Reflections from the Red Sand Project 2025

Red Sand represents people who "fall through the cracks" in regards to modern day slavery,

Human trafficking is all over the news, it seems. As a parent, nothing terrifies me more. Statistically, there are an estimated 49.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide per year; 12 million of those are children. 54% of those trapped in modern slavery are women or girls. Worldwide, the majority of modern day slavery victims are forced into labor. However, in the United States, sex trafficking is the most common type of trafficking, accounting for an estimated 72% of (known) trafficking cases. In 2021 alone, 10,359 reports were made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline; and, this likely only represents a fraction of the true number of individuals being trafficked.

It's mind-boggling and completely overwhelming, right? Log on to social media on any given day and you're likely to see a post of someone encountering something suspicious that could potentially be linked to trafficking.

So, what are we supposed to do? (As an aside, check out this guide ) for tips on talking to and educating your children).

The Blackburn Center along with the Westmoreland Human Trafficking Task force (Click Here for the Blackburn Center) teamed up this September to host a series of Red Sand Project installations.

The Red Sand Project is an art installation started in 2014 that aims to raise awareness to the issue of human trafficking (more info here). There were several opportunities throughout the county to participate. The idea is profoundly simple: pour red sand in cracks in the sidewalk, road, etc. to represent vulnerable members of society who have "fallen through the cracks" and became victim of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a global crisis and we can't solve it or stop it on our own. By pouring sand in cracks, posting a resource online, talking to a friend, we can all take small steps to raise awareness and put modern-day slavery to an end.

If you are a victim or human trafficking or know someone who is, the National Hotline is available 24/7 at 888.373.7888 or via text at 233733. For more information and resources, visit the website, linked here.

Sources: here and here