Ending human trafficking topic of discussion for International Women’s Day Belleville

The damp, drizzly weather didn’t keep a few dozen women and a few young girls from walking through downtown Belleville to celebrate International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 but was held early in Belleville this year.

The group, led by police escort, started their march at the Belleville Public Library and shouted chants while raising their signs high in the air for passers-by to see, garnering honks of encouragement from motorists on their way.

Following the march, participants gathered on the third floor of the library to hear from Kelly Tallon Franklin, the Executive Director of Courage for Freedom.

Tallon Franklin is Canada’s leading expert in anti-human trafficking awareness and certification and used the time to talk about her latest project, #ProjectMapleLeaf.

Tallon Franklin is a survivor of human trafficking and is now working to end the trafficking of girls and boys in Canada.

She says it is no longer about her story, but the stories of other survivors.

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She started Project ONroute last summer, which was inspired by a 16-year-old survivor who said Project ONroute was a great start but it needed to be bigger.

Tallon Franklin said she knew they needed to go national and that’s when they purchased advertising time with Tim Hortons for their #ProjectMapleLeaf campaign.

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Every Tim Hortons in ten provinces and two territories will carry the advertising campaign to help spark the discussion and help end human trafficking.

Tallon Franklin says 60% of all of Canada’s human trafficking can be linked in some way to activities that occur along the 401 corridor. The 401 corridor is considered the ‘gateway’ to communities. Many girls have often recounted how they have been escorted to an ONroute station. Because of the transitory nature of the 401, criminal activity in the form of sex trafficking allows traffickers  to ‘hop’ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction with ease.

Tallon Franklin is asking everyone to visit https://courageforfreedom.org/ and join the campaign.

She says they are asking people to print a little #ProjectMapleLeaf sign, upload it to their social media accounts and send the message out that boys and girls are not commodities and not for sale in Canada.

Tallon Franklin says she’s tired of dealing with the trauma.

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She hopes #ProjectMapleLeaf will also help erase some of the stigma around human trafficking.