Alberta government to spend $4 million on human trafficking office
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Summary
Human trafficking is a sick trade run by sick individuals for sick ends. It persists in the shadows, destroying the bodies and minds of vulnerable innocent people, mostly women and girls, and often indigenous people. In order to combat this trade, Alberta is investing $22 million over the next three years to implement the recommendations of the Human Trafficking Task Force, which was chaired by Paul Brandt. One of those recommendations was setting up the Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons. This office will bring together survivors of human trafficking with community partners like social services, social services providers and indigenous organizations who are best positioned to help find a way out and a path forward.
Transcript
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seeing so many people in organizations coming together for a just cause reminds me of the old
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saying about how evil only triumphs when good people do nothing well not here not in alberta
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in alberta good and decent people are fighting the stain of human trafficking it's a sick trade
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run by sick individuals for sick ends it persists in the shadows destroying the bodies and minds of
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vulnerable innocent people mostly women and girls and often indigenous people and alberta's
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government is doing its part to end this disgrace unfortunately we don't need to look too far for
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evidence of human trafficking in alberta earlier this month work by the alberta law enforcement
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response team resulted in three individuals from edmonton facing numerous human trafficking charges
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in may a calgary man was charged with multiple offenses including charges related to human
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trafficking in february an edmonton man was charged with multiple offenses including trafficking in
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persons these three examples alone include over 20 identified victims with police and organizations
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trying to identify and support dozens of victims we can't afford to close our eyes to this problem and
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we can't afford to ignore those who are at risk of being trafficked or those who have been trafficked
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that's why we will be implementing 20 we will be spending 22 million dollars over the next three
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years to implement the recommendations of alberta's human trafficking task force which as you know
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was chaired by paul brandt one of those recommendations was setting up the alberta office to combat
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trafficking in persons this office shouldn't be necessary and hopefully one day we will no longer need it
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but until that time this office will bring together survivors of human trafficking with community
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partners like social services providers and indigenous organizations who are best positioned to help
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find a way out and a path forward our goal is to create a hybrid model that extends across the province
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disrupting and dissolving trafficking networks while helping survivors to recover and rebuild to succeed we
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need to understand survivor stories and gather insights that help survivors escape and heal we also
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need more comprehensive on the ground information about how human traffickers operate and how they hide
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their activities so that we can stop them in their tracks the alberta office to combat trafficking in
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persons will combine these approaches allowing everyone involved to share knowledge so that we can better
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protect victims survivors and others at risk of exploitation through this office with our partners we are
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joining forces to stamp out the trade in human flesh and misery because no one should have their lives
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derailed into sex work exploited for labor or trafficked for body parts no one who has endured this trauma
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should be left to suffer in silence and no family should be left to wonder what happened to their loved ones
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justice compassion and reconciliation demand action to fight human trafficking and support survivors
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new and improved responses are on the way through this office and the people in it