YORK, Pa. - The YWCA of York lined sidewalks of the city with red sand on Monday in an effort to call attention to problems with human trafficking.
Under "The Red Sand Project," volunteers fill cracks in sidewalks with red sand to remind people not to allow cases of abuse to fall through the cracks. According to the YWCA, nearly 32,000 cases of human trafficking have been reported in the last 8 years with reports coming from all 50 states. In addition, people with the YWCA say human trafficking is closely tied to drug trafficking.
"Where there is drug problems, there are also going to be human traffickers. There are going to be people that are trying to capitalize on anything that they possibly can. If you're selling drugs, you're eventually going to run out of drugs and you have to obtain more, but when you're selling people, you can sell them over and over and over again," said Michelle Cooper a human trafficking advocate with the YWCA of York.
The YWCA of York offers a variety of services including shelter to victims of human trafficking.