EDMONTON- A local organization is hoping to raise awareness around human trafficking in our city, through the launch of a new program.
"One of the things I commonly find is that people say to me, 'Human trafficking, what's that? That doesn't happen here in Canada, it doesn't happen in Edmonton,'" explained Charlotte Bellis, a volunteer with The Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT Alberta).
Bellis says she feels as though people can be hesitant to get involved in this topic.
"It wasn't because people didn't feel compassion or weren't moved by it, but it was genuinely because they didn't know about the subject."
ACT has launched its Train the Trainer program, in hopes of bringing awareness to human trafficking in our city.
"We can't deny that this is happening in our communities," said ACT Executive Director, Andrea Burkhart.
This comes a week after three men were charged in connection with two alleged cases of human trafficking in Edmonton.
The program is designed to train volunteers to educate people on how to identify, overcome and become involved in human trafficking. Those volunteers will then hold workshops for students and other community groups, in hopes of further educating people on the subject.
"It engages the public and it also provides that really crucial education to community members," explained Burkhart. "There is a lot of uncertainty about what trafficking is and what it looks like and we're hoping this program will help clear that up."
She says if the public doesn't know human trafficking is happening, there's no way they can become part of the response and ultimately the solution.
Bellis, who is a trainer herself, hopes the program will empower more people to become involved.
"Often times those people who are trapped in human trafficking aren't able to advocate for themselves. They're not able to fight for themselves and they're not able to get out of it by themselves," she said. "It's up to us to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and say, 'Not on my watch. Not in my time. I'm going to do something about this.'"
ACT is looking for 10 volunteers to be trained to deliver the workshops. The project was launched in Calgary last fall.
With files from Quinn Ohler, Global News.
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