By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News
The Saint Anne Parish Catholic Women’s League (CWL) council and the Saskatoon Salvation Army joined together for an event to mark National Human Trafficking Awareness Day Feb. 22, with a flag-raising at Saskatoon City Hall, and a walk to the Parktown Hotel for a program of information, strategies, and encouragement for ending the scourge of human slavery and sexual exploitation in our communities and our world.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon opened the event with a prayer:
Loving God, Creator, Father of all: We seek your divine protection for all who are exploited and enslaved; for those forced into labor, trafficked into slavery of any kind, and denied freedom. We beseech you to release them from their chains.
Grant them protection, safety, and empowerment. Restore their dignity and provide them a new beginning.
Show us how we might end exploitation by addressing its causes. Help us reach out in support of victims and survivors of human trafficking. Make us instruments of your spirit for their liberation.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, be our protector, strength, and guide. Grant us the courage, the fortitude, and ability to fight to end the scourge of human trafficking. For this we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit – God, forever and ever. Amen
This year, Human Trafficking Awareness Day was also proclaimed by the Saskatchewan provincial government, joining federal and civic levels of government to mark the day held to highlight the scourge of modern day slavery that exists both in local communities, across Canada, and around the world – an issue that includes the sexual exploitation of women and vulnerable youth as well as other forms of slavery.
After the short noon-hour flag-raising ceremony Feb. 22, co-chairs of Saint Anne CWL’s Human Trafficking Awareness Project – Anne Ashcroft and Donna Aldous – carried a “Stop Human Trafficking” banner to the round table discussion venue.
President of the Diocese of Saskatoon CWL Council Marion Laroque and Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen follow the Stop Human Trafficking banner after a flag-raising at Saskatoon City Hall. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Procession from Saskatoon City Square to a public discussion about human trafficking held at the nearby Parktown Hotel in Saskatoon Feb. 22. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Round Table Discussion
Dignitaries brought greetings, as well as information and practical suggestions for combating human trafficking to the discussion event, including representatives of the provincial government, police services, and the Salvation Army.
Martensville-Blairmore MLA Jamie Martens, Diocesan CWL President Marion Laroque, and Saint Anne CWL council human trafficking committee co-chairs Anne Ashcroft and Donna Aldous stand before an IWIN display ,which was set up at a Human Trafficking Awareness Day public event in Saskatoon Feb. 22. IWIN is a Calgary-based organization that prepares back-packs with emergency supplies for those escaping human trafficking, including in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Related resources:
The Canadian Centre to end Human Trafficking – LINK
Public Safety Canada – LINK
Hope Restored Canada – LINK
Government of Saskatchewan Protection from Human Trafficking Act – LINK
“Working Towards Freedom” study guide– LINK (The diocese of Saskatoon has joined with the dioceses of Victoria and Vancouver to produce a new resource about the scourge of human trafficking: rcdos.ca/human-trafficking)
Anne Ashcroft, co-chair of the Saint Anne Catholic Women’s League human trafficking committee was MC for the round table discussion held Feb. 22 at the Parktown Hotel in Saskatoon to mark National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Martensville-Blairmore MLA Jamie Martens (left) who serves as provincial government secretary, makes a presentation to Marion Laroque, President of the Saskatoon Diocesan Catholic Women’s League. This year, the government of Saskatchewan joined the federal and civic levels of government in declaring Feb. 22 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Saskatoon Southeast MLA Brittney Senger spoke about the need to increase government response to human trafficking, intimate partner violence, and violence against women. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Captain Derek Kerr, Executive Director of the Salvation Army at the Human Trafficking Awareness Day event Feb. 22. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Representatives of the human trafficking unit of the Saskatoon Police Service were on hand for the event on Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Stephen Moorgan, of the Salvation Army’s Correctional and Justice Services moderated the round table discussions that followed the flag-raising and march on Human Trafficking Awareness Day Feb. 22 in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski Catholic Saskatoon News)
Members of the Catholic Women’s League and other leaders in the community came together to reflect on ways to stop the scourge of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Round table discussions about how to raise awareness and address the scourge of human trafficking were held in Saskatoon Feb. 22. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Anne Ashcroft and Donna Aldous co-chair the Human Trafficking Awareness project for the Saint Anne Parish CWL Council, which has partnered with different agencies like Hope Restored Canada, IWIN (I’m Worth It Now), the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, and the Salvation Army to raise awareness about the issue.
More information about human trafficking and sexual exploitation:
- 93 per cent of trafficked victims in Canada are Canadian
- In Saskatchewan risk is heightened for Indigenous women, girls and vulnerable youth
- Indigenous women are four per cent of the population, but are 10 times more likely to go missing, 20 times more likely to be murdered, and represent 50 per cent of trafficked victims
- Saskatchewan has one of the highest percentage of human trafficking in the country
- Runaways are often picked up by traffickers within 24-48 hours
- Average age of recruitment into the sex trade is 13-14 years old
- 63 per cent of trafficked victims are between 15 and 24 years of age
- Victims on average earn $280,000 a year for their trafficker
- Human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, behind drug dealing and arms trafficking
- Profits are over $150 billion annually
- Victims are often used to produce online pornography
- The Internet is often used to lure young people and groom them for exploitation
-30-
Kiply Lukan Yaworski is the communications coordinator for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon – rcdos.ca.
Communications and Catholic Saskatoon News are supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa.