New national toolkits to support survivors of labour and sex trafficking
ACT Alberta has launched two groundbreaking national resources designed to support professionals working on the front lines of human trafficking response in Canada:
Toolkit for Front-Line Workers Supporting Adult Survivors of Forced Labour and Labour Trafficking in Canada
Toolkit for Front-Line Workers Supporting Adult Survivors of Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Canada
These comprehensive toolkits are built for real-world use across sectors and reflect more than three years of collaboration with front-line workers and survivors from across the country. They provide practical, trauma-informed guidance to support survivors with dignity, safety, and compassion. Notably, the Labour Trafficking Toolkit is the first of its kind in Canada, addressing a critical and long-standing gap in guidance.
“These toolkits are an essential step forward in equipping front-line workers with the tools, context, and confidence they need to support survivors of human trafficking. Grounded in lived experience and shaped by those doing the work every day, they offer practical, compassionate guidance to help ensure no one facing exploitation is overlooked or unsupported.”
- Carey Collins, Executive Director, ACT Alberta
Grounded in National Collaboration and Lived Experience
These resources were developed over three years through consultation with 29 organizations and 14 survivors and lived experience experts across nine provinces. They are deeply informed by real cases, community needs, and survivor leadership. The toolkits include:
Best practices for safe, trauma-informed support
Sector-specific guidance for housing, legal, health, social service, and enforcement professionals
Tools such as identification checklists, decision-making frameworks, and safety planning protocols
Legal and immigration pathways to protect and empower survivors
Appendices with templates and action plans for a wide range of frontline scenarios
Responding to a Critical Need
Forced labour is the most prevalent form of trafficking globally—but remains largely underrecognized in Canada. The Labour Trafficking Toolkit provides the first coordinated, survivor-informed approach tailored to this issue at a national scale.It equips professionals with clear, practical tools to identify, respond to, and support individuals experiencing labour trafficking
“Frontline workers across Canada need the right tools to identify and support people who have experienced human trafficking. Resources like the ones developed by ACT Alberta equip local service providers with the knowledge needed to recognize the signs of trafficking sooner and respond with the compassion and care survivors deserve. This knowledge is essential for delivering services that promote healing and help survivors move forward.”
- The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
Similarly, the Sex Trafficking Toolkit provides front-line professionals with evidence-based, survivor-informed best practices to support adults experiencing sexual exploitation or sex trafficking. It offers accessible, trauma-informed guidance tailored to a wide range of sectors—including health care, social work, law enforcement, and victim services—ensuring support is consistent, compassionate, and rooted in lived experience.
Available Now for Download
Both toolkits are now available for free download here.
These are living resources. We welcome feedback to continue refining these tools as part of our commitment to sector development and ongoing learning.
What You Can Do
We invite all front-line professionals, service providers, and community leaders to:
Download the toolkits
Share them within your networks and communities
Incorporate them into your workplace policies and training programs
Help us improve them by providing feedback and engaging in future development
Together, we can build more consistent, informed, and compassionate responses to human trafficking in Canada.