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The Refuge’s Respite and Recovery project
Our goal is to respectfully gather and listen to voices of women who have been trafficked.
We are piloting a program to support their empowerment, and work with community organizations
and individuals to develop and enhance practices and policies that reflect this learning.
Our work
We offer trauma-informed wellness retreats for women who have been trafficked and wish to
volunteer. Our retreats usually take place over a weekend, for three days. We host survivors
in our beautiful space at St. Mary of Egypt Refuge, to listen to their voices and to provide
some time of healing and peace.
Background
Respite and Recovery is a two-year project, started in April 2022, in support of women who have
been trafficked. St. Mary of Egypt Refuge acknowledges the generous support of Women and Gender
Equality Canada.
The project involves partnering with experienced organizations and individuals, including those
with lived experience to help in listening to women who have been trafficked, with a view to
preparing trauma-informed retreats in support of women, and education for those who work with
them.
Our program was featured in two news articles: Retreat aims to empower trafficking survivors (February 2024), and Partnership ‘crucial’ in trafficking fight (May 2024). Our final report for phase one of the program is now available, and we encourage you to explore it to understand the outcome.
Suggested reading and listening
Books, articles, podcasts
- • Religion and Human Trafficking, article by Professor Mary Graw Leary, The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
- • Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2020 article by Government of Canada’s Resources and Information
- • Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective, book by Louise Shelley
- • Amanda Blackwood the Survivor Podcast
Theresa Flores’ work and projects
- • The Slave Across the Street, the harrowing true story of how a 15-year-old girl became a sex slave, by Theresa Flores
- • The SOAP Project
Work of other organizations in Canada and abroad
Human trafficking in the news
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