Safe Monroe held a Red Line Project event last Wednesday at Courthouse Square in Stroudsburg to call attention to the crime of human trafficking.

January is the National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and the Monroe County commissioners declared it to be Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Monroe County at their meeting on Jan. 7. A proclamation certificate was presented to Marissa Buatti, a prevention and outreach coordinator at Safe Monroe.

“We really appreciate the community coming together and recognizing Human Trafficking Prevention Month. It’s a degrading crime against people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and we need to be more aware, and I think this is a great step in that direction,” Buatti said.

In the proclamation Monroe County Commissioner Sharon Laverdure read that “nearly 25 years after the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, an estimated 27.6 million people worldwide are subjected to human trafficking with cases reported in every U.S. state and territory. … Human trafficking can affect anyone, but certain populations including individuals experiencing abuse, violence, property instability, unstable living conditions or social isolation are at heightened risks.”

Monroe County has been participating in the Red Line Project for at least five years, said Lauren Peterson, executive director of Safe Monroe, at the event.

The red sand is used because it is a vibrant color and easy to see in the sidewalk cracks, Peterson said. It symbolizes the people who have fallen through the cracks of society, of the justice system, of service providers.

Buatti said that if ever someone tells them he or she is being victimized, the number one thing to do is believe them.

“There is no reason someone would be lying about something as awful as this,” she said.

She gave some characteristics to look out for in situations where someone being victimized by human trafficking. These include: Controlling and abusive relationships, signs of physical injury in all stages of healing, avoiding eye contact, not allowed to speak for themselves, working excessively long hours, living at their place of employment, untreated sexually transmitted disease infections, isolating themselves, chronically running away from home, and branding or brand-like tattooing.

Buatti also had some advice for anyone working in the medical field. She said it’s important to ask safety questions only when the person is alone and can safely answer the questions.

She said many people have told her, “They asked me if I was safe, but I couldn’t answer the question.”

And don’t read the list of questions like a list. Pause, wait for the answer, and listen, Buatti said.

If someone is in need of help, Safe Monroe has a 24/7 hotline at 1-800-799-7233, the Pennsylvania State Police have a tip line at 1-888-292-1919, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.

Peterson said Safe Monroe mostly handles domestic and sexual abuse cases, but also provides services to people who are victims of human trafficking, sex trafficking and stalking.

Monroe County Commissioner David Parker said at the event, “We greatly appreciate the work of Safe Monroe. It’s much needed in our community. As much as we don’t like to think about it, human trafficking does happen here. Domestic abuse and domestic violence certainly do. People need help and this is a great resource for people who need to reach out and get that help.”

Jane Gagliardo has been a hotline volunteer for 17 years for Safe Monroe.

“My father was very abusive and I couldn’t save my mom,” Gagliardo said. “I decided to do this in honor of her, and so hopefully I can help others.”

Gagliardo said the most rewarding part of her work “is seeing them become the very person, people we need as volunteers,” and called the staff at Safe Monroe “fabulous.”

“The police officers and detectives are wonderful. They are always very supportive,” Gagliardo said. “They’re very kind to the victims and that I appreciate.”