Human Trafficking Awareness Day
February 22, 2007 the House of Commons unanimously condemned human trafficking and modern slavery. Fourteen years later, on Feb 16, 2021, the House of Commons unanimously approved the motion to recognize February 22nd as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
There are a number of misconceptions surrounding human trafficking with one being that it does’t happen in Canada. It absolutely does. In urban and rural settings, in every neighbourhood, and across every socioeconomic status.
We’ve put together some information and invite you to learn, take action, and consider a donation to help support survivors.
What I Wish People Knew (written by a survivor)
How much are you worth? Do you think of your value? Do you feel seen in the street? Do you know the feeling of men discussing your price like a piece of meat? I get coffee, I do my groceries, I go about my day like you. I like art, I laugh a lot, I’m pretty normal but I wish you knew - That my body has not always been my own, As a minor I felt very alone. I was sold to men across Ottawa, treated like I was grown, I am a survivor of human trafficking. A problem usually unknown. Do you understand what I mean when I say I’m a survivor? When I say I’m a survivor it means that to survive, my body and mind were severed so that my body could be used over and over each night, When I say I am a survivor it means that I have given life a chance each day and I continued to fight, When I say I’m a survivor I mean I made a life for myself, From a life of pall mall’s, stripper heels, and no sleep, To a life of food banks, tuna cans, and no name mac and cheese, To a life of not knowing which direction to go and if I’d ever make it out of a low income home, To a life where I sit amongst the same people that would have walked past me on the street, never allowing our eyes to meet. What I wish people knew about survivors is that there are many of us, And the day you start looking for us, listening to us, and respecting us, Instead of judging us, oppressing us, and shushing us, Is when you’ll see prevention, action, and change - led by us.
