The trafficking and sexual exploitation of young women is a scary reality in Canada, and specifically Ontario, including right here in Chatham-Kent. Ending human trafficking is one of those messages. Thanks to Courage for Freedom, founded by Kelly Franklin, the message is getting out to an area frequented by human traffickers with their victims β the Highway corridor.
Project OnRoute involved a video about and by survivors, and was shown at OnRoute locations in Ontario along the series highways for the month of July. The video tells people what to look for so that traffickers can no longer hide with their victims in plain sight while getting gas, food or switching cars to move on to the next location where they will force our young women and men to perform sex acts for money.
Shining a light on traffickers β their methods, their movements, preferred locations β it all helps to stop it from happening in our community, to our young people. Statistics compiled by Courage for Freedom indicated that 60 per cent of all human trafficking in Canada is initiated along the series highway, and the from Windsor to Montreal. Traffickers can move their victims easily from city to city, soliciting clients through online advertising.
Human slavery is the fastest growing organized crime in the world. It is a billion-dollar industry that is often hidden in plain sight, and no community is immune to its existence. These are our daughters, sisters, nieces, and neighbours, and we need to know what it is we are fighting when we fight to keep them safe.
Project OnRoute encourages people to know the signs of trafficking and report any suspicious persons or activities to the police, Crime Stoppers or the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline.
