Red Sand Day highlights human trafficking risks in Central Pa.

YWCA organizations across the region used red sand in sidewalk cracks to raise awareness about victims

• Katie Knol/WITF
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  Katie Knol is WITF's General Assignment Reporter & Host.
  
  She graduated from Penn State University in 2024, earning bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, the News Lab at Penn State, The Daily Collegian and CommRadio.

Several YWCAs across Central Pennsylvania marked Red Sand Day on Thursday by filling sidewalk cracks with red sand to raise awareness about human trafficking and the victims who often fall through the cracks.

At the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, staff members came outside to fill in the sidewalks near their building. Mary Quinn, president and CEO of the YWCA, said the bold color is meant to draw attention.

“Every single day we walk on sidewalks, and we walk over cracks, and we don’t even notice them,” she said. “So putting the sand in the crack is kind of bringing your attention to ‘Oh wow, there’s a crack in the sidewalk. Oh wow, all around us every single day there are vulnerable individuals who are at risk of human trafficking.’”

Pennsylvania consistently ranks in the top 10 U.S. states for human trafficking. Central Pa. counties Dauphin, Berks, Franklin, Lancaster, York and Cumberland had some of the highest numbers of human trafficking offenses filed in the state, according to court data from 2020 to 2024.

Quinn said this is likely because Central Pennsylvania has many intersections of major highways and is close to major East Coast cities.

Victims are often members of vulnerable populations, including racial minorities, people with disabilities and immigrants. Quinn said perpetrators are almost always someone the victim knows rather than the high-drama kidnappings some might expect.

She told the story of one woman the YWCA helped, who got into the “wrong crowd,” developed a drug addiction and was trafficked along the East Coast. The woman recognized some local landmarks and realized she was back in Pennsylvania.

“She’s at a gas station, and she realizes that she has an opportunity at that moment to get out of the car and flee because there’s so many cameras around,” Quinn said.

Victims of trafficking can require different assistance compared to the YWCA’s usual clientele of abuse or sexual assault survivors because of how complex the trauma is. The organization takes a holistic approach, including therapy, stable housing, legal services, employment programs and medical support.

The state police human trafficking phone tipline is 888-292-1919. People can also send an email to tips@pa.gov or call 911 in an emergency.

For people experiencing trafficking, the national hotline is 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733.