Fight4Freedom explands outreach to male victims

Janet Mabie
Spur Ottawa Writer

Lurking under the surface in Ottawa is an industry of victimization. When most people think of human trafficking, they think of the women involved or the men keeping them there. Yet Fight4Freedom recently launched a new ministry wing reaching out to males, and those who identify as other genders.

“A little over a year ago, God set a spark,” says Richard Tibbetts, Fight4Freedom’s coordinator of survivor advocacy. “A passion to reach the male population started to burn in our hearts.”

Fight4Freedom has spent years reaching out to women in the Ottawa area who are caught in the sex industry and in strip clubs. Through education, outreach, and survivor care, they help individuals get back to a life where they can be safe, in control, and independent. This new addition expands their reach.

“We established a male outreach arm with three volunteers. Utilizing the same platform and procedures as the female on-line outreach, we began to connect with males working in the sex trade.

“The outreach platform we use (called Freedom Signal) uses technology to create a link to sites where sex trafficking happens,” he explains. “Typically, ads are posted through on-line ‘escort’ services. The technology enables us to anonymously text a response to a phone number in a posted ad. We can then engage in text conversations with individuals who have either posted the ad or had it posted for them.”

“We offered to set up a support plan for him. We were able, by the grace of God, to not only subsidize his housing and food expenses, but to cover his tuition as well.”

The team generally starts a conversation with a friendly hello and a word of encouragement and understanding. Later, as they begin to establish trust and a relationship, they follow up by offering survivor care support that could include food, shelter, transportation, education, career planning, counselling, and addiction services.

At first, one male survivor (Spur Ottawa will call him “Jason”) was offended and critical of Fight4Freedom’s approach.

“Upset that we had made certain erroneous assumptions, he found our approach uninformed and judgmental,” Tibbetts says. “But being filled with the Holy Spirit, we continued our conversations with Jason, with grace, never confrontational, but always covered in love and prayer.”

In time, Jason began to trust and open up more. He admitted that he didn’t want to do the things he was being forced into. His dream had always been to become a natural health care provider.

“Lack of finances and debt were a wall he couldn’t see past,” says Tibbetts. “We offered to set up a support plan for him. We were able, by the grace of God, to not only subsidize his housing and food expenses, but to cover his tuition as well. In addition, we were able to provide counselling. We were even blessed with the professional services of a marketing and branding expert for his new business.”

Jason is now a certified natural health care provider with his own practice, and he has re-connected with his family out west.

Empowering survivors in this way, Tibbetts says, has always been the ministry’s heart.

“The new online outreach initiatives greatly help survivors access adequate services and support,” shares Jessica, a survivor care advisor with Fight4Freedom. “God has made a way to be able to connect with survivors and transform lives in creative and special ways.”