MINOT, ND (KXNET) — North Dakota is often hailed as one of America's nicest states. After all, the age-old "North Dakota Nice" expression exists for a reason. And with a state as nice as ours, we don't often think bad things happen, especially something like human trafficking. But it does, and one local woman is looking to bring awareness to the issue. "It's a common misconception," says Minot jujitsu instructor Hannah Hamilton, "to think that human trafficking isn't happening in your own city, right? That it's just something in a third-world country when in fact it's in all 50 states, including the state of North Dakota." Today, several people joined together to "walk for freedom." Walk For Freedom is part of a national initiative to bring education and awareness about human trafficking to all 50 states, and Hamilton brought the walk to North Dakota three years ago. Hamilton says she was inspired from her mission work in Central America, where she volunteered at a halfway house and bore witness to people impacted by human trafficking. She soon realized it was just as much of a problem in North Dakota as it was in other countries, so she says she decided to do something about it. "Human trafficking has been on my heart for as long as I can remember," says Hamilton. "I was never really able to find an opportunity to really take some action and feel like I was doing something to make a difference . . . until I found . . . the Walk for Freedom." This year's walk had about 40 people and continues to grow over the years. It took place outside of The Pursuit Church in Minot and was about a two-mile stretch from the church to South Broadway. Hamilton also had guest speakers from the A-21 Campaign and the 31-8 Project, both nonprofits looking to end human trafficking. Hamilton says she hopes walks like this will bring awareness that human trafficking is everywhere, and we need to do something about it.