Presentation Academy students raising awareness about human trafficking

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Students at Presentation Academy spent part of their Wednesday bringing awareness to human trafficking.

The school partnered with the Red Sand Project, teaching students about human trafficking and encouraging them to create artwork outside the school.

"The Catholic Church has long been involved in social and moral issues," said Johna Fortener, campus minister and theology teacher at Presentation. "Even the Pope called and said 'Every human being has dignity and value.' So certainly those people, the most vulnerable in our community, we want to bring awareness to that."

Using chalk, students wrote facts they had learned or encouraging messages and symbolically filled the cracks around their artwork with red sand, all in an effort to raise awareness of the issue.

"The red sand kind of symbolizes the people that have fallen through the cracks due to sex trafficking and we're just here to kind of show they're not forgotten and we remember them and we're here to stand with them," senior Lily Norton said.

Groups across Louisville have been raising awareness of the potential increase of human trafficking in the city during the Kentucky Derby. There are a number of signs people can look out for to spot human trafficking:

People staying in town for a while with no luggage
Having "Do Not Disturb" signs on doors for long periods of time
Young people who don't know what city or state they're from
Certain brandings or tattoos
Visible signs of abuse
No personal ID or belongings

Advocates also said someone who is being trafficked may have been coached and told what to say to law enforcement. They also said it's important to be aware and report any signs of human trafficking to the authorities.

In 2021, Kentucky received more than 300 reports of human trafficking involving nearly 380 child victims, according to the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Human Services. That's a 50% increase in reports and 61% increase in victims compared to 2020.

For more information about how you can help victims, click here.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.

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