Canada’s inaugural National Human Trafficking Awareness Day begins an annual acknowledgment of the human costs of the crime — every Feb. 22 — following a motion unanimously approved by parliamentarians last week.

Mirlo Liendo, a youth counsellor in Toronto, lived with an abusive man for 18 years before leaving him eight years ago. Now, she uses what she has learned to help others. The pandemic has made it harder for abused women to access services but those services are still there, she says

Conspiracy theories involving child abduction and human trafficking have been spread by the QAnon movement, but anti-trafficking groups warn these theories do real harm to victims. 

Project iRISE is a survivor-led not-for-profit initiative launched by Rhonelle Bruder, survivor and anti-trafficking expert. The project provides innovative skills-based training, education and the removal of branding tattoos.