YWCA Halifax

Nova Scotia has the highest provincial rate of police-reported human tracking in Canada, including one of the highest provincial rates of tracking of victims aged 12-17.

Exploring why Nova Scotia has the highest trafficking rate and high levels of commercial sexual exploitation requires exploring the root causes and risk factors that increase the vulnerability of Nova Scotia’s children and youth.

In 2021, the YWCA Halifax, the Association of Black Social Workers, and the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association conducted a wide scale consultation, titled “Hearing Them,” involving 149 adult individuals with either past or present lived experience in the sex industry.

“Hearing Them” is a five-part paper series and describes the findings from these consultations related to understanding, addressing, and preventing the involvement of children and youth in the sex industry in Nova Scotia.

Part 1: “Hearing Them: Exploring the vulnerability and risk factors for commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth in Nova Scotia”Download

Part 2: “Hearing Them African Nova Scotian and Black Experiences of Sex Work, Childhood and Youth Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking in Nova Scotia”Download