The Zonta Club of Franklin came together on Oct. 10 to conduct Franklin’s first event for the Red Sand Project, an event meant to draw attention to human trafficking.
The Red Sand Project, which began in 2014 and has since expanded to more than 1 million participants across all 50 states, tasks activists with pouring bright red sand into cracks in sidewalks in their hometowns. The idea is to draw attention to human trafficking, the victims of which tend to “slip through the cracks” because of a lack of public information on the issue.
Because human trafficking disproportionately affects women and girls, it’s an issue close to the hearts of the Zonta Club’s membership.
“We found out about it four years ago and we’ve been trying to bring it to Franklin ever since,” said Zonta Club president Deanna Wagner. “In spite of everything with the pandemic, this is the year that everything finally came together.”
Human trafficking is an issue everywhere in the world, but Western North Carolina experiences it at a surprisingly high rate. Human traffickers tend to target people who lack resources to combat them with, including the impoverished, newly arrived immigrants and those who suffer from substance abuse and other mental health disorders without access to adequate healthcare and counseling services. Such populations are high in Western North Carolina for a variety of reasons, and Macon County’s proximity to interstate highways is another facilitator.
“North Carolina consistently ranks in the top 10 out of 50 states for human trafficking,” Zonta Club member Deb Williams said. “This is a billion dollar industry. … [Human traffickers] are very good at not getting caught.”
Victims often display key warning signs like sudden changes in personality and financial status, so if community members look out for the signs, they can save lives. Fortunately, a healthy crowd turned out for the event despite driving rains plaguing most of the morning. The Zonta Club was even joined by other organizations like REACH of Macon County and the newly founded Mission: Chasah, which spreads information to parents about how to monitor warning signs for their children.
Malia Proveaux of Mission: Chasah said that awareness is one of the most important factors when it comes to preventing human trafficking, and she hopes that this event and others like it will make the difference for someone in need.
“When people don’t know what’s going on, it’s easier for traffickers to get away with it,” Proveaux said. “But we don’t have to let them.”
For more information on how human trafficking affects Macon County and Western North Carolina, or to seek help, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, call REACH of Macon County at 828-369-5544 or visit the Zonta Club of Franklin online.zontafranklinnc.org.