Submitted by Anne Day, Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium
 
When we hear the words “human trafficking,” we tend to think that this is something that happens only in big cities. Sadly this is not true. In fact, with our proximity to the Ontario 400 highways, it usually means that most of all human trafficking in Canada happens using that route.
Spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Guelph South, with members from Guelph, Guelph Trillium, Fergus/Elora and Centre-Wellington, this group has come together to tackle this issue, starting with an awareness campaign which is being sponsored by Hammond Power Solutions.
 
“Our slogan is “Educate to Eradicate,” explains Deb Allen, chair of the committee. “We have been researching the issue and discovered other Rotary Clubs that are on a similar mission.”
 
On the 4th Tuesday of every month, which started in July, there will be speakers talking about different aspects of human trafficking – from the organizations that work to create increased awareness, to a survivor who will share her story.
 
To that end, on August 24, the focus will be on Karly Church, who is currently a Crisis Intervention Counsellor at a regional support service for victims of human trafficking in Canada.  She is also a survivor of human trafficking and will be sharing her story.
 
Drawing on the work of other Rotary Clubs, on July 27 the series started with Bob Burnside from the Rotary Club of Orangeville and representatives from Compass Community Church who together founded Cry Not, a voluntary organization based in Orangeville whose mandate is to create awareness of Human Trafficking in the greater Dufferin-Caledon communities.
 
To ensure that the community is aware of the resources available to victims, a panel of experts from Guelph/Wellington will be presenting on September 28, and on October 26 Major Rachel Lamont will be talking about her findings from working globally and in Canada on the prevention of human trafficking. 
This first series will end on November 30 with a presentation from the Rotary Action Group against Slavery, (RAGAS) with representatives from Rotary Clubs in Texas and Thailand.
 
One of the goals of this project is to educate Rotarians on what other Rotary Clubs are doing around the world to tackle this issue and draw on their best practices as we develop strategies in Canada.
 
These sessions will be online and free.  To learn more, contact Deb Allen at deb.allen.re@gmail.com or to register for the August 24 session, check the listings under District Events or go to https://bit.ly/3elvoWH