Local police mark Human Trafficking Awareness Day

NEWS RELEASE
HALIFAX REGIONAL POLICE/RCMP
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February 22 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day and the integrated Human Trafficking Team wants victims of human trafficking to know that police are here to help.

Our first priority is the safety of victims. Members of the Human Trafficking Team work with community partners to support victims, address their specific needs and get them to safety. Victims will be treated with dignity and respect and their safety will remain our primary goal. We want to assure victims that the decision to participate in the investigation is theirs and we will respect their wishes.

Human trafficking is a criminal offence that involves controlling, forcing, intimidating, or deceiving a person of any age in order to exploit them through various forms of sexual exploitation or forced labour. Investigators in the Human Trafficking Team focus on targeting those who are responsible for coercing people into the sex trade.

We need the public’s assistance to stop the exploitation of people in our community.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking:

• To reach out for support or share information, call:
  • 902-490-5142 to contact the integrated Human Trafficking Team. Please note this line is not monitored 24/7.
  • 902-449-2425 to contact the Nova Scotia Human Trafficking Team, 24/7.
  • 1-833-900-1010 to contact the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, 24/7.

If you witness suspicious activity you think may be linked to human trafficking, you should:

• Not intervene. You may put yourself and others at risk if you intervene. You could also inadvertently interfere with an ongoing investigation.
  • Record all relevant information, including names, dates, time, location, descriptions of people and vehicles.
• Report it:
  • 911 to report a situation where someone’s life is at risk or they require immediate assistance.
  • 902.490.5020 to report an incident requiring a police officer to attend the scene, e.g. you need an officer to collect evidence related to human trafficking.
  • 1.800.222.8477 to make an anonymous tip to Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers.

For more information on human trafficking, visit:

• halifax.ca/human-trafficking
• Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: www.canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca
• The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking: www.canadiancentretoendhumantrafficking.ca

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