WELLINGTON COUNTY – Featuring survivor stories and resources, a brand new human trafficking awareness campaign has been kicked off by a video from Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington.
CSGW is partnering for a summer-long awareness campaign with other neighbouring organizations.
The video being a launching point for this campaign, Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington’s Program Coordinator Sarah Bowers-Peter says they are providing incentive for people to speak up about this crime.
This is a local problem, Bowers-Peter says. The three minute video features Guelph Police sharing the views of an investigator, Kaitlin Bick, survivor of domestic sex trafficking, and others.
“Nobody does this by choice- there’s always a level of coercion involved,” Bowers-Peter said.
Guelph-area’s proximity to the 401 corridor makes it a popular target for criminals, she added.
Bowers-Peter went on to explain cyber communication can draw people in from a variety of communities.
Bowers-Peter says there have been perpetuated misconceptions about human and sex trafficking- that it doesn’t happen in the area. She also says many people have seen the crime dramatized and have a pre-conceived idea of what it can look like.
Trying to “de-bunk” these myths is a focus of the video.
Bowers-Peter tells The Grand at 101 while there is a specific demographic the crime typically victimizes, it’s not limited to solely that portion of the population.
Bowers-Peter says she reminds residents often there is evidence to suggest this crime exists and is growing in the community.
You can find the full press release from CSGW here.
The video is below:
