Courage To Come Back Awards: Citizen Journalist Awarded!

The Courage To Come Back Awards are a provincial thing here in BC, where people are honoured for … you guessed it: their courage to come back from adversity in their lives. Orato.com's own Trisha Baptie is being recognized with the award in the social-adversity category.

Trisha showed great strength and courage when she came on as Orato.com’s special correspondent for the Robert Pickton trial. Pickton was accused of murdering more than 26 women over the last decade or more, and all of his victims were prostitutes working the street in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. Many of them were addicted to drugs and selling their bodies to survive. Trisha was one of those women before she left the streets six years ago, and knew many of the women Pickton was accused of killing on his suburban pig farm (the details of the case are pretty brutal, but if you want to know more, read our stories from the Pickton trial coverage here).

Pickton stood trial for six of the 26 charges last year, and was found guilty on all counts. Trisha’s unique perspective taught the traditional media a lesson in humanity, helping us all understand the complexities and personal struggles of each of Pickton’s victims.

Truly a voice for the voiceless, Trisha has come into her own and is now dedicated to changing Canada’s prostitution laws to protect women and persecute the men who prey on them for paid sex. Her work is only just beginning, and we have certainly not heard the last of Trisha Baptie…

Here is a story Trisha wrote for Orato.com about her achievement, as well as a story by the woman who both helped her get off the street and nominated her for the Courage To Come Back award.