Change scene, a Southeast-Asian-looking woman pours drinks for white party goers who also don blue blindfolds.
Change scene, a young man, Chinese or Japanese perhaps, washes dishes as patrons enjoy their meals blindfolded.
Change scene, a white man wearing the same blue blindfold, walks into a 24-hour massage parlour.
As the video rolls, a narrator tells us: “While we enjoy, we forget who is getting hurt. We see who we want and close our eyes to the rest. There are people who are forced to provide labour or services. They are victims of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in faraway places to people we don’t know. It’s in our neighbourhoods, right in our own backyards. It is happening here.”
The video is part of a new Crime Stoppers campaign called Blue Blindfold announced by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews on Tuesday. Blue Blindfold is one of two national awareness campaigns addressing the growing problem of human trafficking. The goal is to raise public awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking in Canada and help Canadians identify and report suspicious cases.
Human trafficking is a phenomenon that happens within Canada and around the world. Organized crime groups are widely believed to be among the most prolific traffickers of women, men, and children who are exploited against their will for sex, labour, and other purposes.
“Here in Canada, as you will come to realize, we do have human trafficking occurring in large numbers all across the country. A problem we all face right now is a general lack of knowledge about the issue of human trafficking and its presence in our communities. We hope to be able to change that,” says a Crime Stoppers statement about the new program.
“Today’s announcement seeks to engage all Canadians in recognizing and reporting when exploitation due to human trafficking is going on around them,” said Minister Toews in a statement.
”These images are disturbing and uncomfortable because this crime is disturbing and uncomfortable—and it 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.”
Blue Blindfold will be delivered through a partnership between Crime Stoppers and the RCMP Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre and Public Safety Canada.
The RCMP human trafficking centre has also launched the “I’m Not for Sale” awareness campaign which includes a human trafficking toolkit for law enforcement, non-governmental and governmental organizations, and the general public.
“The Canadian Crime Stoppers Association, RCMP and Public Safety Canada all recognize the importance of combating human trafficking,” said Crime Stoppers chair Ralph Page.
“We see our awareness projects, the human trafficking toolkits, and the tip-taking capabilities of Crime Stoppers in over 4,000 Canadian communities as key components in reducing and eventually eliminating this crime.”
Among the most determined champions for the victims of human trafficking is Conservative MP Joy Smith who succeeded in getting a private member’s bill passed that guarantees minimum sentences for traffickers of minors.
“The safety of our most vulnerable citizens—our children—is of paramount importance, and our government takes it seriously,” said Smith in a statement announcing the campaigns.
“Human trafficking and all forms of child exploitation is a horrific abuse of human rights that impacts all of us. Defeating it must unite us all as a nation in the fight to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”
Those with information concerning a human-trafficking victim should call the local police or report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
