Just when the world is waking up to the horrors and extent of human trafficking, our BC liberal government, lead by a woman (Premier Christy Clark) has pulled the plug on the only office of its kind in Canada: the Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons (OCTIP). Although we know that worldwide about 2 million children alone are trafficked into some form of forced labour, we in BC decided to lump this tiny yet impactful office into the catch all: Community Safety and Crime Prevention Branch of the Solicitor General’s ministry – the office that also houses violence against women amoung many other programs.
I think if we had more aware politicians this might not have happened. (Source Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun August 4, 2011)