The Upper Cumberland Family Justice Center gathered at the Overton County Justice Center Friday to raise awareness about human trafficking.
The Center poured red sand into the cracks of sidewalks. Coordinated Community Response Specialist Liz Shanks said victims of human trafficking often fall through the cracks and are forgotten.
“Just don’t let people fall through the cracks of the unknown,” Shanks said. “Because nine out of ten times, or probably ten out of ten times, you are not gonna know that an individual is being trafficked. So it’s just a symbolic reminder that just pay attention to other people.”
Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said most people think of someone being sold into some type of prostitution. Garrett said there are various forms of human trafficking and that it does happen in Overton County.
“That can be on a much smaller scale,” Garrett said. “It could be so much as a parent that would be trafficking their child, possibly for the trade of drugs or something of that nature. It is a nationwide problem. Just because we live in a smaller county, it’s here on a smaller scale, but it’s still here.”
Garrett said victims tend to fall through the cracks due to being unable to speak about their experiences.
“A lot of times, they feel isolated, or their trafficker will intentionally make them feel isolated to the point where they may be scared to come forward. They may not have the resources to come forward, or they may be locked in a position where they just can’t come forward. So there are a lot of reasons why these folks do fall through the cracks.”
Family Justice Center Site Coordinator Brittany Shaw said she hopes people will ask questions about the sand and spread the message on social media. Shaw said the more people who are educated on what is happening, the better chance the community has at saving a victim’s life.
