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Victims of human trafficking in Saskatoon will be able to get help from a dedicated Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) team after it received finding from the Canadian Department of Justice.
SPS said in a news release on Friday that federal funds — dedicated for two and a half years — will pay for two full-time positions to “create a specialized and integrated team”. Both positions have already been filled.
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A human trafficking liaison, who started in mid-March, will work in partnership with Indigenous resource officer and other community partners to develop and deliver trauma-informed training for prosecutors and first responders in order to enhance the detection, investigation and prosecution of human trafficking incidents in both Saskatoon and throughout Saskatchewan, SPS said.
As well, a human trafficking responder will begin work in May and will work alongside vice unit investigators to provide immediate and specialized support to victims, as well as assisting the victim with things like navigating and understanding the justice system “therefore increasing the chance of conviction.” SPS said.
Joeline Magill, co-founder of Hope Restored Canada, a Saskatoon-based program which operates programs and safe houses for survivors of human trafficking, told the StarPhoenix in 2023 that human trafficking is a really large umbrella term and within it, there’s four different forms.
Magill said the most common one heard about is sexual exploitation (sex trafficking) but there are also incidences of labour trafficking, domestic trafficking and the removal of organs.
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