What Is the Moose Hide Campaign, and How Does it Relate to Human Trafficking?
If you've ever seen someone wearing a small square of tanned hide on their jacket, backpack, or shirt, you may have wondered what it means. These pins represent the Moose Hide Campaign, an Indigenous‑led, grassroots movement focused on ending violence against women and children. While the campaign’s message is often associated with domestic and gender‑based violence, it is also deeply connected to the issue of human trafficking, particularly the trafficking of Indigenous women and girls.
Where it Began
The Moose Hide Campaign was founded in 2011 by Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven Lacerte, members of the Lake Babine First Nation in northern British Columbia. The idea came to them during a moose hunt along British Columbia’s Highway of Tears. The Highway of Tears is a 724 km stretch of Yellowhead Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert where many Indigenous women have disappeared or been found murdered.
“My daughter Raven and I were hunting moose along the Highway of Tears, Highway 16, and talking about that reality that Indigenous women and non-Indigenous women live. That there is a place where so many women have been murdered or gone missing that they refer to that place as the Highway of Tears.”
– Paul Lacerte
Paul and Raven cut small squares of hide from the moose they harvested that day and distributed them as pins. These pins were meant to spark conversation and signify a commitment to honour, respect, and protect women and children, and to speak out against gender-based and domestic violence. Since that first moose, the campaign has grown into a nationwide movement, with millions of pins distributed across Canada free of charge.
Why the Campaign Focuses on Violence Against Women and Children
The Moose Hide Campaign centres on ending gender‑based and sexualized violence, recognizing that Indigenous women, girls, and Two‑Spirit people experience disproportionately high rates of violence in Canada.
Almost six in ten (56%) of Indigenous women have experienced physical assault — compared to 34% of non-Indigenous women (Statistics Canada)
46% have experienced sexual assault — compared to 33% of non-Indigenous women (Statistics Canada)
1 in 6 Indigenous women have experienced at least one form of intimate partner violence (Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics)
Indigenous women make up ~5% of the female population but accounted for 26% of all women killed by an intimate partner in 2022. The homicide rate for Indigenous women and girls is more than six times higher than that of non-Indigenous women (Statistics Canada)
Violence affects all people, but it disproportionately affects women and girls, and the roots of gender-based violence (GBV) are all around us. We see it in media that objectifies women, jokes that demean 2SLGBTQI+ people, and the rigid gender norms imposed on youth. It can include any word or action meant to degrade, control, intimidate, threaten, or harm another person.
The Moose Hide Campaign emphasizes that violence is not an isolated issue. It is shaped by colonialism, racism, intergenerational trauma, and systemic inequality. Addressing this violence requires cultural change, accountability, and a commitment to education.
The Link Between Gender‑Based Violence and Human Trafficking
Human trafficking does not occur in a vacuum. It thrives in environments where violence, inequality, and marginalization are already present. The same systems of colonial harm that make Indigenous women and girls more vulnerable to domestic and sexual violence also make them targets for traffickers.
Indigenous women and girls are affected by sex trafficking more often than others. This is often linked to past experiences of violence or living in poverty. Barriers like racism, fear or mistrust of authorities, a lack of culturally safe supports, and limited access to housing or income make them more at risk of being exploited.
Traffickers exploit these vulnerabilities, using coercion, manipulation, and false promises of safety, shelter, or belonging to build trust. In many cases, trafficking is not a sudden event but a progression, one that may begin with grooming, emotional control, or even intimate partner violence that later escalates into exploitation.
By addressing gender‑based violence at its roots the Moose Hide Campaign contributes to the prevention of human trafficking. Ending exploitation requires more than intervention after harm occurs; it requires us all to contribute to the creation of a world where violence is not tolerated and all women, children, and people are protected, valued, and supported long before trafficking can take hold.
How You Can Get Involved
The Moose Hide Campaign invites people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds to take meaningful action to help end violence against women and children. Getting involved can be as simple as wearing a pin, participating in a walk, or leading conversations and learning opportunities within your community or workplace.
Wear the Moose Hide Pin
A small square of moose hide carries a powerful message. Wearing the pin represents a personal pledge to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life, and to speak out against violence when you see it. The pins are distributed free of charge and are intended to spark meaningful conversations that lead to action.
“Wearing the Moose Hide pin means saying, ‘I am informed and ready to speak up about violence. I am empowered to speak from my heart when I see violence in the workplace, in the streets, or at home.’
It represents setting a boundary that allows people to be themselves freely, without fear of harm or consequences from others.
– Alexi Gladue, Indigenous Outreach & Engagement Specialist
Learn and Reflect Through We Are Medicine Training
We Are Medicine is an Indigenous‑led training and learning journey developed in partnership with the Moose Hide Campaign. This self‑paced, online course offers a trauma‑informed approach to understanding violence in Canada and how each person can be part of the solution.
The training invites learners to:
Develop insights into the colonial landscape that shapes violence and how meaningful reconciliation can be a healing force for all Canadians
Recognize the significance of Indigenous innovation, like the Moose Hide Campaign, as a powerful force for positive change
Reflect on their personal relationship with violence and its impact
Create a sense of personal purpose through actions from conversations to ceremony to prevent, interrupt, respond to, and heal from violence
Promote safety and belonging, especially for women, children and those along the gender continuum
The ACT Alberta team recently completed We Are Medicine and described it as essential learning for anyone who wants to work more respectfully, thoughtfully, and effectively with others.
Reflecting on the experience, the team shared:
“This is necessary training for anyone who wants to better understand how to work with others, and to recognize that violence isn’t limited to physical or emotional abuse. Violence shows up in systems, assumptions, and our everyday interactions. With Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQ+ people being highly vulnerable to violence, discrimination, and abuse in Canada, we need to include them in as many conversations as possible and ensure we all do our part to help empower their voices.”
This training supports individuals and organizations in moving beyond awareness toward meaningful, values‑based action.
Participate in Moose Hide Campaign Day
Moose Hide Campaign Day is held annually in May and is a national day of ceremony, reflection, and commitment to ending gender‑based violence.
On this day, individuals, organizations, schools, and communities across Canada are encouraged to:
Wear a moose hide pin as a visible sign of solidarity
Take part in local or virtual events and ceremonies
Participate in a day of fasting (where appropriate) as a personal commitment to change
Engage in conversations about respect, accountability, and reconciliation
A Shared Responsibility
The Moose Hide Campaign reminds us that ending violence is not the responsibility of one group alone. It is a shared commitment that requires all of us to take action. When we choose to learn, to engage, and show up in meaningful ways, we help create communities where women, children, and people across the gender continuum are valued and protected.