Children in Nova Scotia Government Care Face High Risk of Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking
Children in government care in Nova Scotia are being targeted for sexual exploitation and human trafficking, with court decisions from December 2025 detailing cases involving girls as young as 14. While provincial officials say they act on every report, survivors describe staff dismissing their pleas for help.
Children living in government care in Nova Scotia face a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and human trafficking, driven by emotional vulnerability and systemic gaps in protection. Court decisions issued as recently as December 2025 detail cases in which men bought and sold sex with girls residing in Nova Scotia group homes, some as young as 14.
According to 2024 data from Statistics Canada, Nova Scotia recorded the highest rate of human trafficking among Canadian provinces, with 4.5 police-reported incidents per 100,000 people. Survivors and experts emphasize that this exploitation rarely involves violent abduction by strangers. Ashley Tiller of YWCA Halifax explains that human trafficking is often subtle, involving coercion by friends or romantic partners who gradually push boundaries over time.
Senior Crown attorney Katie Lovett states that perpetrators specifically target individuals lacking food, shelter, alcohol, drugs, or emotional support, using these needs to build trust before exploiting them. Traffickers also leverage technology to approach teens, checking social media friend lists to identify other youth in the same group home and exploiting location-sharing features like Snapchat to track victims in real time. In some instances, traffickers use debt coercion, such as demanding repayment for $500 worth of items, to force victims into providing sexual services.
Kyesha Boudreau, now 28 years old, spent part of her childhood moving through approximately 12 foster homes before aging out of the care system at 19. She later experienced sexual exploitation while living in group homes as a teenager. Boudreau reported that when she and her friends told group home staff they were being sexually exploited by a man who provided them with weed and liquor, no action was taken. She claims staff blamed the victims, stating they "did that to themselves." The impacts on survivors include devastating long-lasting trauma, loss of self-respect, and difficulty rebuilding life after leaving care.
Provincial officials maintain that protocols are in place to protect vulnerable youth. Jill Barkhouse, executive director of the child and family well-being division at Nova Scotia's Department of Opportunities and Social Development, stated that staff act on every report of sexual exploitation and trafficking. This official stance directly conflicts with accounts from survivors like Boudreau, who describe inadequate responses from group home staff when reporting abuse.
Anyone seeking help or information can contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.