A Montreal-based anti-trafficking initiative working to prevent trafficking in persons through the mobilization of a comprehensive, evidence-based and community-sustained approach to human trafficking.
First established in 2012, the purpose of Disarm the Dark is to constructively advance the anti-trafficking movement in a manner that is fully transparent about and consistent with our Christian faith.
As an anti-trafficking initiative, our work centres on mobilization and consists of providing coordinating, capacity building and community engagement support to the human trafficking response in our region. As a ministry of Calvary Chapel Montreal Regeneration, we are committed to keeping Jesus and the full counsel of scripture central to our pursuit of justice.
While we actively collaborate with a wide-array of trafficking-relevant service providers, community resources and government agencies (including law enforcement) — we affirm that the local church, having a presence in the community that enables the needs of vulnerable persons to be met before victimization occurs, has an essential role to play in deterring recruitment into trafficking. We also affirm that with adequate training, the local church can play a valuable role in strengthening preexisting anti-trafficking efforts in the city of Montreal.
Over the last ten years, Disarm the Dark has become a trusted community partner and go-to for prevention-oriented anti-trafficking responses as well as the slow and collective work of articulating a theologically sound social justice response.
Coordination
To mobilize existing anti-trafficking efforts to participate in collaborative, regional and trafficking-specific task forces.
Desiring to see a comprehensive response to trafficking take shape within our region, we recognize a general lack of resources dedicated to the specific task of improving collaboration among agencies and organizations already working in trafficking related roles.
In the absence of a similar organizing body, we work to provide coordination and strategic development support to collaborative, regional and trafficking-specific task forces. In this capacity, we aim to ensure the implementation of best practices as they have been expressed at the federal and provincial levels.
Community Engagement
To mobilize our community (particularly faith-based groups) to provide professional quality, project-based and ‘as needed’ support to local frontline services.
Understanding prevention to be ultimately community-sustained, we recognize that the common practice of engaging audiences to ‘recognize’ trafficking and ‘raise awareness’ is at best, insufficient.
Often accomplishing little more than raising funds for the awareness campaign itself, such 'calls to action’ typically rely on oversimplifications to increase engagement and serve to reinforce a surveillance-based and singularly carceral approach to addressing human trafficking.
In light of this, we are working to equip our community to apply a critical lens to the anti-trafficking movement itself; enabling those who attend our class to identify and trouble how trafficking is:
Problematized in policy
‘Recognized’ through representations
Constructed through an over-reliance on awareness campaigns, and
Criminalized in accordance with this construction.
Our hope for our community is a deepening concern for vulnerability before it leads to victimization; Lived out through a compassionate mindfulness towards those around us and expressed practically through consistent support extended to frontline services in our city.
Capacity Building
To mobilize established frontline services to capably recognize and respond to (refer out) potential instances of trafficking among their clientele.
In the interest of articulating evidence-based approaches to anti-trafficking, we recognize that a natural delay exists between trafficking as it actually occurs and the time it takes to carry out ethically sound research on this complex issue. Consequently, what enters public discourse and informs policy development is often outdated, generalized and over-reliant on prominent (but less accurate) awareness campaigns.
To meet this gap, we work to provide up to date, relevant and research-supported training to local frontline service providers. In turn, we aim to improve pathways for frontline experiences to inform anti-trafficking approaches through participation in existing task forces.
As an anti-trafficking initiative focused on mobilization, we understand our role in protecting trafficked persons as one of serving to constructively advance the anti-trafficking movement itself.
Dedicating a significant portion of our work to tracing the development of the anti-trafficking movement — staying current on research and policy trends within it and engaging with the many critiques of it — much of our work involves advocating for what we believe to be essential improvements to the human trafficking response in Canada.
Recognizing that anti-trafficking efforts rely on the communities in which trafficking occurs, we also actively work to improve the narrative through which our community understands and seeks to make known the issue of human trafficking.
The advocacy priorities we believe to be most relevant to our community are as follows:
Trauma-
informed
approach
Trauma can result from a single distressing event or a more complex form of trauma can emerge from experiencing ongoing abuse, chronic distress or multiple life events that exceed an individuals’ ability to cope.
