Stop the Traffic

In Canada, as elsewhere, persons who are trafficked face exploitation and oppression. However, their problems don’t end when they are liberated. They need protection and support. Canada wasn’t providing what was needed. This group sought to draw attention to the issue by initiating a workshop bringing together, for the first time, representatives from academia, non-governmental organizations, media, the federal government and the United Nations. They also developed a website in partnership with the Canadian Council for Refugeesí national human trafficking campaign. It featured five trafficking stories demonstrating how liberated trafficking victims receive little support or protection and are often deported to situations of poverty, instability and shame in their homeland. The site launch, however, was pre-empted by a federal government announcement about new trafficking victim protection. The group is proud that, in a small way, they contributed to a movement that gained human rights protection for trafficked persons.