Please read the following statement from Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands and Leader of the Green Party of Canada, regarding National Human Trafficking Awareness Day:
“National Human Trafficking Awareness Day has helped to validate survivors. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that ensnares at least two million people every year. Women and children are especially targeted in this system of abuse and exploitation. Survivors struggle with the deep impacts of such horrific experiences for the rest of their lives.
This year’s theme of “It’s Time to T.A.L.K.” recognises that although concerned loved ones constitute the second largest group of people calling the National Hotline, many are not aware of what to do or say to support someone who they suspect/know is at risk. One of the biggest barriers to starting conversations about trafficking is a lack of knowledge.
I have always supported legislation in Parliament to address human trafficking. I stand with NGOs and community groups like PACT (Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans) that fight against trafficking in the name of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The rights of everyone to live freely must be upheld as we work to meet our Sustainable Development Goals commitment to end human slavery by 2030.”