A trauma-informed approach aims to:
Realize the prevalence of trauma
Understand the emotional, physical and social impact on individuals
Recognize that trauma affects how individuals will respond to, receive and navigate services – including the criminal justice system
Recognize that trauma affects both clients and organizational staff
Respond by integrating knowledge into policies, protocols and practices
The priority in trauma-informed program delivery is on restoring the client’s felt sense of safety, control and choice.
Victim-
centred
approach
A victim-centred approach prioritizes the safety, needs, interests and wishes of the client at all times. It seeks to provide assistance in a compassionate and nonjudgmental way across all its program delivery.
In centring the needs and concerns of the victim, the victim-centred approach seeks to minimize retraumatization associated with accessing services and the criminal justice system. In doing so, it aims to empower clients to be active participants in determining desired outcomes, directing exits and seeking justice.
Evidence-
based best practices
The anti-trafficking movement is notorious for taking as ‘evidence’ anything that serves to substantiate its claims of: prevalence, urgency, moral force, model policy and justified emphasis on criminal enforcement.
Widely observed and soundly criticized, there is an unethical reliance on sensationalism and oversimplification with anti-trafficking discourse – employed in tandem to shape what the problem of human trafficking is believed to be. As pointed out by Jo Doezema, anti-trafficking itself has the potential to become an ideology that enables ‘the distortion of truth for political ends.’
Recognizing that ‘evidence’ is not neutral, nor is it synonymous with data or research – we only take as evidence that which can be: (1) readily observed quantitatively through existing data sets; (2) understood qualitatively through ethically sound and peer-reviewed research; (3) advanced through the consideration of critiques and perspectives as they exist in academia, literature, print, radio and other forms of accessible media; (4) and integrated into the existing knowledge base for the expressed purpose of disrupting or preventing human trafficking and/or effectively improving outcomes for trafficked persons.
Expanded
definition of
exploitation
The internationally recognized definition of human trafficking comes from the Palermo Protocol (Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children). It sets out a non-exhaustive list of actions, methods of coercion and ends (forms of exploitation) through which trafficking is understood to have occurred.
In defining exploitation in terms of a ‘shall include, at minimum’ list of different forms of trafficking – the Palermo Protocol enables a broad interpretation of exploitation for the purpose of criminalizing trafficking in persons.
Guided by this definition, Trafficking in Persons is criminalized in section 279.01 of the Canadian Criminal Code. However, unlike the Palermo Protocol, it requires that the actions and methods of coercion be carried out “for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation.”
Exploitation is later defined in section 279.04 as causing a person “to believe that their safety or the safety of a person known to them would be threatened.” In premising exploitation on a fear for safety, the Canadian Criminal Code narrows the definition of exploitation to an extent that is very difficult to prove in court.
In June 2012 a number of amendments were introduced that allowed the courts to consider violence, forms of coercion or any other form of constraint and the use of deception or fraudulent claims or means to exploit. However, the “fear for safety” language remains restrictive and falls short of addressing the broad forms of exploitation used in trafficking realities.
Raising the profile of
labour trafficking
Largely due to the specificity of language in the Palermo Protocol and the proliferation of sensationalized awareness campaigns that followed its adoption, human trafficking has become synonymous with sex trafficking. The result is prevalent neglect of labour trafficking in all its forms.
Labour trafficking is explicitly addressed by section 118 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. However, as part and parcel of legislation aimed at immigration and asylum-seeking, it is strongly associated with irregular migration and requires some evidence of a border-crossing scheme.
While domestic labour trafficking is criminalized under the Trafficking In Persons provision of the Canadian Criminal Code, the narrow definition of exploitation it employs falls short of capturing the myriad ways labour trafficking presents on Canadian soil.
Restorative criminal justice
Contrary to the anti-trafficking movement writ large, we understand incarceration to be an intervention of last resort.
While the narrative of tougher prison sentences is compelling, both research and outcomes indicate that prison as a strategy to disrupt crime is largely counter-productive. Further, it reifies the justification for mass incarceration while failing to acknowledge that the role of victim and offender often coexist. Where incarceration is the only appropriate intervention, its goal should be the restoration of positive participation in society — not merely the deterrence of future crime through fear of punishment.
Restorative justice is a response to wrongdoing that prioritizes repairing harm and recognizes that maintaining positive relationships with others is a core human need. It seeks to address the root causes of crime, even to the point of transforming unjust systems and structures (Restorative Justice Network).
