CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — Alberta officials are investing $4 million to combat human trafficking and help abuse victims across the province.
On July 28, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joined Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis in Calgary to announce that the province is dedicating $4 million over two years to create an Alberta Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
“We can’t afford to close our eyes to the problem of human trafficking, and we can’t afford to ignore those who are at risk of being trafficked or those who have been trafficked,” Smith said, according to CTV News.
The office will be run by #NotInMyCity, Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) and REACH Edmonton Council for Safer Communities. The office aims to offer survivors and victims of human trafficking community supports and services in addition to collecting data to monitor trafficking in the province.
During the Friday news conference, human trafficking survivor April Eve Wiberg recounted her story, revealing that she was bought and sold in cities across Canada and the U.S. for nearly a decade before escaping her abusers.
“I was taught to hide my Indigenous roots, because if the buyers knew, I was more likely to be beaten, robbed, raped or murdered,” she declared.
Between 2011 and 2021, there were more than 3,500 incidents of human trafficking reported across the country. Most of victims (96%) were women and young girls, and about a quarter of victims were under 18 years old.
Human trafficking cases are usually categorized into three groups: sex trafficking, labor trafficking and organ trafficking.
“Every investment made into the combatting of human trafficking is helping restore the humanity and freedom that every individual deserves,” Ellis promised.
The initiative is in accordance with a 2021 recommendation by the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force. The report advised that the province establish an Alberta office to raise awareness, offer support and resources to abuse survivors.
Recent awareness and dedication to ending human trafficking is predominantly a result of the blockbuster movie Sound of Freedom.
Canceled by mainstream media, the movie exposes the underground world of human trafficking and inspires all viewers to work to free children and women from a life of abuse.
Asked what everyday citizens can do to help eradicate child-sex trafficking, the film’s producer and star, Eduardo Verástegui, and the movie’s distributor, Neal Harmon, both gave LifeSiteNews the same one-word answer: “Prayer.”
“The power of prayer is real. And if someone’s willing to get on their knees, and pray with love and listen, that exchange will bring to one’s mind what they can do with their own skills, [within] their circle of influence, [and with] their own resources,” Harmon said. “There will be a tailored action for every single person.”
“If you pray with a real intent to do what God asks of you, he’ll get the message to you somehow,” he added.
“It’s all about praying,” confirmed Verástegui, who explained that his work on Sound of Freedom began by asking God for discernment about taking on the project.