Sharing experiences: Clinical Director, Canada
Name: Jacqueline Linder
Position: Executive/Clinical Director
Organisation: Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network
Country/State where based: Canada
1. Tell us a little bit about your role and how you're involved in supporting children affected by sexual exploitation and/or trafficking?
The Chrysalis Network offers youth and adults who are trafficked and exploited free telephone trauma counselling as well as referrals to local community agencies for additional support. Our volunteer counsellors are a mix of social workers, people training to become registered psychologists, and recovered survivors of sexual exploitation trained to work as trauma counsellors.
2. What activities and assistance does your organisation offer to children and their families who have been affected by sexual exploitation and/or trafficking?
We offer a 24-7 national counselling line for survivors and their families to help them recover from the psychological effects of human trafficking and exploitation. Our recent support of a survivor and her family has resulted in a large criminal investigation in one Canadian province.
3. What are the biggest challenges in working in this area?
Because trafficking and exploitation are so culturally taboo, survivors are programmed to believe there is no support available for them. Encouraging trafficked and exploited people to reach out for support remains an ongoing challenge.
4. What are the highlights?
The hope and gratitude callers express when they call the Chrysalis line continually reminds us of just how much a service like ours is actually needed in Canada.
5. What do you think works well or is important for children in their recovery and why?
The literature shows that social support is one of the number one protective factors against developing PTSD after trauma exposure. Many of our callers disclose that they have no one else to talk to and some have even indicated that they are hiding their exploitation from family and friends. This leaves them without an adequate support system and the Chrysalis Network has been able to help fill that gap for some callers.
6. What knowledge or information would help you and your colleagues strengthen your work?
There is an appalling lack of accurate statistics about how many children, youth and adults are being trafficked/exploited domestically in Canada. Having a clear sense of the scope of the problem would help immeasurably in developing effective solutions.
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