A crowd of people walked through Saskatoon's downtown, their arms thrust in the air and pushing strollers, while a young girl held a sign in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and boys.

Protect Our People co-founder and organizer Casey Desjarlais says a Saturday march was prompted in part by a string of abduction attempts, to speak out about the crisis of human trafficking.

"We're not going to let this slide any more," said Desjarlais. "We're going to stand together and we're going to speak out when we see that something is wrong."

Casey Desjarlais is originally from Saskatoon, but lives in Vancouver. She came back to the city to take part in an emergency meeting about crime in Pleasant Hill on Friday night and for the Protect Our People march on Saturday. (CBC News)

Protect Our People began an online support group just a month ago, with hundreds joining from across the world, said Desjarlais. But many victims and survivors are from Saskatchewan, underlining how pervasive the issue is in the province, she said.

Young people and vulnerable people are being exploited, and can be drawn into situations of human trafficking without even knowing what's happening, she said.

It will take a collaborative approach, with the city, government and police needing to hear from the grassroots, to solve the issue, said Desjarlais.

"I think this is one thing that can bring us together, that we need safety for our children, for our families, for our friends."