ASHLAND — A local student is a member of the Human Trafficking Awareness Group at Ashland University.

Sean Quigley, of New Knoxville, is a member of the group. Quigley is majoring in international political science. Quigley is a 2017 graduate of New Knoxville High School.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Group (HTAG) started out of a spring break mission trip in 2008 through Ashland University’s Isaiah Project. As a team, they spent a week ministering to individuals in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. While there, mission base leaders shared their knowledge of human trafficking with the group. Over the last two years, HTAG has raised awareness on human trafficking and supported a local shelter called Gracehaven House that works to restore victims in Ohio. Human trafficking is a massive criminal industry that occurs across the globe. This group focuses on bringing hope to victims of human trafficking through educating peers, professors, family and community on this horrific crime. HTAG is dedicated to finding ways to support rehabilitative efforts (like Gracehaven) as well as the movement to combat modern-day slavery as a whole.