still image from Trafficking on 401Still from a student documentary project on human sex trafficking premiering Friday, April 5, in the SoCA Armouries.

Film project documents human trafficking in Windsor-Detroit

When Naomi Belay and Selina McCallum began work on their fourth-year capstone project, the film students did not know much about human sex trafficking, and what they learned shocked them.

Their completed documentary, Traffick on 401, discusses the reality of the human sex trade occurring around the world and right in their backyard of Windsor-Detroit. It features interviews with survivors of the trade, social workers, police officers, and others to show just how prevalent the problem has become.

“We especially did not appreciate the extent of how much it has really affected our own communities,” says Belay. “Our goal with this doc is to hopefully educate people about how severe this issue really is and how we as a community can combat sex trafficking.”

A free public screening will debut the film at 6 p.m. Friday, April 5, in the Performance Hall, SoCA Armouries.

Watch a trailer here:

The filmmakers will donate a portion of the monies they raised through sponsorships to WeFight, a local service agency for survivors of domestic and international human trafficking in the areas of forced labor, sex trafficking, and forced marriage.