing comes and self-esteem
is built when people take the initiative to
change their lives.
CASE STUDY #1
My life before RESET was filled with anger and hurt. I was leading a very
dangerous lifestyle.
I was first pimped out at the age of eleven. I was used for child
pornography, and was steadily given drugs by my pimp. My daily quota was
$4000.
It wasn’t until the age of 17 that I was picked up by PSECA (Protection of
Sexually Exploited Children), hours away from being trafficked to Mexico.
For the next eleven months stayed in supportive housing, became clean,
and even had a job.
However, a sexual assault lead me to relapse and re-enter the sex trade. I
moved back to Toronto with the intention of stripping, but I found myself
locked in a hotel by my pimp, sexually exploited twenty-four hours a day.
CASE STUDY #1
At that time, I was still in close contact with the VICE Squad in Calgary in regards to my prior sexual assault, and they convinced me to attend RESET.
It has been one year since I graduated from the RESET Life-Skills Classroom.
I have since obtained my GED, completed my work experience through RESET, and have secured a position at a local non-profit.
The best part about recovery is being the best mom for my son.
RESET has taught me most of all to be content. If I don’t like my circumstance, I understand that I can change it.
CASE STUDY #2
My pimp trafficked me from the east coast. After he
turned extremely physically abusive, I finally found the
courage to leave him.
From that point on, I learned to always keep enough
money to leave whichever pimp I was with at the time.
However, working for a new pimp always ended up the
same way: being abused so severely that I would finally
leave, only to repeat the cycle with someone new.
CASE STUDY #2
After coming to RESET I really learned who I was.
I was able to open up and heal in class. I was able to find my voice again.
No longer will I ever allow anybody to abuse, control and manipulate me.
I am working towards my goal of being a social worker.
I always knew what me dreams were, but I couldn’t see a reason to work for them.”
I believe that if a person is moved by someone to be sexually exploited in any way, for example from Forest Lawn to Downtown, she is a victim of trafficking.
In my experience working with women who have been sexually exploited or involved in the sex trade I have met only one woman who sincerely expressed wanting to be a “sex worker”.
QUESTIONS