RAISING TIP AWARENESS IN CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOLS

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000044 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL, G/TIP (BARBARA FLECK) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KTIP SMIG KCRM KWMN CA SUBJECT: RAISING TIP AWARENESS IN CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOLS REF: 08 OTTAWA 1560 ¶1. (U) Summary: A Catholic religious group has produced an educational packet to raise awareness of trafficking in persons among high school students in advance of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. While the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has downplayed the possibility of increased trafficking during the Games, NGOs have claimed a clear pattern of trafficking during large international sporting events, and are working to boost awareness. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Canadian Religious Conference (CRC),an association of 290 leaders of Catholic religious congregations in Canada, has prepared and is beginning to distribute kits to educate high school students about human trafficking in advance of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The RCMP has publicly dismissed the likelihood of an increase in trafficking during the 2010 Games (reftel),but NGOs claim to have detected increased trafficking during large sporting events, when demand for trafficked commercial sex workers and labor for construction increases. In November 2007, the Future Group (an NGO established by University of British Columbia law professor Benjamin Perrin) released a report highlighting the risk of increased trafficking during the upcoming Games. ¶3. (U) Entitled "We are a Global Village - Human Trafficking and the 2010 Olympics," the user-friendly education kits include a DVD, user guide, and teacher notes. The materials were designed with teachers in mind, and are deliberately easy to use. With teachers under strict curriculum guidelines, CRC staff told poloff that the kits are "short and sweet," aiming to spark teacher interest by providing sufficient materials for two class periods. Conservative Member of Parliament Joy Smith, a long-time anti-TIP activist, has endorsed the kits, telling media that the CRC had created "a compelling and comprehensive tool for teachers to use to educate their students about this horrendous abuse of human rights." Smith added that "educating our students is a crucial step to finally ending this modern day slavery." CRC staff told poloff that the Ottawa Catholic School Board Superintendent's office had also endorsed the initiative. The CRC has also supported the fight against TIP through a number of initiatives, including a theater production to raise trafficking awareness. ¶4. (U) The kits can be ordered from the CRC website at www.crc-canada.org for CAD $8 apiece (or CAD $6 for orders of at least ten kits). According to CRC staff, CRC will initially target Catholic high schools in Ottawa, Quebec, and Alberta, but also intend eventually to distribute the kits to public high schools around Canada. The CRC staff clarified that only one page of the kits is religious in nature, and could easily be adapted or removed for use in public high schools. CRC staff added that the kits could also be used to educate adult audiences and that several organizations in the U.S. have already placed orders. The CRC hopes that the kit will soon be advertised on the U.S.-based www.notforsalecampaign.org website. ¶5. (U) Comment: As elsewhere in the world, Canadian NGOs have a key role to play in working to raise awareness on TIP. Mission Canada will continue to strengthen cooperation with Canadian government agencies as well as NGOs to build understanding of the trafficking risks associated with the 2010 Winter Games. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at QVisit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada WILKINS