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ONWA Begins safeSPACES Awareness Campaign

The first steps to preventing human trafficking is to learn about it. Today, on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Canada, the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) is beginning a safeSPACES awareness campaign.

ONWA’s safeSPACES awareness campaign uses yard signs to connects women, girls, and two-spirit people in our communities and those entrenched in human trafficking to resources. It promotes and raises community awareness about human trafficking, expanding safe spaces to include neighbourhoods. Anyone interested in learning more about human trafficking and exploitation, can use their smart phones to scan the QR code on the yard signs and be directed to educational resources including videos, presentations, reports, and more.

Indigenous women have the right to live in safety, free from the threat, fear or experience of exploitation and violence. To prevent this ongoing issue for future generations, people need to be informed and aware of the risks and preventative measures they can take. ONWA’s sign campaign aims to create a safe digital space with the intention of increasing awareness of sexual violence, and human trafficking. The sign campaign is aimed at enhancing ONWA’s traditional safety bundle by increasing practical knowledge coupled with in-depth analysis of Indigenous Women’s Safety issues to support the development of inner strength and move towards healing.

Violence against Indigenous women and girls contributes to the normalization of violence and teaches young women to accept this as part of their lives. Indigenous women and girls targeted by human traffickers “comprise a disproportionate number of those sexually exploited in Canada through human trafficking” (Journey to Safe SPACES Report) and this needs to end.

Let’s all take the time to learn more about human trafficking and what it looks like in our communities. Let’s all rise up together and end human trafficking. Please follow the QR code for more information.

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