Prairies and Northern Territories Division
Winnipeg and Surrounding Area Corrections and Justice Services (CJS)
The Salvation Army’s Winnipeg and Surrounding Area CJS operates three direct MSHTR services and initiatives in Canada for both victims and survivors of MSHT and perpetrators and sex purchasers. Through key partnerships, funding agreements, and collaborations, they challenge the systems and structures that promote and sustain MSHT through instrumental short and long-term assistance to victims and survivors and a continued focus on reducing the demand. Their services and initiatives include:
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Trafficked Persons Response Network: In partnership with local, provincial, and First Nation organizations and agencies, Winnipeg and Surrounding Area CJS helps to support victims and survivors of MSHT in need of practical food and non-food items, shelter, survivor led case management, legal and medical assistance, and trauma counselling.
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Women Seeking Alternatives Program (WSA): Is a community based alternative measures program that supports women and transgendered individuals who have or are being sexually exploited through prostitution by offering them an alternative to the court process that avoids the punitive aspects of a criminal record, jail terms, probation, and / or fines. This program includes education, therapeutic, and recreational components connecting participants to community supports. Successful completion of this program results in no conviction or a reduced sentence for the committed offence and equips participants with greater self-awareness, increased coping skills, and opportunities to exit sexual exploitative situations and address homelessness and / or substance use. This program is offered in partnership with Manitoba Justice (Public Prosecutions and Probations Services) and The Winnipeg Police Service.
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The Prostitution Offender Program (POP): Is a community based alternative measures program offered to those who have been arrested as consumers / purchasers of sex. The full day seminar section of the program includes educational and therapeutic components meant to instruct participants on health considerations, Canadian MSHT and prostitution law, the implications of a criminal record, the impact their actions have on the community and their families, and the realities, harm, and trauma caused to those entrapped in prostitution, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.
- Sarah’s Place: Launched in fall 2022, Sarah’s Place provides long-term transitional housing alongside assistance services for women who have experienced human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and chemical/substance dependency. Using a trauma informed and person-centered approach, participants are encouraged and supported as they grow individually and collectively while living in a safe, stable and nurturing community. Assistance is provided through one-to-one meetings, group workshops and meetings, community connections, referrals, accompaniment, and collaborations/case management between caseworkers and participants.
