About ACT Alberta:

ACT Alberta, the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking, is a provincial charity and one of the few non-profit agencies that provide front-line services to victims and survivors of both labour and sex trafficking. As one of the oldest anti-trafficking agencies in Canada, we have delivered direct services to thousands of people in need and specialize in supporting individuals who have experienced forced labour. We are accredited social workers, advocates, and educators who work tirelessly toward our vision of an Alberta free of human trafficking.

OUR MISSION: 
We support and advocate for victims and survivors of human trafficking, increase knowledge and awareness of all forms of human trafficking, and lead and foster collective action through collaboration and respect.

OUR VALUES:

• Person-centered response driven by human rights.
• A commitment to serve and empower all individuals using an anti-oppressive framework.
• Evidence-based and judgment-free services through a lens of intersectionality.
• Collective action through the coordination, collaboration, and respect of stakeholders and allies.

 

“After two years, I just couldn’t take it anymore… The police introduced me to ACT Alberta [and they] worked with me to get the services I needed, including support from a sexual assault centre and health care. After I decided I wanted to, they helped me with laying charges against my abuser. I couldn’t afford trauma counseling, although I was in desperate need of it, so ACT Alberta paid the fees so I could start healing. Although I know I have a long road ahead of me, I am finally working through my trauma and pain.”
– ACT Alberta client and survivor of human trafficking

 

OUR WORK: 

At ACT Alberta, our first goal is always to get victims and survivors on their path to safety. We also know that we can’t solve this problem alone: we raise public awareness and readiness so that our community can work together to reduce trafficking. We are committed to our three pillars of service: Response, Prevention, and Mobilization.

1. RESPONSE: Victim Services – Pathways to Safety Program 
ACT’s Pathways to Safety program provides specialized case management, confidential response services, connections, and referrals for victims and survivors of human trafficking. We help our clients find immediate protection, provide access to food, shelter, and trauma counselling, and provide guidance through complicated legal processes (like establishing permanent residency). Learn more.

2. PREVENTION: Education – First Defense Program 
ACT’s First Defense program features a suite of educational modules that grow public awareness and support the prevention and disruption of human trafficking in our province. This training teaches participants how to accurately identify instances of human trafficking, as well as how to safely respond. Using a trauma-informed lens, ACT shares evidence-based research, current trends, and testimony from survivors.  Learn more. 

3. MOBILIZATION: Collective Action – It Takes a Village (ITAV) Program 
ACT’s ITAV program invests in cross-agency partnerships, research initiatives, and knowledge sharing. There isn’t a single agency in Alberta that can prevent or respond to human trafficking alone. The ITAV program brings allies together to be a part of the solution. Learn more.

Human trafficking is a human rights abuse. It tears away our universal right to autonomy and self-determination. Victims and survivors of trafficking have the right to escape their abusers, heal from their trauma, and live a life free of exploitation. We believe in investing in the future of survivors by giving them the help they need today. We hope you will join us.

Ways to Help

There are many ways to support survivors of human trafficking.

When you donate to ACT, you connect victims and survivors to the resources they need to get out of a life-threatening situation. You provide them with a path to safety that will save their life.

 You can support ACT’s work by:

• Donating online, supporting ‘Greatest Need’ – this means every cent will go where it’s needed most
• Donating online to The Survivors’ Fund, ensuring that 100% of your donation goes to survivors
• Consider a named fund, a gift of stocks and securities, or a legacy gift in your will. Learn more here. 

About The Survivors’ Fund

INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF SURVIVORS

When you donate to The Survivors’ Fund, 100% of your donation goes to providing urgent needs or direct case management to our clients, bypassing any administrative costs. This includes critical needs (such as food, shelter, transportation, and trauma counseling), personal safety, and judgment-free support to navigate legal processes, file claims, seek residency, and report abusers – if the survivor chooses to.

The Survivors’ Fund ensures that victims and survivors of human trafficking find their path to safety and become the champion of their own stories. Invest in the future of survivors by giving them the help they need today.

Whether it’s a one-time donation or a monthly gift, your support will change someone’s life.

WHERE YOUR INVESTMENT GOES

The Survivors’ Fund supports two things: direct client costs, and a percentage of the salaries for our accredited social workers (RSW, BSW) who provide specialized case management for victims and survivors of trafficking.

Examples of approved expenses include:

• Gift cards for groceries
• Bus passes
• Flights/other transportation for clients fleeing or exiting
• Urgent shelter in the form of a hotel or rented suite
• Deposit for a long-term rental unit
• Clothing, if in-kind donations are unavailable
• Cost of permits/applications for residency

OUR GOALS

• Urgency:
  ACT’s Survivors’ Fund is designed to meet the immediate needs of our clients so that our team can respond as quickly as possible.
• Personalized:
  Every story is different. Individuals who have experienced human trafficking have unique needs based on their own realities and trauma. The Survivors’ Fund gives ACT the flexibility to listen to each individual client and respond to their needs, whatever they may be.
• Transparency:
  It’s critical that our donors and supporters know exactly where their investment is going. ACT works with a strict gift policy and a professional, third-party auditor to ensure every cent invested in The Survivors’ Fund serves our clients. ACT’s Survivors’ Fund is designed to meet the immediate needs of our clients so that our team can respond as quickly as possible.

Learn more about ACT’s Victim & Survivor Services