Who We Are

Combating Human Trafficking and Child Sex Trade

Since 2000, The Future Group's principal work has centered on confronting human trafficking and the child sex trade in Southeast Asia. Given the trans-national nature of this crisis, there is increasingly a focus on North America and Europe as well.

The Future Group works to:

1. Prevent human trafficking by working with source countries to address root causes including deterring the demand side of the industry;

2. Protect trafficking victims including rescue, rehabilitation and, when appropriate, repatriation and reintegration efforts; and,

3. Prosecute traffickers and commercial sex-users in criminal proceedings.

Why The Future Group Was Founded

Emergent international crises of the 21st century require new and creative solutions. The last century has left a turbulent legacy that, in many areas of the globe, threatens to rob us of an unprecedented opportunity for growth, innovation and achievement. These challenges include confronting violent guerrilla groups in Latin America, the war against HIV/AIDS, countless orphaned and abandoned children in Eastern Europe, millions of sex slaves and trafficked women and children in Southeast Asia, and conflict in the Middle East. All of these crises have their roots before the dawn of the millennium, but their solutions lie beyond. These are the challenges left in the wake of sinister regimes of dictators and drug lords, brutal traffickers and terrorists.

The Future Group is based on the principle that a new approach is required to address the challenges that the future holds. Ours is an exploration of these new frontiers of the 21st century. Why? Because governments and international institutions have proven to be largely incapable of taking action beyond mere words: these crises are pervasive, global in character, and compel us to seek new solutions to resolve them. We are driven towards building a freer and safer future by protecting individual freedom, promoting justice and advancing democracy. Ours is a relentless pursuit of a just society.

In the summer of 2000, The Future Group was conceived. It has never purported to be another large organization, or designed to simply promote awareness. It was to be flexible, action-oriented, and results driven. It would be a team of people from across Canada who would work cooperatively with governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and the people directly affected by a specific international crisis.

Today, we are a national non-partisan, non-religious, federally registered charitable organization, designed to address the most pressing international issues facing major regions of the world. Our organization is propelled forward by thousands of volunteer hours and hundreds of individual contributors. Our teams work in the countries of greatest need in each region, and advance change in partnership with local organizations. We bring to bear practical solutions to curb the problem, new ideas to end it completely, and change the course of lives forever.

Objectives

The objectives of The Future Group are:

To provide assistance and education to persons in need including small business training, life management skills, counselling, and other support services to assist victims of abuse to become more independent in the community.

To relieve poverty in developing nations by providing medical and other basic supplies to persons in need.

To educate the public, professionals, and local businesses about prevention of and responses to abuse by offering courses, seminars, literature, conferences, and meetings and by collecting and disseminating information on that topic.

To provide support for those affected by debilitating diseases, illness, and conditions by offering education and counselling and by establishing mutual support groups.