On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Province reiterates its strong commitment to preventing human trafficking and exploitation in British Columbia.

This international day focuses on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict and the worst forms of child labour.

Though modern-day slavery is horrific and out of sight to most First World nations, Canada is not immune to this tragic reality. That is why in 2007, British Columbia established the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP) - the first of its kind in Canada - to develop and provide overall co-ordination of British Columbia's strategy to address human trafficking.

In March of this year, the Province released BC's Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. The plan sets a roadmap of priorities and action over the next three years to prevent the trafficking of youth, vulnerable workers and Aboriginal women.

B.C. has become a national leader in the fight against human trafficking through innovative and accessible training programs for services providers, available online in French and English, which enhance the ability of first responders and the public to identify, assist and protect victims.

Last month, the Province announced the availability of up to $1 million in civil forfeiture grants to support crime prevention initiatives including the prevention of sexual exploitation and human trafficking of vulnerable women and girls.

Quotes:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton -

"On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we honour the victims and commit to continuing the fight to address this problem in B.C. Through our Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and funding of support programs for victims, we will continue to bring awareness to this issue and ensure British Columbia remains a national leader in the fight against human trafficking."

Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons director Rosalind Currie -

"Human trafficking is a serious human rights violation. Raising awareness about this issue is a key component of BC's Action Plan. Today, on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, we encourage service providers to learn the indicators of human trafficking in order to reach out and assist trafficked persons."

Quick Facts:

• It is estimated that 21 million women, men and children are trapped in slavery all over the globe.
• OCTIP has assisted in more than 160 cases involving potentially trafficked persons since July 2007, providing help with temporary residence permits, co-ordinating services for trafficked persons and advising community agencies on how to best meet victims' needs.
• In Canada, human trafficking most commonly involves the recruiting, harbouring and controlling of a person for the purpose of forced labour or sexual exploitation.
• Traffickers use a variety of means such as threats, lies, coercion, abuse and violence to gain and keep control of a person in order to exploit them.
• OCTIP operates a toll-free, 24/7 telephone line to assist trafficked persons to obtain services in a number of languages at 1 888 712-7974.
• The Province gives $70 million annually to fund programs that provide assistance to trafficked persons, vulnerable women and children, and victims of crime.
• overnment also has showcased its commitment in this fight by making available several funding grants through the Civil Forfeiture Office.
• In June 2011, OCTIP and its federal counterparts (Public Safety Canada and Justice Canada) launched Canada's first online training course on human trafficking. In December 2012, it was translated into French to reach an even larger number of Canadians.

Learn More:

To learn more about BC's Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, please visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/about.htm

For more information about Human Trafficking in B.C. visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/index.htm

To access free, online training on how to recognize, protect and assist a person who may have been trafficked, please visit: http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/octip/training.htm

To find out more about the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, visit: http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryabolitionday/

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Justice
250 213-3602