PACT-Ottawa, OBAC Partner to Launch TruckSTOP Campaign to Put the Brakes on Human Trafficking

OTTAWA, Ont. (April 19, 2012) – PACT-Ottawa is calling on truck drivers to be the eyes and ears of a program intended to stop human trafficking. PACT has just launched its TruckSTOP Campaign, a human trafficking awareness initiative that provides truck drivers with information on signs they can look for to identify situations where human trafficking could be taking place.

Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans (PACT) says that human trafficking is a serious problem in Canada. Men, women and children – Canadian citizens, permanent residents, new immigrants and refugees – are bought and sold every day here in Canada and are usually forced into unpaid labour or work in the sex trade. Truck drivers are in a position to notice such activity, PACT says.
 
"Transportation is a key element of human trafficking. Traffickers move their victims frequently, to isolate them and to avoid detection. They travel the same roads and highways that truck drivers do," says PACT's Kim Howson, coordinator of the TruckSTOP Campaign. "PACT-Ottawa believes that truck drivers are in a good position to help stop human trafficking and we're giving them the tools to join the fight."
 
The first TruckSTOP campaign information packages will be delivered to the Antrim Truck Stop in Arnprior, Ont. on Friday, April 20, as PACT staff and volunteers make their way to Toronto to introduce the campaign and training materials to truck drivers at Truck World 2012. PACT-Ottawa has teamed up with the Owner-Operator’s Business Association of Canada (OBAC) to get the campaign rolling.
 
"Truck drivers can make a valuable contribution to combatting human trafficking,"says OBAC's Executive Director Joanne Ritchie. "We're proud to support the TruckSTOP Campaign and be part of the solution to a devastating problem."
 
Next week volunteers will deliver the information packages to truck stops along major corridors between Windsor and Ottawa as well as on the Niagara Section of the Queen Elizabeth Way between Hamilton and Fort Erie. All materials, including audio CDs, wallet cards and posters, are available free of charge.
 
The audio CD includes a documentary on human trafficking called Watch for the Signs as well as an audio adaptation of The Walk, a play about trafficked women and girls.
 
Warning Signs

Persons being held and transported against their will often exhibit certain signs and behaviours. PACT-Ottawa is asking truck drivers who witness several of these signs and suspect human trafficking to call in a tip to local law enforcement or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

There are signs that you can look for to determine whether an individual may be involved in human trafficking. A trafficked individual may be:

W - Watched (someone is constantly watching over them, and monitoring their movement and communication)
A - Afraid (fear for their own safety or the safety of their family)
T - Tired (may be suffering from exhaustion or malnutrition, or show signs of physical abuse)
C - Confused (appear to be uncomfortable in their surroundings, or seem unfamiliar with the place where they are working)
H - Housed at work (appear to live where they are working)

Howson says PACT's TruckSTOP Campaign was inspired by the success of a similar American campaign run by Truckers Against Trafficking. "A truck driver noticed suspicious activity at a truck stop and called 911," Howson says. "His tip led to the rescue of two underage girls who had been kidnapped and forced into the sex trade, along with seven other individuals. That call led to the arrest and conviction of 31 traffickers, and it broke up a trafficking ring that was operating across 13 states. One tip made a huge impact in combating human trafficking."

PACT-Ottawa is a non-profit organization committed to preventing human trafficking and assisting trafficked persons. For more information on PACT-Ottawa or the TruckSTOP campaign, visit www.pact-ottawa.org, e-mail truckstop@pact-ottawa.org, or call 613-875-PACT (7228).
 
The TruckSTOP Campaign is supported in part by Public Safety Canada.