Biblically
rooted
Our Christian faith informs every aspect of our approach to anti-trafficking and requires us to understand both victims and offenders through the compassionate lens of mercy-bound redemption.
A comprehensive introductory course in anti-trafficking, our curriculum surveys the development of the contemporary anti-trafficking movement since its initial articulation by the United Nations in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) in 2000.
Taking this protocol as our starting point, each class focuses on a different aspect of human trafficking and traces the key policies, best practices, research and awareness-raising efforts that have informed our anti-trafficking response. In so doing, we are able to demonstrate how both our understanding of this complex issue and the resulting anti-trafficking work have developed during the past twenty years.
The purpose of this course is to equip our community to apply a critical lens to the anti-trafficking movement itself; enabling those who attend our class to identify and trouble how trafficking is:
Problematized in policy
‘Recognized’ through representations
Constructed through an over-reliance on awareness campaigns
Criminalized in accordance with this construction
This course exists because we believe it is ultimately necessary to consider current trends in anti-trafficking in light of scripture, determining for ourselves the extent to which they inhabit a definition of justice that is consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
At minimum, our curriculum exists to insist that current anti-trafficking approaches be supported by evidence of their effectiveness in preventing or disrupting human trafficking and/or improving outcomes for trafficked persons.
Human trafficking & gospel justice
An introduction to our work, this initial class surveys the instruments and legal frameworks that were drafted in response to the Palermo Protocol and gave shape to the contemporary anti-trafficking movement.
The aim of this class is to understand how justice has been defined legally and demanded socially, so that we might consider together what it means for the just to live by faith.
Sexual exploitation & the hope of glory
Taking the most visible form of trafficking as our frame, this class examines the role of vulnerability in enabling recruitment into sex trafficking. Further, it considers the way in which the complex ethics of survival have been collapsed into a simple narrative and narrow vision of what a victim is within media portrayals of sex trafficking.
The aim of this class is to understand the role that risk-perception plays in determining outcomes for trafficked persons. In so doing, we are better able to discern the differences between survival, risk-taking behavior and steps taken in faith by those known to us.
Forced labour & the cost of discipleship
There is a pronounced and prevalent neglect of labour trafficking within existing human trafficking response. Building on the previous class’ discussion of representations in media, this class considers the myriad factors that contribute to (and the true cost of) the disproportionate emphasis on sexual exploitation within the anti-trafficking movement.
The aim of this class is to understand how exploitation has been defined legally and relied on economically, in order to clearly see how short both fall of the self-denying sacrifice of life in Christ.
Sex as an industry &
the beloved
Given the highly-contentious impact of anti-trafficking politics on prostitution laws across Canada, this class traces the intersection of sex work and criminalization within anti-trafficking from the Palermo Protocol onward.
The aim of this class is to understand how perceived choice informs our conception of culpability, in order to more capably consider the emphasis placed on personal accountability and mercy over and against the judgment of others throughout the New Testament scriptures.
Child trafficking & things unseen
Recognizing the majority of domestically trafficked persons to be minors at the time of their recruitment, this class sheds light on the way in which trauma both enables and perpetuates trafficking dynamics. In particular it complicates the narrative of the ‘ideal victim’ put forth in media portrayals of human trafficking.
The aim of this class is to understand how perceived helplessness colors our response to trafficking, in order to disrupt the common practice of positioning the general public as ‘rescuers’ in anti-trafficking discourse. Instead, as Christians, we should be careful not to do our good deeds to be seen by others.
Organized crime & adoption by grace
While the narrative of tougher prison sentences is compelling enough to be ubiquitous in anti-trafficking — both research and outcomes indicate that incarceration as a strategy to deter crime is largely counter-productive. In light of this, this class explores the effects of institutionalized oppression and factors of vulnerability that enable recruitment into lives of crime.
The aim of this class is to introduce and consider together the potential of restorative criminal justice approaches, particularly in light of the mercy-bound redemption of the gospel.
Anti-trafficking & the life of Lazarus
Finishing our survey, this final class serves as a review of the development of the approaches and internal beliefs of the anti-trafficking movement itself.
It asks:
What do we believe the problem of trafficking to be? How is this belief supported by evidence of its effectiveness to prevent or disrupt human trafficking and/or improve outcomes for trafficked persons?
The aim of this class is to recognize the role of representation, perception and belief in shaping what we understand to be a right response. From this we can begin the slow collective work of articulating a theologically sound social justice response in our community.
