‘Local youth are engaged and targeted’: Perth County OPP to host anti-trafficking event

The Ontario Provincial Police in Perth County and the Avon Maitland District School Board will host a free community event on Tuesday evening at Mitchell District High School to address the issue of human trafficking.

The event, open to the public, will feature guests Melanie Knights, executive director of Bridging Gaps Anti-Human Trafficking, who will share her real-life experience, and OPP Detective Sergeant Ashely Horton, who will discuss warning signs, risk factors and local trends.

“Across Ontario, an increasing number of victims are being recruited for sexual and labor exploitation,” the press release reads in part. “Across Ontario, police are seeing an increase in human traffickers who are recruiting potential victims from small towns and transporting them on major highways to various destinations. Victims of human trafficking are often extremely vulnerable and rarely report themselves or their trafficking situation to the police or authorities.”

Community support organizations including Victim Services Huron Perth and Optimism Place will provide on-site resources.

Organizers hope the event will highlight the growing threat of human trafficking in small towns in Ontario, where they believe youth are increasingly at risk.

“What was once viewed as a ‘big city problem’ is now commonplace across Ontario and Canada,” the release said. “Local youth are involved and are the target of this campaign. Parents, caregivers, coaches, teachers and anyone who has young people in their lives need to know the warning signs and what to do about them.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the event lasts from 18:00 to 20:00