Windsor’s first Walk for Freedom

 By Madeline Mazak

Windsor will join hundreds of cities around the world in hosting its first Walk for Freedom on Saturday to raise awareness of human trafficking.

Windsorites will take part in a global demonstration by walking together in a single-file line wearing shirts that say “Abolish Slavery with Each Step.”

Walk for Freedom was started in 2014 by A21, a non-governmental, non-profit organization working to abolish human trafficking. In 2017 more than 400 locations in 50 countries participated in the event.

Pascale Colucci, event organizer and team spokesperson, said the walk will be a call-to-action to abolish what she calls modern-day slavery.

“I’m hoping this walk will burst a whole movement of modern-day abolitionists that will be the voice for those who are voiceless,” said Colucci. “When you look at tackling human trafficking on your own as one person it is really overwhelming. How do you begin to tackle an issue that involves millions of people? When you come together as a community you see that there are other people that care as much as you do.”

Shelley Gilbert, coordinator of social work for WEFiGHT, said it is important to start a conversation so people know how human trafficking is showing up in our city.

WEFiGHT works alongside law enforcement and organizations in Ontario and Canada to provide support to survivors of domestic and international human trafficking.

Gilbert said education could assist people in identifying individuals who are being trafficked and give them the tools to reach out and help.

“If we are not communicating with each other, with service providers, with the criminal justice system and with law enforcement, then we will miss important information and people will fall through the cracks,” said Gilbert.

Windsor police work closely with WEFiGHT to combat human trafficking. The relationship between Windsor police and WEFiGHT, goes both ways, according to Gilbert. WEFiGHT works to educate officers on the signs of human trafficking and how to interview victims. Windsor police refer victims who report cases of human trafficking to WEFiGHT so they can connect them with additional support.

According to Statistics Canada, the number and rate of human trafficking cases reported in Canada steadily increased between 2010 and 2016.

The problem is that many cases of human trafficking often go unreported, according to Sgt. Steve Betteridge, public information officer for Windsor Police Service.

“Human trafficking never quickly happens, meaning more often than not, it’s a crime where the perpetrator slowly develops a relationship with the victim and slowly becomes more and more controlling. They start controlling their assets, their identification, their finances and their movements,” said Betteridge. “Sometimes this relationship can start off as consensual, but over time, the victim may not even realize that it has become non-consensual.”

“Anyone who is vulnerable is susceptible to being trafficked,” said Colucci.

Youth are more susceptible to becoming victims if they come from a troubled background and lack a support system, said Colucci.

Data collected by Statistics Canada between 2009 and 2016 indicates that 72 per cent of human trafficking victims in Canada are below 25 years of age. Females made up 70 per cent of the victims who reported to police.

Colucci said there is still more that can be done as a community to end human trafficking.

“A lot of these victims don’t have support from friends or family,” said Colucci. “If everyone in the community can befriend someone who needs support, over time they will build trust and they won’t feel so isolated anymore. If anything happens they know they have somebody they can trust to call.

Every victim is somebody’s child. Just like the saying it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to protect a child, too.”

Colucci said the community has come together to make Walk for Freedom possible. Spirit of Excellence, Community Living, As Safe As Possible, KELCOM’s document division, Exchange Church Team, and LaSalle Police Service have contributed to the event.

The walk will begin at 10 a.m. at Dieppe Gardens at 78 Riverside Dr. W. Participants will walk to the Ambassador Bridge and back. The event will feature guest speakers, including a survivor of human trafficking.