Aura Freedom’s New Human Trafficking Info Hub

Join Marissa Kokkoros for an interactive exploration of Aura Freedom’s new Human Trafficking Info Hub, which is part of their ongoing Relentless Resilience movement to end gender-based violence in Canada. (www.aurafreedom.org/relentless-resilience)

Marissa will guide attendees through the info hub – which currently focuses on sexual exploitation – exploring its various features, sections and resources. Discover where you can find important and carefully curated and researched information and advocacy points for your own anti-trafficking work, like:

-Definitions
-Trends and Statistics
-The Luring & Grooming Process
-Risk Factors
-Root Causes and the Importance of Equity
-Protective Factors
-Supporting Survivors
-Myth Busting
-Where to Get Help
-And much, much more

Aura Freedom has extensive experience working to prevent human trafficking in Canada and internationally. Through this info hub, you can learn about the particular way we address trafficking and what we have discovered along our colourful journey.

« We cannot wait to share this grassroots info hub that we hope will be a « go to » website for service providers, students, educators, advocates, activists, researchers, communities and other stakeholders. »

Who is Aura Freedom?

Aura Freedom is a grassroots, intersectional feminist organization working to end gender-based violence and human trafficking through advocacy and education. (https://aurafreedom.org/, @AuraFreedom)

About Marissa:

Marissa started her journey in women’s rights doing field work with different organizations around the world. From her travels in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Nepal, Italy, The Balkans and more, she has studied and researched the social position of women and girls in different places. Marissa has spent time with sex workers in India’s red light districts and held lasting and loyal friendships with survivors of human trafficking and wartime sexual violence around the world. Through her travels and research, she has cultivated deep relationships with fellow feminists and women’s rights defenders in different communities around the world, and believes ‘the sisterhood’ can help heal immense and extreme trauma. Her grassroots research on different forms of violence against women in Canada and Nepal has been recognized by different human rights organizations. Marissa is also an active community activist in Toronto, lending her experience to different projects around the city addressing violence against women and girls and sexual exploitation.

Bold and energetic, Marissa’s passion is watching the ripple effects of placing knowledge and power into the hands of women and advocating for governments to address the root causes of violence and exploitation. Her ability to move people through her words and writing is helped by her theatrical past, including writing, acting, singing and clowning in countries affected by poverty and HIV/AIDS. Her heart is wide open and her approach to problems is head-on, wasting no time. She is driven, yet remains compassionate in the face of the many atrocities that Aura Freedom works to eradicate. Her dream is to see peace and freedom enjoyed by all women and girls, and it’s her love for her daughter that keeps the beat of her heart.