Ontario giving cash boost for domestic abuse, human trafficking survivors
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The Doug Ford government is doubling the level of funding available to provide treatment at a recovery facility for victims of human trafficking.
Attorney General Doug Downey announced Friday morning that the government is making improvements to the Victim Quick Response Program, to be called VQRP+, aimed at delivering more help for victims of violent crime.
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The goal is to ensure that support arrives in days, not months, so victims don’t have to pay out-of-pocket expenses like crime scene clean up for homicides and new door locks and alarms in cases of domestic violence, a source said.
Of particular focus will be supports for victims of human trafficking, as two-thirds of all cases that are reported occur in Ontario.
Confidential documents obtained by the Sun show victims of human trafficking will be eligible for up to $20,000 for treatment at a recovery facility, up from the current limit of $10,000.
“The treatment at recovery facilities for survivors of human trafficking is holistic and delivered by qualified medical and clinical staff,” the source said. “Treatments are provided for abuse, addiction, anxiety, depression, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, mental health, relationships or trauma.”
Under the enhanced program, human trafficking victims will now be eligible for up to $1,000 in a new serious injury benefit, up to $1,000 in disability aids and up to $200 for a cellphone and cellphone minutes.
The amount available to help victims with dental care needs is rising to $2,000 maximum from $1,000.
VQRP+ will continue to cover up to $2,000 for counselling for sex trafficking victims and $1,000 for tattoo removal.
For the first time, the program will offer up to $300 to pay for government documents or doctors’ notes required by the victim, the documents show.
Human trafficking violations in the province have increased by 284% in the last five years, with 64% of all cases occurring in Ottawa and Toronto.
Statistics Canada figures show the rate of human trafficking in Ontario was 1.6 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2016, more than 1 1/2 times the national rate.
The activist organization Courage for Freedom launched Project Onroute over the summer to bring attention to the use of the 400-series highways as pipelines for trafficking youngsters — both male and female — for the purpose of prostitution.
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