Reimagining Child Protection in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Child protection systems are designed to act as a shield for vulnerable children and youth. However, when these systems overlook or fail to meet the needs of the very young people they are meant to support, human trafficking can take root and thrive.

As someone who has personally navigated these cracks, I do not write to accuse, but to shed light. My story, shared in my memoir, reflects more than just personal hardship. It speaks to structural gaps, repeated institutional failures, and a lack of resources that often push youth into survival strategies that leave them vulnerable to exploitation. My experience also reveals the untapped strength and potential within these systems. With the right care and accountability, they can become places of protection and healing.

Recognizing Gaps While Honoring Commitment

There are countless workers in child protection who are dedicated, passionate, and deeply invested in the well-being of youth. Despite this commitment, trafficking can still occur when young people do not have consistent access to safety, stability, and trusted relationships. In these moments of vulnerability, traffickers often step in to offer what looks like love, support, or opportunity, but which ultimately leads to harm.

This reality calls for reflection. Child protection institutions cannot step away from responsibility when a high number of minors are trafficked while under care. The system must be willing to ask difficult questions, not to point fingers, but to make room for change. Protecting children and youth must take precedence over preserving the current structure of the system.

The Need for Trauma-Informed and Victim-Centred Care

When youth have experienced trafficking, whether before or during their time in the system, they need more than just temporary shelter or supervision. They need care that understands trauma, honours their dignity, and supports their journey toward healing. A trauma-informed, victim-centred approach means recognizing the emotional and psychological impacts of exploitation and adjusting our practices accordingly.

This kind of care is not just about responding to crises; it is also about preventing them. It involves creating safe, predictable environments where young people can rebuild trust, rediscover their voice, and begin to heal. Rather than expecting youth to conform to rigid systems, institutions must adapt to meet them with compassion and flexibility.

Preventing Harm Before It Begins

To truly protect youth from trafficking, we must focus on prevention as much as intervention. This means providing education about trafficking and grooming in ways that are accessible and age-appropriate. It means integrating this knowledge into everyday conversations and programming within child protection services.

Prevention also involves equipping youth with tools to recognize red flags, build healthy relationships, and advocate for their own safety. Staff must be trained not only to identify signs of trafficking but to respond in ways that do not retraumatize or isolate the young person.

Healing is Ongoing

For youth who have already experienced trafficking, recovery takes time. Post-trafficking care must be built around long-term support that prioritizes the well-being and autonomy of the survivor. This can include access to therapy, art and music programs, culturally safe care, peer support, and mentorship.

Healing does not follow a timeline. Systems must make space for youth to navigate this process in their own way, with dignity and without judgment.

Community Advocacy and Collaboration

Child protection cannot address trafficking in isolation. Community members, organizations, and professionals must actively advocate for the integration of trafficking-specific resources within these institutions. Public pressure and informed advocacy are essential in driving policy change, funding, and program development.

In addition, strong collaboration between sectors is vital. Schools, hospitals, shelters, survivor-led initiatives, and child protection must work together with shared purpose and open communication. When systems and communities operate in silos, youth fall through the cracks. When they come together, those same cracks can be closed.

Moving Forward With Purpose

If we want to build a future where children are truly protected from trafficking, we must commit to growth. This means being willing to acknowledge harm, to revise practices, and to invest in solutions that are rooted in empathy, evidence, and lived experience.

Protecting youth should never be about preserving a system's reputation. It should be about centering the needs, safety, and futures of young people above all else. Every child deserves not just to be watched over, but to be seen, heard, and protected in meaningful and lasting ways.

Let us strengthen what already exists. Let us imagine systems of care that restore rather than punish. And let us walk toward a future where no child has to slip through the cracks in order to survive.