Red Sand Ceremony Recognizes Victims Of Human Trafficking

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — As a means of recognizing the victims and survivors of human trafficking and to raise awareness, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball joined representatives from HopeWorks and Howard County’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention and Police Department to fill pavement cracks outside the county’s George Howard Building with red sand to honor victims and survivors and raise awareness about human trafficking.

The “Red Sand” ceremony was held as part of the Red Sand Project. Established in 2014 by New York City-based experiential artist Molly Gochman, the Red Sand Project seeks to bring attention to a crime that has impacted more than 40.3 million people worldwide. The pouring of red sand into the cracks of sidewalks is intended to “represent people who fall through the cracks of our social, economic and political systems, or those of our personal consciousness,” according to project organizers.

“Human trafficking is a crime that requires more than just good effort and intention to combat,” said Ball in a statement. “We will continue to search for every possible opportunity to deploy our resources and to activate the compassion of our residents. In order for Howard County to be the best county for all - we cannot let our most vulnerable residents slip through the cracks."

Between 2014 through 2018, the county’s police department handled a total of 93 cases involving human trafficking with 29 arrests and 58 identified victims. Due to the hidden nature of this crime, these cases reflect only a small portion of the total prevalence of human trafficking in Howard County.

“Howard County is an amazing place with residents who value our close-knit communities and culture, but this sense of togetherness often creates a false narrative about human trafficking, and those who fall victim to this horrific crime,” said Jackie Scott, department of community resources and services administrator. “We are committed to combating this activity with increased awareness and initiatives designed to impact people in the same ways that labor and sex trafficking exist in cities and counties across the country – in plain sight.”