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