HomeMy WebLinkAboutMiami Beach Raises Awareness of Human Trafficking
City of Miami Beach,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 15, 2025
Miami Beach Recognizes Human Trafficking Awareness Month
— With a Red Sand event to be held on Saturday, January 18 —
Miami Beach, FL — In observance of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the City of Miami
Beach Human Rights Committee will host a Red Sand event on Saturday, January 18 from 3
p.m. to 4 p.m. in Lummus Park near Ocean Drive and 5 Street. Coinciding with Art Deco
Weekend, the event uses landscape art to raise awareness about human trafficking while
offering support and resources to survivors.
“Events like the Red Sand Project highlight the urgent need to address human trafficking and
support survivors in their journey to healing,” said Miami Beach Commissioner Laura
Dominguez. “Through this event, we are sending a clear and powerful message: our
community is united in standing against exploitation and ensuring that no one falls through the
cracks. Together, we can create a safer and more compassionate world.”
The event is part of the Red Sand Project, started by artist and activist Molly Gochman in 2014
as a participatory art project of Art Basel Miami Beach. Red Sand events are marked by a
symbolic gesture of depositing biodegradable red sand along sidewalk cracks to represent
trafficking victims who have fallen through the cracks of society.
“The Red Sand Project is a call to action that resonates deeply with our values of compassion
and justice,” added Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez. “Through this event, we are
shedding light on the silent victims of exploitation, including those in vulnerable sectors like
domestic work and hospitality, many of whom may not even recognize that they are victims of
human trafficking or modern-day slavery.”
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WHAT: Miami Beach Red Sand Event
WHEN: Saturday, January 18, from 3 – 4 pm
WHERE: Lummus Park, Near Ocean Drive and 5 Street
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