Estevan area residents gathered in front of the Estevan Court House Thursday to send a message that more needs to be done to stop child exploitation and abuse.
The Energy City was one of many communities to host a Save the Children demonstration to bring awareness about the issues of child abuse, trafficking and exploitation. About 30 people gathered, with most of them wearing blue, since that is the colour for taking a stand against child abuse.
Amber Hagel, who organized the event, was pleased with the turnout, considering it was pieced together in just a few days. But she wanted Estevan to have one of these events on July 30, which is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
“We’re just going to peacefully gather to show support for kids,” said Hagel.
The original plan was to have a discussion about the issue and how it could be addressed locally, but most of the people chose to quietly hold their signs to get the attention of motorists who were passing by. Some did discuss the issue among themselves. A lot of people also had their kids with them.
“Based on short notice, I’m really happen with the event,” said Hagel.
She said she received a lot of messages through social media from those who said they wanted to be there, but they couldn’t attend due to work. Had it been on a weekend, Hagel believes it would have had a greater turnout.
Hagel said she has encountered this issue in Estevan. A couple of years ago, Hagel came across a youth in front of her home who was a victim of sex trafficking.
“She didn’t know where she was. I helped her as much as I could. She was from Regina, and she used the phone, and nobody answered. I promised I would take her to Regina, but she was obviously very much in a state of shock.
“And the saddest part is, she actually ended up contacting the person who brought her to Estevan, supplied her with the alcohol and drugs, and then left her in a hotel room for someone to use. That’s the person who came and picked her up from my home, and it’s pretty devastating.”
After going through that experience, and now that she’s a mother and has done some research on child exploitation, she’s thinks about it a lot more.
“There’s 800,000 kids in the States alone that go missing each year. That’s 2,000 kids a day. It’s a crazy number. We don’t hear about it on the news. We don’t hear about it on any mainstream channels. It’s basically, I think, going to come down to people, to parents and communities standing up for kids, and putting kids first, and making sure they’re protected.”
The signs that people carried had similar messages. Many who drove by the demonstration honked their horns in support. Hagel stressed that kids are being taken, whether it’s for labour, medical purposes, organ harvesting or sexual trafficking, and they’re being exploited by those who can make a lot of money off of them.
“I read that in Canada alone, one person who is trafficked, one human trafficking victim, can generate $336,000 annually for the person who is trafficking them. This is a tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions of dollars a year industry, and it’s growing all of the time. Through the internet, there’s a lot more access to these types of nefarious situations.”
She also pointed out that during the COVID-19 lockdown, those who prey on children have benefitted, because more kids are spending time online and they’re being groomed. The dangers facing children have actually been growing in recent months, she said.
Hagel is hopeful this could become an annual event for Estevan, to be held on July 30.