Human trafficking is often portrayed as a reality beyond reach — sophisticated in its methods of control and separated from the world we know by several degrees of violence, forced dependency, constant surveillance and risks that no one we know would ever take.
This distortion of trafficking into ‘a world apart’ is the result of sensationalized awareness campaigns who, for the sake of raising awareness and greater reach, employ a singular narrative of total violence (from which victims unilaterally need to be rescued). While this gross oversimplification has proven extremely effective for eliciting an emotional response, casting its audience in the role of ‘rescuer’ and, ultimately, raising money — it has also rendered the realities of trafficking largely invisible.
For this reason, we do not believe that ‘raising awareness’ as a stand-alone effort is a meaningful action to address human trafficking at the community level. Specifically, those efforts which rely on self-identified awareness campaigns, social media and fundraising as a primary means for involvement.
Instead, we would like to invite our community to take time over a cup of coffee and explore for themselves the resources, critiques and perspectives that inform and guide our work.
Emergency
We are not a front-line or emergency service provider.
If you or someone you know is in a harmful or exploitative situation, please reach out directly to emergency services/law enforcement (911) or a relevant service organization.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010) is available to assist 24/7, offering confidential and multilingual assistance to victims or survivors of trafficking.
We recommend contacting them directly for assistance with accessing services, finding transitional support programs and reporting to law enforcement.
Asking for a Friend
If you are concerned that someone you know is at risk or is being trafficked and would like some initial guidance on how to support that individual without jeopardizing their safety (real or perceived), feel free to reach out.
When contacting us, please do not include any identifying information, such as: name, age, physical description, social media handles etc.
Email us at info@disarmthedark.org.
Community Requests
If you would like to ask Disarm to:
Speak at an upcoming event
Participate in a panel discussion
Provide training to your staff or volunteers
Present our seven week class to your community
Email us at: info@disarmthedark.org
Please be aware that we actively limit the number of commitments we take on and choose not to lend our time to:
Events aimed primarily at raising either funds or awareness
Events for the general public featuring survivor testimony (unless organized by a survivor-led initiative).
Platforms utilizing graphic, violent, sensational, slavery-based or otherwise re-traumatizing language or imagery in their promotional materials.
Forums in which we are unable to be fully transparent about our identity as a Christian ministry
We value the opportunity to connect with and serve our city in this way — there is no cost associated with inviting Disarm to speak with your team or community.
Through Giving
As a ministry of Calvary Chapel Montreal Regeneration church
we do not associate any cost with the work that we do.
For the past ten years, our work and Christian witness in Montreal has been quietly upheld by thousands of volunteer hours and the faithful generosity of our donors.
If you would like to support our work through a one time or monthly donation, please visit the church’s Canada Helps profile and indicate under fund that your gift is for Disarm the Dark.
All donations are tax deductible, a receipt will be automatically generated and mailed to you by Canada Helps.
Through Prayer
Please pray for:
Vulnerable, at-risk and trafficked persons in our city (Hebrews 7:25)
Those profiting of the exploitation of and trafficking of others (Romans 5:8, Matthew 5:7, Luke 1:50, 1 Timothy 1:16, Colossians 1:21)
Protection of our team and ongoing work (Ephesians 6:12-15)
Freedom from worry about provision (Matthew 6:25)
For wisdom (James 1:5, 1 Corinthians 1, Colossians 1:9)
For justice (Isaiah 42, Amos 5:24, Romans 1:16-17)
For renewal and restoration in our city (Titus 3:5, Ezekiel 35)
For us to let patience have her perfect work (James 1:4)
As we have received mercy, we do not lose heart (2 Corinthians 4:1)
Stay Connected
Our Community Newsletter is the best way to stay current on all things Disarm the Dark. Sent quarterly, it includes a general update, highlights from around the anti-trafficking movement and how you can be praying for the ministry. In our ‘perspectives’ section we also include a curated list of recommended reads, podcasts and documentaries that we believe provide useful insight into the many voices shaping the issues we are discussing.
Our Stewardship Newsletter is for those who have chosen to financially participate in supporting our work and would like to receive updates on how our programs, projects and annual goals are progressing.
Sent twice annually, this newsletter is limited to donors who have either given a minimum gift of $500 in the last 12 months or have committed to a monthly support amount of $40 or more.