Free #KnowtheSigns Course available for parents

Joy Smith

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Feb. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honour of the second annual National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on February 22, 2022, the Joy Smith Foundation – widely considered Canada’s leading authority on human trafficking – is offering free educational resources to help Canadians understand and fight human trafficking.

“Human trafficking can happen to anyone at any time,” says founder, advocate and former Member of Parliament, Joy Smith. “In urban municipalities, less than a kilometre from where you are living, someone is being trafficked. Many people don’t think it can happen to their family but in fact, 93% of human trafficking victims in Canada are Canadian.”

Launched in 2021 by the Joy Smith Foundation, the National Human Trafficking Education Centre provides free and fee-based courses for teachers, parents, front-line responders and all Canadians who want to prevent and intervene with human trafficking. Sign up for a free course independently or with friends, work colleagues or your family at joysmithfoundation.com/national-human-trafficking-education-centre.

“Education is our greatest weapon when it comes to fighting and ending human trafficking,” says Janet Campbell, CEO and President of the Joy Smith Foundation. “Canadians may be surprised to learn that it is happening in cities and towns across our country. Every day, at-risk youth and adults are manipulated and forced to participate in the sex trade or labour market. What starts as a seemingly innocent conversation online or in real life can quickly turn into something sinister that affects lives forever.”

“I came from a middle-class Christian family. My parents are wonderful. Looking back, I never thought that I would ever land up as a victim of human trafficking. I got out of being trafficked but the guilt and anger still remained with me. It was when I was sitting in a presentation by Mrs. Smith about human trafficking and how the traffickers work that I came to realize that it was not my fault. The education program that the Joy Smith Foundation puts forward is such a help to me as a trafficked survivor. It changed my life. The Joy Smith Foundation helped me to rebuild my life. I am now so happy to help out any way I can to be a part of this wonderful Foundation that helped me to restore my life.”
-- Nicole Hunter, Survivor

The Joy Smith Foundation’s mandate is to prevent victimization from human trafficking through education. Educating at-risk populations and sharing signs to watch for will help Canadians learn who might be vulnerable and how to effectively intervene. Since the organization’s inception, the Foundation has helped over 6,000 human trafficking survivors and their families restore their lives by reuniting, healing and integrating back into their communities.

We are currently offering free classes for parents and we’ve shared “Know The Signs” resources for youth, and parents on the Joy Smith Foundation website. “Raising awareness of Human Trafficking on this dedicated Awareness Day is crucial in helping Canadians better understand this important issue,” says Campbell. “Education, support and compassion are essential to creating change.”

Media Interviews and Enquiries
media@joysmithfoundation.com

About the Joy Smith Foundation
The Joy Smith Foundation works to provide access to information so that every Canadian man, woman and child is educated and empowered to stay safe from manipulation, force, or abuse of power designed to lure and exploit them in the sex trade or forced labour.
Learn more at joysmithfoundation.com

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