Loly Rico

Loly Rico is the president of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants.[1] She is married to Francisco Rico-Martinez, with whom she co-directs the Toronto-based Faithful Companions of Jesus Refugee Centre.[2] Rico and her family moved to Canada as refugees in 1990[3] in order to escape political repression in El Salvador.[4] In 2004, the Toronto City Council gave her the Constance E. Hamilton Award on the Status of Women.[5] In 2008, Rico was given the Trevor Bartram Award by the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture.[6] When Joy Smith released "Connecting the Dots", a proposal for the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, Rico criticized the proposal for being too focused on those who create the demand for sex trafficking, saying that it therefore did not sufficiently address victim rehabilitation. She recommended, therefore, that the proposal be amended to allow human trafficking victims to become permanent residents of Canada and therefore be better guarded against being trafficked again.[7] Rico became the president of the Canadian Council for Refugees in 2012.[8] In 2013, Rico remarked that, "unfortunately, the government has been closing the door on refugees."[9] Specifically, she criticized Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, for having promised that Canada would resettle more refugees from 2011-2012 than in previous years, but not following through on this promise; instead, there was a 26% drop in refugee resettlement in Canada during that period, hitting a 30-year low.[10]

Loly Rico
NationalityCanadian
CitizenshipCanada
OccupationRefugee activist
EmployerFaithful Companions of Jesus Refugee Centre
OrganizationCanadian Council for Refugees
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Spouse(s)Francisco Rico-Martinez

References
  1. Tamara Cherry (October 4, 2008). "Exploited for profit, victims are often underpaid, abused and forced into jobs through false promises: Trafficking in people". Niagara Falls Review. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  2. Evan Boudreau (January 26, 2013). "Video brings awful memories flooding back". The Catholic Register. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  3. "Proud to Protect Refugees' campaign launched across Canada this Refugee Rights Day". Latino Star. May 5, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  4. Nicholas Keung (May 1, 2012). "Refugee reform bill sparks grassroots protests across GTA". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  5. "Access, Equity and Human Rights Awards: 2004 recipients". Toronto City Council. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  6. "CCVT Award Recipients 2008". Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  7. Callandra Cochrane (November 1, 2010). "Human Trafficking in Canada: The Need for Action". Citizens for Public Justice. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  8. "December 10, 2012". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  9. Joe Gunn (November 13, 2013). "Journey to Justice: Canadians urged to support change to refugee policy". Prairie Messenger. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  10. "Canada Witnesses Dramatic Drop In Resettled Refugees Despite Pledge to Grant More Asylum". International Business Times. March 8, 2013. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
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