Human trafficking was a topic that, initially I wanted to ignore. It was heartbreaking and made me uncomfortable. It was easier to just ignore it.

As I got older and became more educated on the topic, I wasn't able to ignore it even if I wanted to. I realized that this is something that should be discussed relentlessly until the issue is on everyone's radar.

Human trafficking suddenly became headline news with the Jeffrey Epstein case and recently with Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest.

I didn't even get a full picture of what the pair (and others) actually did until I watched the Netflix Docuseries Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich. It was incredible in the most disgusting way possible.

It's just the tip of the human trafficking ice burg. It's a national and worldwide issue.

DoSomething.org reports that human trafficking is a $150 billion a year industry and $99 billion of that comes from commercial sexual exploitation.

Another scary statistic is that there are between 20 million and 40 million people enslaved today. An astoundingly high number and yet, it's something that we rarely talk about or see on the news.

July 30th is World Day against Human Trafficking. A march is planned at the Augusta State House that morning at 10 am. The Facebook event page indicates the march will meet at the Augusta State House and walk the Capital Loop. The event will feature a speaker who escaped trafficking. Participants are encouraged to bring signs and wear blue.

If you're interested, join the event page here.

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