City of Kelowna partners with Not In My City to combat human trafficking, sexual exploitation
Global News
Once a victim of human trafficking has been recruited, they’ll often be moved from city to city to maximize profits, access new markets, and avoid detection by police.
Not In My City.
That’s the name of an awareness campaign aimed at highlighting, and preventing, human trafficking and youth sexual exploitation.
On Thursday, the City of Kelowna issued a statement saying it and three other local agencies are partnering with Not In My City.
“Unfortunately, the Okanagan Valley is not immune to human trafficking,” Kelowna’s mayor, Tom Dyas, said in a press release.
“It is important we work with our partners and come together to raise awareness and provide educational resources for our community as first steps to begin to tackle this distressing issue in our region.”
Also partnering with Not In My City are the Kelowna RCMP, Kelowna International Airport (YLW) and the Kelowna Child Advocacy Centre.
According to the city, Kelowna has been identified as a destination within a known human trafficking circuit in Western Canada, where victims as young as 13 years of age are being sexually exploited.
The city added that human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Canada and is the second-largest source of illegal income worldwide.