Recently, I wrote 11 letters to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board on behalf of my patients — young women who have been sexually trafficked. Most have experienced homelessness. All are between the ages of 18 and 24.

There was a sense of urgency to seek compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board because, on Oct. 1, the Ford government ended the ability to apply to the board, with a view to eventually repealing the Compensation for Victims of Crime Act and dissolving the board.

Compensation for pain and suffering — the category most applicable to victims of sex trafficking — was capped at $5,000 under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board regime on May 29. Prior to that date, an applicant could be awarded a lump sum as high as $25,000 for a single incident (more if there were multiple incidents), and compensation for pain and suffering was typically the biggest portion of any award.

Compensation for pain and suffering is no longer available to young victims of sex trafficking through the Victim Quick Response Program + (VQRP+), which is the only government program remaining that provides financial assistance to victims of crime. Purportedly, this change will make access to compensation much faster and more efficient, saving the provincial government up to $23 million dollars annually.

A closer look at the VQRP+ reveals that this new compensation model focuses on tangible, immediate needs such as dental work, removal of tattoos/branding, and counselling. While these services are important, compensation for therapies focused on alleviating the intangible pain and suffering caused by sexual exploitation are not mentioned.

For example, participating in yoga classes or receiving massage therapy can be an important part of healing the internal damage caused by complex trauma. Historically, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board was able use their discretion to consider these requests and offer appropriate compensation for pain and suffering.

Many of the young women I see are living on social assistance, precariously housed, and have limited social supports. Maximum compensation for pain and suffering gave these women a much better chance at moving forward with their lives. In addition to everything else they have lost; this too has been taken away.

The Ford government seems hell bent on making life for marginalized young people as difficult as possible. The cuts are relentless: basic income, welfare subsidies, free tuition, transition child benefit, specialized school programs, library service funding, legal aid, subsidized daycare. And now this. If a nation’s greatness is truly judged by how it treats its weakest members, then all the politicians that make up Ford nation should do some soul searching.

The young people I work with are amazing. They just weren’t born with the same life chances as their peers, and these inequities make them ripe for exploitation. Despite this, their gritty determination is inspiring. We can all learn from their tenacity. And we all need to do everything we can to assist these young people to move forward and to feel like they belong.

The Ford government “efficiencies” are having a devastating impact on the most marginalized in society. We need to speak up. The cuts have to stop.

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Dr. Thulien is a nurse practitioner and researcher committed to tackling the social structural inequities that cause and perpetuate youth homelessness.

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