Group of Five Campaign

04/14/2023

❤️

We are dedicated to ending child s*x trafficking and the s*xual exploitation of children. And we won’t stop until every child, can just be a kid.

10/30/2022

❤️

My grandmother once gave me a tip:

In difficult times, move forward in small steps.
Do what you have to do, but little by little.
Don’t think about the future
or what may happen tomorrow.

Wash the dishes.
Remove the dust.
Write a letter.
Make a soup.

You see?

Advance step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Rest a little.
Praise yourself.
Take another step.
And then another.

You won’t notice, but your steps will grow more and more.
And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.

Author: Elena Mikhalkova

Picture: Whang-Od

08/01/2021

Celebrating World Day Against Trafficking in persons, by highlighting Thorn.org. Thorn has done the following:

Built “Spotlight”, we don’t know what it is, but it is now used by 5000 authority agencies in law enforcement.

Built “Solace”, we don’t know what it is but they can now find a child being abused online in 3 weeks versus 3 years.

Investigation time from discovery to apprehension of perpetrators has now been cut by 60%.

The refugee crisis and slavery - Thorn advocates that it is critical that we address the refugee crisis and that if we don’t, we will suffer the consequences of those vulnerable people being directed into the global network of slavery. That systems of global support of people are critical in areas where displacement has occurred.

www.thorn.org

We are dedicated to ending child s*x trafficking and the s*xual exploitation of children. And we won’t stop until every child, can just be a kid.

10/08/2020

Work in Canada, Study in Canada!

Created by Julie McMahon, RCIC, CCDP

07/26/2020

The Federal Court in Canada this week ruled that the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States is "unconstitutional". And that the USA while many things, isn't "safe" and that any person coming from the United States should be free to declare asylum. This decision was a long time coming. The Federal Court decision was released on July 22, 2020.

The Court suspended its declaration of the unconstitutionality of the Regulations enacting the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) for a period of 6 months, during which the STCA continues to remain in effect.

Individuals entering Canada at a land port of entry continue to be ineligible to make a refugee claim, and will be returned to the U.S. unless they meet one of the relevant exceptions under the STCA.

Policy and Regulations - Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement

06/27/2020

We have made a donation today to support the Rainbow Railroad Project in Toronto, which assists LGBTQI Refugees fleeing violence and persecution. None of us are safe until everyone is safe. Happy Pride! Love IBBC.

Rainbow Railroad believes that governments around the globe should enact and enforce laws and policies that protect LGBTQI individuals and enable them to live in freedom and safety in their own country. However, until that day arrives, our organization is focused on providing solutions for LGBTQI pe...

06/29/2019

The trafficking in persons June 2019 Report is now available for download.

Related Material 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report The 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report is available in PDF and HTML formats. The PDF is available as a complete one-piece file and as individual sections for easier download. To view the PDF files, you will need to download, at no cost, the Adobe A...

06/27/2019

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzLh0n_hh7k/?igshid=v27l4no21qqy

06/19/2019

Bravo Canada! Job well done.

Canada resettled the highest amount of refugees in the world in 2018, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency's latest report.

05/31/2019

UNHCR evacuates people out of Libya to safety, nearly 83,000 people displaced since April 2019.

Amid violent clashes and a deteriorating security situation in Tripoli, 149 vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers were today evacuated to safety

01/08/2019

Let's keep the momentum! By helping others.

Any attempt to deter new arrivals by making life more difficult for those in direct provision would be wrong

02/23/2017

Question:

I was approached by a client that came from the U.S. by car two days ago with his wife and three small children. He says he wants to claim refugee because he's afraid they will be deported from the U.S. now that Donald Trump is the President. They say they don't want to raise their children in Mexico as it would not be safe for them. That's what they told CBSA officers at Port of Entry.

Husband and wife are from Mexico

They have been living in the U.S. illegally since 2005. They fled from the general public dangers of Mexico.

All three children were born in the U.S. and are between ages 3 and 7

They have been given an appointment for a hearing at the IRB. I know that coming from the U.S. their claim most likely be rejected, but they are hoping that at the end of the tunnel they could benefit from the H & C option. Your thoughts and guidance would be much appreciated.

Answer:

Your question engages a number of different issues - the Safe Third Country Agreement, the merits of the refugee claim, and the possibility of making a successful application on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

Some people who don't have a lot of experience in refugee cases may be wondering if the family was in the United States, how did they manage to make a claim in Canada and get around the Safe Third Country Agreement?

This particular family, being citizens of Mexico fits under the exemption "If you come from a country for whose nationals Canada does not require a visa but the US does". Keep in mind that Canada lifted the visa requirement for Mexican citizens this past November, so this exemption newly applies to Mexicans.

In this case, the family is permitted to seek refugee status in Canada and can legally bypass the Safe Third Party Agreement.