Rotary International group to award Nygard survivors for their “incredible bravery” in speaking out

Rotary International group to award Nygard survivors for their “incredible bravery” in speaking out

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The first survivors to come forward and expose Peter Nygard’s alleged international sex trafficking ring are being celebrated for their incredible bravery in the face of unimaginable odds, becoming the inaugural recipients of Rotary International’s Action Group Against Slavery Hero Award for Outstanding Courage.

The award will be officially presented to the original courageous women — from The Bahamas and America — by the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS) in an online ceremony on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 3pm EST.

The group’s board of directors, representing the US, UK, Australia, South America, Africa and Asia, voted unanimously to honor the strength and resolve displayed by these survivors, which inspired so many more to come forward.

RAGAS Global Chairman Dave McCleary said: “Speaking out as a victim of sex trafficking is always incredibly difficult. That these survivors found the resolve to do so, having been mercilessly victimized in a jurisdiction where the perpetrator held considerable social and political sway, and where many of them continue to be stigmatized and targeted for their honesty, is beyond amazing.

“In our view, they represent a shining example of outstanding bravery in the face of unimaginable odds; an example which inspired many more survivors across the globe to come forward and which, ultimately, toppled one of the largest and most sophisticated sex trafficking rings ever exposed to date.

Peter Nygard.

“The Anti-Slavery Group, and Rotary as a whole, wants to recognize, celebrate and offer our full support to these and other survivors of the Nygard sex trafficking operation.”

Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested in Winnipeg in December 2020 following an extradition request from US authorities. He is facing charges in connection with a decades-long string of criminal conduct involving racketeering, sex trafficking and other crimes against women and minors.