Toronto — Guests and dignitaries were on hand to support the Canadian introduction of “Let The Oppressed Go Free” – an epic sculpture created to shed a light on the dark world of human trafficking. The sculpture, by Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmaltz, was unveiled at St. Regis College, across from the grounds at Queen’s Park, on Thursday, October 5th, 2023.
The three ton, nearly 30-foot long bronze sculpture depicts nearly 100 figures – men, women and children – being freed from underground by St. Bakhita, a former slave and patron saint of the victims of human trafficking. The Toronto sculpture is a full-scale replica of the original, which resides in St. Bakhita’s adopted home town of Schio, Italy. Both sculptures were made possible by the generous support of the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation.
“This is such an important issue that the R. P. Bratty Foundation felt a responsibility to shine a light on what is an international crisis against humanity,” said Christopher Bratty, who spoke at the unveiling on behalf of the family. “The fact that human trafficking is still occurring in this century is beyond appalling and cannot be ignored. We hope this sculpture will bring awareness to these horrific crimes and that through education we will all take the necessary action and work to eradicate human trafficking throughout the world.”
In Canada alone, statistics report that 96% of victims of human trafficking are women and girls, only 65% of incidents were reported to the police between 2010-2020, and 91% of victims of police reported incidents knew their attackers.
To learn more about the sculpture, please visit oppressedgofree.com.