Increased Clarity Surrounding Child and Youth Sex Trafficking in Ontario

Effective October 1, 2021, the Province of Ontario has amended the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA) in relation to child and youth sex trafficking.

The amendments will:

• Establish grounds for protection that explicitly include child/youth sex trafficking in a manner that is not tied to “the person having charge of the child”;
• Provide authority for child protection workers and peace officers to temporarily remove 16-and-17-year-old victims of sexual exploitation resulting from child/youth sex trafficking to another location, in order to provide them with an opportunity to access voluntary support services; and,
• Strengthen offence provisions and corresponding penalties to be utilized in situations where an individual interferes with, or harbours, a child in society care, including for the purposes of child sex trafficking.

An updated brochure, Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: It’s Your Duty, which reflects these amendments is available on the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services website and can be found in both English and French.