By Tracey Arial
www.thesuburban.com
McGill graduate Daniel Perrett plans to bicycle across Canada to raise $10,000 for the Freedom Registry, a database that will connect organisations fighting human-trafficking across Canada.
“Human trafficking is a problem in Montreal and across Canada, but no one talks about it,” said Perrett. “My friend Meaghan met with a girl who used to be a sex worker and she’s been filling us in on how it all works. Girls initially voluntarily agree to work in the sex industry and it very quickly becomes coercive. Pimps begin acting as their boyfriends and then turn them into slaves.”
Perrett really wants to get a Freedom Registry created in Canada. Chab Dai already operates one in the United States that collects and shares statistics, links organizations that combat trafficking, and publicizes information to discourage young people from being exploited in the first place.
“Lots of people across Canada are working to combat the problem, but they aren’t connected,” said Perrett.
Now that he has his project firmed up, Perrett has started to build connections himself. He says that his campaign is already being promoted by Guelph graduate Michelle Brock who visited McGill last month to screen her film on campus. Brock is still touring her film across the county, so she’s informing people about Perrett’s project too.
McGill students have already collected more than $500 just by word of mouth, but the real campaign kicks off with a party at McGill at 9 a.m. on March 9.
Perrett will ride through the Roddick Gates at 10 a.m. with whoever wants to join him on the first leg of his tour.
A crowd-funding campaign will also kick off that day.
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