Today, we’re announcing a new collaborative effort between Uber Canada and The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (The Centre) to educate Uber drivers and riders in Canada about human trafficking.
Uber driver-partners and those in the transportation sector more generally, play a critical role in helping end this human rights abuse. Uber Canada and The Centre are developing practical driver-focused resources, educational materials and promoting the newly launched Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline.
Trafficking is a low risk-high profit crime and perpetrators use various means of transportation including ridesharing or other vehicle for hire services to facilitate the exploitation of vulnerable people in communities right across Canada. The frequent movement of victims is intended to keep them isolated and allows traffickers to avoid police detection. Uber-driver partners, like other concerned members of the community, can play a critical role in identifying and reporting suspected trafficking incidence to the toll-free, confidential, 24/7/365 Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.
Uber has worked with anti-trafficking organizations in the United States like National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), ECPAT-USA, and The McCain Institute to help drivers identify and report human trafficking, and now it is pleased to expand those efforts into Canada. By working collaboratively with The Centre, Uber Canada will soon provide a proactive way for driver-partners to become informed and feel empowered to reach out to the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline if they suspect something is not right. This collaboration is the first step in turning human trafficking awareness into action.