Perth County OPP and the Avon Maitland District School Board will host a joint session on human trafficking at the end of the month.
The Mitchell District High School will hold the event on October 29 from 6-8 p.m. Doors are at 5:30 p.m., and refreshments will be provided.
OPP Constable Jillian Johnson says the purpose of the event is to educate residents about human trafficking and how it can happen, and many different community partners will be part of the event.
"Local community organizations and partners such as Victim Services Huron Perth, Optimism Place, Stop Violence Against Women, Huron Perth Centre, Children's Aid Society is gonna be there, and they're all gonna have tables set up with information and resources for people who come out to the event," Johnson explained.
The event will feature two guest speakers. Melanie Knights has lived experience and will speak to her experience being trafficked. She is now the Executive Director of Bridging Gaps Anti-Human Trafficking.
Also, Detective Sergeant Ashley Horton is with the OPP Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, and she will speak from the policing perspective, including warning signs, risk factors, local trends, and investigations. Following the talks, there will be time for questions and answers.
Constable Johnson adds that there is a perception that human trafficking only happens in big urban areas, but it can happen anywhere, including rural communities. Ultimately, she says they want to make people in the area more aware.
"Our whole hope is that we can educate community members and try to prevent some things from happening, or if somebody does know that something is going on, provide them with the resources to be able to help and what to do next, that kind of thing," said Johnson.
When it comes to human trafficking, Constable Johnson says many people picture someone being snatched into a van and abducted and then forced into being trafficked. She says while that does happen, often times it doesn't always happen the way people may think.
"Sometimes a relationship starts and the victim then becomes dependent on their partner, and there's a lot of manipulation that happens and it's a cycle and a process that happens, where someone builds up the trust of the victim and then it ends up turning into a really terrible situation. But, it doesn't always start out that way," Johnson stressed.
Also, the way in which people can be coerced into becoming a victim of human trafficking is now nearly limitless with the internet being a huge factor.
"Anyone who has access to the internet, or gaming apps, or anything where they're communicating with a stranger, they could become a victim and be targeted, especially within rural communities, where we tend to be a little more isolated," noted Johnson.
This will be the second such event that Perth County OPP has participated in this year.
Registration is preferred, but not required. Please visit www.eventbrite.ca, and search for events from the Perth County OPP.