Mother of Canadian victim of human trafficking to speak at April 15 event in Red Deer

March 30, 2011 - PRLog -- "I will find Jessie or die trying," says Glendene Grant, the mother of Jessie Foster, an international endangered missing woman and the victim of human trafficking.  

Grant will speak at an upcoming event in Red Deer, Alberta. Raise Their Voice: The Trafficked + Exploited is two day conference in April organized by Raise Their Voice Against Injustice Foundation and will feature workshops, networking, strategic thinking, creative expressions and keynote addresses by leading activists on trafficking in Canada.

Grant will speak on Friday, April 15 to tell the chilling story of her daughter and to highlight that human trafficking exists in Canada.  Jessie Foster was lured to the USA.  She went missing from Las Vegas 10 months later. "She was beaten and hospitalized and forced to work for an escort agency and arrested for solicitation of prostitution," says Grant. "She was planning on returning to Canada when she disappeared."

Foster's disappearance prompted Grant to not only search for her daughter and bring her home alive, but to prevent the same nightmare from happening to anyone else’s daughter.

Foster's story emphasizes the need for Canada to take a significant step forward in the fight against human trafficking.  Mrs. Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, will deliver a keynote address on Saturday, April 16 about her National Action Plan to combat human trafficking in Canada. Mrs. Smith introduced Bill C-268 which was passed into law last year to assure significant penalties are given to those who traffic children.

The event will also feature a keynote address by Mark Wollenberg, the Western Canadian representative of International Justice Mission (IJM), to highlight the realities of trafficking abroad.  IJM is a human rights organization that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

A diverse line up of workshops on Saturday morning will be presented by social workers, activists, and creative professionals. Some of the topics include What Trafficking Is, Creatively Addressing Justice Issues, Profiles of Trafficking Victims in Canada, and How to Turn Passion into Action.

Members of the public are encouraged to register for the weekend because space is limited. New fine art, music, and choreography will be presented by various artists during the weekend as well. Raise Their Voice’s mandate is to creatively and effectively address issues of injustice.


Details:

Raise Their Voice: The Trafficked + Exploited

When & Where:

Red Deer, April 15 + 16, 2011 Scott Block Theatre, 4816 – 50 Ave Red Deer, Alberta

Registration:

Online at http://www.raisetheirvoice.com

Earlybird registration is $75 until March 31; After March 31 registration is $99

# # #

With a heart for the oppressed and a mind committed to action, Raise Their Voice, uses story, song, film and practical acts of mercy to address the plight of the oppressed and relieve suffering. Raise Their Voice is incorporated under the Alberta Societies Act. http://www.raisetheirvoice.com