Packed House at The Dangers of Human Trafficking in Oxford County Last Night

Wednesday, 29 May 2019 at 12:24

"They were shocked in some respects, our keynote speaker Caroline Pugh-Roberts shared that, she was trafficked right here in Oxford County and I think that caught a lot of people by surprise."

WOODSTOCK - It was a packed house last night in Woodstock for a candid talk about the dangers of Human Trafficking.

Human Services Manager for Oxford County Lynda Bartlett says the keynote speaker Caroline Pugh-Roberts was able to share her story at the event.

"They were shocked in some respects, our keynote speaker Caroline shared that, she was trafficked right here in Oxford County and I think that caught a lot of people by surprise. We had questions about is this information being shared in the schools, so that our youth are being educated. There were some questions around, how could you help someone going through this."

They also heard from OPP Detective Melissa Kovacs who has 19 years of experience on the job and has worked as an undercover prostitute. Bartlett says Kovacs was able to provide the audience with some tips on how to protect yourself and your loved ones and some of the signs to watch for.

"Is the person hungry, do they look like they are being starved, is food being controlled, do they have money, they don't have access to money, the trafficker controls all the money. Are they dressed appropriately for the weather, if they are trying to escape they may not be dressed appropriately or have limited access to clothing. They have to ask permission from their trafficker or boyfriend in order to do anything. Kovacs also talked about going with your gut instinct, if you think something is wrong, it probably is."

Kovacs also said the person being trafficked, usually doesn't believe it, they think they are in love and that person would never do that do them.

The event was hosted by Crime Stoppers of Oxford, along with several other community partners including Woodstock Police, OPP, Oxford County and DASO. Heart FM's Sabrina Storm was the emcee for the evening and also spoke at the event.