ODESSA, Texas — Harmony Home Children's Advocacy Center in Odessa held their Walk to End Human Trafficking event Saturday at Odessa Family YMCA Park as means of doing their part to bring awareness to this issue.
If you start to see blue sand in cracks on the sidewalks or streets during the month of January, that is to help remind victims of human trafficking that they're not alone.
"The blue sand is actually a project that was adopted by the governor's office with the state of Texas," said Carrie Bronaugh, executive director at Harmony Home. "And so, what it is it represents that we see you. And as we pour the sand in the cracks throughout the city in the sidewalks and streets, that's the community's way of saying 'we see you as a victim' and 'we're trying to support you and help you to end human trafficking throughout the United States, as well as Texas.'"
Human trafficking is an issue that's important to Harmony Home because of how often children are unfortunately caught up in it.
"Our focus is children and unfortunately in the world that we live in today, children are being sex trafficked and human trafficked," Bronaugh continued. "We have always focused on sexual abuse and physical abuse of children, so it makes sense for us to focus in on sex trafficking of child victims as well. Which is exactly what we are doing, and we've been working with and supporting other community agencies throughout the Permian Basin to do."
Harmony Home will be giving a presentation on human trafficking this Tuesday at the Odessa Neighborhood Watch meeting at the Odessa Police Department.