Mackie Transportation and the Know Human Trafficking campaign joined hands to ensure the truck and trailer wrap design will bring attention to this important issue. Photo courtesy Mackie Transportation via Facebook
A 16.1-m (53-ft) trailer wrapped in messages to raise awareness about human trafficking is plying on Canada’s busiest highway between Trenton and Oshawa, Ont. According to trucknews.com, Mackie Transportation and the Know Human Trafficking campaign joined hands to ensure the truck and trailer wrap design will bring attention to this important issue. The wrap, designed by Big Rig Wraps, has several images.
The Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada (WTFC) and Crime Stoppers began the Know Human Trafficking initiative in 2022. Among the sponsors are QJS Services, Elexicon Energy, the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, Smurfit Westrock, and the Ajax and Oshawa Lions clubs.
Speaking at the trailer’s unveiling, Casandra Diamond, founder and executive director of human trafficking support group BridgeNorth, said the wrap does not contain any images “of a girl held in chains… Yes, here in Canada, horrible things happen like that. But the chains are in the mind.” The trailer features an image of frightened eyes because it is “the eyes that tell the story,” Diamond added.
Diamond, herself a victim of human trafficking, said truck drivers could help by looking for “telltale signs of trafficking as they travel the continent,” according to trucknews.com. Laws and regulations alone are not enough to tackle crimes such as human trafficking, she said, adding that education also plays an important role.
She said, contrary to popular belief, most victims of human trafficking in Canada are citizens. “Ninety-three per cent of victims [here] are Canadian citizens. This is our issue to solve and sort out. We need these trucks rolling down the road because there are more victims than you think there are, and they are younger than you think they are,” she said.
Speaking on behalf of the Mackie family (which owns the transportation company), Sara Mackie thanked the sponsors who made the wrap possible. “Our drivers are the eyes and ears on the road, and they often find themselves in places where human trafficking can occur. That’s why we’ve chosen to take a stand and educate not only our team but also the communities we serve.”
