The Alberta Oil Sands, Fort McMurray Alberta Canada
Letter to Craigslist seeks to end promotion of human trafficking
On Friday, October 22, Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney General Alison Redford and Frank Oberle, Alberta Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security, issued the following statement regarding a letter they sent to Craigslist over concerns of the site allowing ads that promote human trafficking.
It is the hope of the Government of Alberta that this letter will encourage Craigslist to remove the erotic service advertisements currently being used by human traffickers on their site.
“Human trafficking is a deplorable crime that has no place in our society. We need to make sure the views of this government and of all Albertans are understood on this matter.
We are of the hope that this letter, added to those from numerous other Canadian provinces and US states, will help to put an end to the promotion of thinly-disguised human trafficking enterprises on Craigslist. The letter specifically calls on Craigslist to remove and end the practice of posting erotic service ads on their Canadian service. By allowing these ads to remain, Craigslist is indirectly supporting the exploitation of the vulnerable, which are all-too-often women and children.
Through the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking and the Integrated Child Exploitation (ICE) team, we are taking great strides to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Alberta. Our respective Ministries, along with federal, police and other provincial ministry representatives, continue to work to uncover, prosecute and prevent these crimes. This includes a current public awareness campaign throughout Alberta.
It is imperative that as a country we work together to find effective solutions to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation across Canada. Alberta has taken a strong stand on this issue and will continue to work with the police, prosecutors and all levels of government to affirm a clear message that human trafficking is not tolerated here.”
- Alison Redford, Q.C.,
Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney General,
- Frank Oberle,
Alberta Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security