Brescia welcomes psychologist Dr. Jacqui Linder for a discussion about human trafficking

October 24, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London, ON – A 2014 Statistics Canada report estimated that 93 per cent of all human trafficking victims in Canada are female. On Wednesday, October 25th, as part of Consent and Sexual Violence Awareness Week at Western University, Brescia will welcome Dr. Jacqui Linder as the keynote speaker at the inaugural Hanycz Leadership Lecture. Dr. Linder’s lecture, Understanding Human Trafficking, will explore themes of human trafficking, consent and sexual violence.

The Hanycz Leadership Lecture was created and funded in 2015 by Brescia’s Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and friends to honour Brescia’s 11th Principal, Dr. Colleen Hanycz. Together they raised over $100,000 to establish the Annual Lecture series, which is designed to bring outstanding leaders to Brescia on an annual basis to share their knowledge, experience and advice to inform and inspire the women leaders of the future.

“The Hanycz Leadership Lecture provides an important platform in a female academic setting for our community to come together to discuss important global issues,” says Brescia’s Principal, Dr. Susan Mumm. “An educational institution that prides itself on empowering young women to lead, we have a duty to take an active role in critical conversations like these. We are honoured to welcome Dr. Linder to our campus.”

Dr. Linder is known globally as an expert on the psychological profiling of survivors of human trafficking (HT), lecturing for the Canadian Police College, Interpol and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. A registered psychologist and certified Clinical Traumatologist, specializing in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she is currently the CEO of the Spiral Phoenix Trauma Institute in Edmonton, Alberta. She is also the founding Clinical Director of Canada’s first treatment centre for sexually abused children and a professor of psychology and Program Director at City University in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2010, Dr. Linder founded the Chrysalis Anti-Human Trafficking Network, an organization that provides counselling services to women, men and youth who have been trafficked for the purposes of forced commercial sex or labour. Dr. Linder’s current research focuses on exploring the mental health impact of sexual abuse and human trafficking.

Media and members of the London community are invited to attend Understanding Human Trafficking, which takes place at Brescia’s St. James Auditorium on Wednesday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. Admission and parking are complimentary. For additional information, or to register, please visit: http://brescia.uwo.ca/giving/your-impact/.

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For more information, please contact:

Colleen Aguilar, Director, Communications & External Relations at 519-432-8353, ext. 28293 or at colleen.aguilar@uwo.ca, or Caitlin Core, Communications, Marketing & External Relations Officer at 519-432-8353, ext. 28280 or at ccore@uwo.ca.

Brescia University College, is affiliated with Western University. The 1,500 women registered as either full- or part-time students at Brescia study a wide variety of subjects in the Schools of Behavioural & Social Sciences, Food & Nutritional Sciences, Humanities and Leadership & Social Change in an empowering, compassionate, student-centred and invigorating environment. Degrees are granted by Western. The Catholic University College welcomes students from all backgrounds and values diversity.