Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Feds launch human-trafficking awareness campaign
The federal government today unveiled a national awareness campaign to highlight the crime of human trafficking and encourage the public to report suspected cases.
The "Blue Blindfold" campaign, which includes TV, radio and print advertising, brochures and posters, was announced by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews at a news conference at RCMP headquarters in Winnipeg.
Toews said some of the campaign images are disturbing and uncomfortable, but that’s because the crime is disturbing and uncomfortable, and needs to be stopped.
"By exposing the reality of this terrible crime to the light of day, Canadians can better recognize and report evidence of criminal activity," he said.
The campaign is a partnership between the Canadian Crime Stoppers Association, the RCMP’s human trafficking national coordination centre and Public Safety Canada. Its slogan is "Don’t close your eyes to human trafficking."
In a brief TV spot screened for the media, ordinary Canadians are depicted wearing blue blindfolds, suggesting their blindness to exploited individuals in the background, such as an exotic dancer performing in a bra and panties and a domestic worker who appears Asian.
Similar materials for another campaign, launched by the RCMP last year, were also handed out. Its slogan is "I’m not for sale."
Both campaigns urge Canadians to learn how to recognize possible victims and call Crime Stoppers or the RCMP.
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