Organization that helps survivors of human trafficking receives $150,000 to provide services in English and French

An organization that supports survivors of human trafficking in northeastern Ontario has received $150,000 from the federal government to offer its services in English and French.

With this new funding, Angels for Hope Against Human Trafficking will be able to offer free legal information workshops in both official languages ​​to survivors of human trafficking.

“Survivors don’t know their rights in the justice system,” said Cristina Scarpellini, founder and executive director of Angels of Hope.

“We believe that when they better understand their rights and what the legal system is going to entail, they are more likely to follow through.”

The federal government offers the Justice Support Fund in both official languages ​​to support official language minorities, such as francophones in northeastern Ontario.

“The support fund aims to provide resources to facilitate access to justice in both official languages ​​by various means, such as the creation of legal and linguistic tools, workshops and training intended for bilingual lawyers and stakeholders in the justice system, the development of related training. materials and the provision of legal education and information to the public,” the Department of Justice states on its website.

By offering legal information in both languages, Scarpellini said his organization will be able to help people in certain predominantly French-speaking rural areas.

Angels for Hope connects survivors with counseling and educational resources to help them navigate the legal process.