Human Trafficking Awareness Week kicks off, educating families, community

Angele Latham, Jackson Sun
·5 min read
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Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.
Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.

As Human Trafficking Awareness Week kicks off across the state of Tennessee, local health departments are raising awareness about the impact of trafficking in their communities, and promoting the resources available to victims.

Through the Red Sand project—a nationwide community awareness initiative that draws attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” by pouring red sand in the cracks of public sidewalks—the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department is sounding the alarm on the prevalence of human trafficking in the area.

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“The Red Sand project has been happening in the state of Tennessee since 2014, and we as a department have participated each and every year, because we want to bring awareness to human trafficking,” said Amanda Johnson, health educator at the department.  “That’s just it—we want to speak to those victims.”

Amanda Johnson, health educator at the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department, poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.
Amanda Johnson, health educator at the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department, poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.

Mallory Cooke, the department’s public information officer, agreed.

“We want (this project) to be a visual representation for people to just keep their guard up,” she said. “If you see someone you think may be a victim of human trafficking, we want this to encourage you to reach out to the proper authorities and get help. If you are a victim of human trafficking, we want you to know that there is help and there are resources available.

“Human trafficking is definitely a public health concern, and we just want our community to know that it does happen in our area.”

Employees and members of the health department poured the brightly-colored sand into the many lines in the sidewalks, creating a stark web along the side of the building.

Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.
Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department poured red sand into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.

Johnson explained that this awareness is even more important this year—both due to the summer season, and the incoming developments throughout Jackson.

“This is absolutely a problem, not only in West Tennessee, but in Tennessee in general—especially in the summertime, while we have a lot of sporting events, concerts and those types of things,” she said. ”We're coming out of isolation from COVID-19, so we're seeing a lot more human trafficking and sex trafficking. And we're building the Great Wolf Lodge here, and those types of attractions, unfortunately, are (major attractants) for predators to come in and solicit.”

An increase since 2020 can already be seen in the Jackson area alone: in the recently published “Crime in Tennessee” report, an annual report published by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation detailing crime statistics in each county, the Jackson Police Department reported nine cases of ‘commercial sex acts’ last year--a 100 percent increase from the previous year's zero reported cases.

The TBI defines commercial sex acts as “inducing a person by force, fraud or coercion to participate in commercial sex acts, or in which the person induced to perform such acts has not attained 18 years of age.”

Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department gather red sand to pour into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.
Members of the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department gather red sand to pour into the cracks of the department's sidewalks to draw attention to the victims that “fall through the cracks” of society.

And these nine cases only make up the ones reported to the police department. According to the TBI, in the United States as a whole, a child is bought or sold for sex every two minutes on average, making human trafficking the second-fastest growing criminal industry, barely behind drug trafficking.

Teaching parents, teens about warning signs

Due to the increasing relevance of human trafficking in Tennessee, community groups such as S.W.A.G—Sisters with Aspiring Goals—and the Jackson Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a “Dangers of Human Trafficking: Teen and Parent Workshop” on Thursday, July 28 at the Westwood Recreation Center from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Speakers will include Jackson Police Department’s Lt. Danielle Jones, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Amber Lawrence, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network representative Lindsey Carr and Scarlet Rope Project Director Julanne Stone.

“We’re doing this event to bring awareness to our City of Jackson because it needs to be addressed because we all know human trafficking is at our back door,” said Ella Watkins, head of S.W.A.G. “They just think human trafficking is all about grabbing girls. No, it's not. We need to educate parents to be aware of the warning signs. Pay attention to the children. Help spread the word.”

Bridgett Parham, recreation manager for Jackson Parks and Recreation, agreed.

“(The city is involved in this) to help bring awareness about this crisis that we have,” she said. “With the dangers of human trafficking, it is absolutely vital for youth and their families to have a place where they can trust the information they get.”

Stone, one of the speakers of the event, is excited to bring awareness of the issue to vulnerable parents. She was recently interviewed by the Jackson Sun regarding the construction of Jackson’s new shelter for human trafficking victims.

Scarlet Rope Executive Director Julanne Stone stands inside the partially-constructed facility in Jackson that will provide shelter to sex trafficking victims of the area.
Scarlet Rope Executive Director Julanne Stone stands inside the partially-constructed facility in Jackson that will provide shelter to sex trafficking victims of the area.

“I'm going to be talking to the community about sex trafficking, and the many ways that it presents itself in our community and diving into some of the misconceptions that we have about it,” she said. “As well as the myths, and ways that people can protect themselves. And also for parents, I just want to educate them on the ways that we know traffickers get in to the cracks and exploit people.”

The Tennessee Human Trafficking hotline is 1-855-558-6484, with the option to text “Be Free” to 233733.

Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham. 

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Human Trafficking Awareness Week brings awareness, family workshops