Modern-Day Slavery: Sex Trafficking Among Child Welfare Children in Nova Scotia and Ontario

Human trafficking has become a widespread and growing issue in Canada, with Nova Scotia and Ontario reporting higher rates of human and sex trafficking than the national average. Children in the Child Welfare (CW) systems in these provinces experience a heightened risk for sex trafficking. My research aims to address why these children continue to be disproportionately affected by sex trafficking, despite these provinces' legislative responses to this issue. Using a trauma-informed approach, I will conduct a comparative discourse analysis of the Hansards of Nova Scotia and Ontario’s legislation relating to human trafficking. I will seek to answer two questions: 1) Did these provinces adopt a trauma-informed approach in their legislation, particularly by a) acknowledging and discussing CW children as a group vulnerable and susceptible to sex trafficking, b) seeking to reduce the risk of retraumatization and promote healing among victims, and c) encouraging collaboration between service systems and NGOs; and 2) Is there a difference between how Nova Scotia and Ontario framed their legislation? I anticipate that my research will contribute to the United Nations’ 16th Sustainable Development Goal by analyzing how a trauma-informed approach in legislation can contribute to the protection of vulnerable groups from human rights issues.