I’d like to begin by thanking everyone for taking the time to be here, nice and early, on a Tuesday morning. Especially Luisa from Elora House, Kevin from Royal City Mission, Elizabeth from Victim's services, Mayor Guthrie and Councillor O'Rourke, as well as our Guelph Police Services. It’s so important to show our support and to raise awareness about such a crucial issue. My name is Aidan Harris, and I am the Chair of the Eradicating Human Trafficking Committee, a group that was formed by the Rotary Club of Guelph South and has come to include the Rotary Club of Guelph.
In Canada, we constantly talk about, and show our appreciation for, the rights and freedoms that we have. We are so lucky to live in a free and democratic country, to have our rights enshrined in a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and I think for me, this is where human trafficking cuts the deepest. It is a humanitarian crisis that goes against every understanding of who we are as a country, as a people, and as a community. How can we celebrate Canada when women, men, girls, boys and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community are being trafficked, exploited, and treated like monetary assets? When their rights to life, liberty, security, mobility, and equality are under constant violation.
In 2022, Statistics Canada released a report on human trafficking that found 3,996 reported incidents of human trafficking between 2012 and 2022. This number, though shocking, is likely on the lower end as it only includes instances that were reported to police services. The number of human trafficking cases is likely much higher than this.
To dive even deeper, we know that the majority of human trafficking that takes place in Canada is sex trafficking. The illegal control, transportation, and sexual exploitation of victims for the purposes of financial gain. And sadly, this is reflected in the high number of women and girls, in Canada, being trafficked. Of all the reported victims, 94% are women. 24% are girls aged 17 or younger, and 43% are girls between 18 and 24. While, 82% of the traffickers of this crime are men. This is why this crisis is not only a horrible human rights violation, but a fundamental issue of gender equality. Canadian women and girls are being trafficked and sexually exploited by Canadian men.
That’s why the work that is being done by Victim Services, Women in Crisis, the Guelph Police Services, and Elora House, among others, is so important. Human trafficking is a complex issue with many layers of intersectionality. Traffickers often target women and girls who are at odds with their family, socially isolated, in need of work, desperate for money, survivors of abuse, substance users, or in precarious living situations. So, the encompassing support that is offered by these organizations is so important.
I’d like to quickly highlight the work being done by Luisa and her team at Elora House. For those of you that do not know, Elora House is an organization that provides safe housing and support for females who are the victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Their focus is on assisting residents to build towards self-reliance, resilience, and overall well-being at their own pace and time. Thank you, Luisa and thank you to your team for all the service you provide daily.
To wrap up, our committee, though relatively new in this space hopes to act as a connecting force and facilitator between these incredible organizations. As volunteers, we cannot provide the expertise that all of you do, so we see our role in facilitation and public education.
In ending, the most important role that each of us can play is in educating ourselves on the issue of human trafficking, the signs of a person being trafficked, and informing those around us about this hidden crisis.
Thank you again for taking the time to be here.
After the Chair's speech. Luisa from Elora House spoke about her organization and the four survivors that are under her care at the moment.
Following her talk, the Mayor spoke about the significance of this issue, and thanked the EHTC committee for its efforts to raise awareness.
After the Mayor's words, he and Luisa raised the Stop Human Trafficking flag above City Hall.
Thank you again to all who attended!
