OneChild

Today is the newly recognized #NationalHumanTraffickingAwarenessDay in Canada, and we need YOUR help to sound the alarm and raise awareness! Last week, Garage, a Canadian clothing company popular with tween and teenagers, launched a campaign glamourizing the practice of "sending nudes", and refused to take any accountability for it. This is NOT okay. A child that sends nudes of themselves can have that material end up in the wrong hands, online, or in the hands of a traffi...cker. Along with our youth advocates, survivors, parents, law enforcement, and front-line agencies, we created this video to challenge Garage to do better. Much better. We’re offering them free survivor-led training to get educated on how a marketing campaign like theirs is very dangerous. This offer expires on February 28th, and we want to see the company step up. Please like, comment, and share this post to get the message out to Garage LOUD and CLEAR! WE WANT ACTION NOW!

This #FlashBackFriday we thought we would reflect on a very important day that happened not too long ago. In March of 2020, right before we were all plunged into this pandemic, our Founder, Cheryl Perera was awarded a very prestigious award... the Order of Ontario. The Order of Ontario is the province’s highest civilian honour and is awarded to an Ontarian who has demonstrated outstanding qualities of individual excellence and achievement. Through her investment into the Orde...r, Cheryl joins other amazing individuals like Canada’s first female astronaut Roberta Bondar, and the first Black woman to be elected to the House of Commons, the Honourable Jean Augustine. You can see the full list of recipients, including Cheryl here https://news.ontario.ca//the-2018-appointees-to-the-order- Cheryl’s investment into the order is a shining testament to the power of youth as agents of change and the importance of our sexual exploitation prevention efforts. We are so incredibly proud of our Founder! Learn more by visiting our website at www.onechild.ca/order-of-ontario

Today is the 1st of February, which means it is also the start of Black History Month. We would like to take a moment to celebrate and recognize Black individuals, communities, and organizations. This year's theme is "The Future is Now" which provides Canadians the opportunity to acknowledge the transformative work that Black Canadians and their communities are doing right now. Black youth continue to face racism, discrimination, and are more likely to experience poverty in Canada. These overlapping factors make black youth more vulnerable to sexual exploitation, including sex trafficking. We will be thinking of this as we listen, learn, and reflect this month and we encourage you to as well. #BlackHistoryMonth2021

Today is #BellLetsTalk Day. We are joining the conversation because 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness. These mental health problems and illnesses make an individual more vulnerable, which can be targeted and exploited by sex traffickers and predators. The more we collectively talk about mental health, the more normal it becomes to address it and get help for it. We all need to own our story, our vulnerabilities, our insecurities, and what we may see as our weaknesses. They make us who we are. So, on this #BellLetsTalkDay, share these resources and please #check-in with yourself, your friends, and your family.

Yesterday was a big day! While we are a Canadian-based organization, we want to extend our congratulations to Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female, Black, South Asian Vice President of the United States. As the country enters a new chapter, we look forward with optimism and hope as she opens doors for girls all around the world, and upholds their rights, especially their right to be protected from sexual exploitation.

It’s Thursday! You know what that means. #ThrowbackThursday. We thought we would throw it back to pre-COVID days when we were able to come hang out with everyone with our #BREAKTHECHAINS school tour. We’re still presenting digitally but we sure miss your beautiful faces! For *zero-contact* presentations head to our website to book a speaker for your school at https://www.onechild.ca/book-an-outreach-speaker/ #Outreach #ChildTrafficking #Advocacy #COVID-19

Why is January #HumanTraffickingAwarenessMonth ? - Because the selling and purchase of human beings, what we call slavery, is not a thing of the past. - Because Human trafficking is the second-largest organized crime in the world behind drug trafficking. ... - Because every 2 minutes a child somewhere in the world is being prepared for sexual exploitation. - Because 2.4 million Canadians reported being sexually victimized as a child. - Because, together, we can put an end to it. Help shed light on this issue by sharing posts about #HumanTrafficking. Visit our website to learn more See more