This mural in Buenos Aires was part of a series organised by Red Mundial Juvenil Argentina, Vínculos en Red and Art Emprende. Painted in a small square Plaza la Victoria, the murals depict different kinds of violence, abuse and exploitation that children and teenagers suffer. On 19th September 2015 an event was held to unveil the murals, with artistic and recreational workshops against child abuse and the maltreatment of children. This mural highlights child slavery and emphasises the fact that children should not be forced to work, where they are at risk of exploitation and abuse.

This mural in the Northern Samar region of the Philippines depicts different types of modern slavery, including child trafficking and forced sexual exploitation. Unfortunately very little is known about this mural, including the date it was created or the artist. The central figure is depicted as an evil human trafficker who does whatever he can to keep himself happy. At the side we see the sad faces of several children and one child buries their head in their hands.

For Human Trafficking Awareness Day on 11th January 2018, 150 delegates came together to share ideas at Council House in Oldbury, Sandwell. This piece was then created by Anna Greyer who is the director of New Possibilities, a company that creates graphic recordings of events, meetings and conferences to develop good communication between participants. The mural is a spider diagram of all the different topics discussed at the meeting and it demonstrates the important topics associated with modern slavery and human trafficking.

This mural was part of an initiative funded by The Junior League of Tampa, who seek to end human trafficking by spreading awareness of the issue in the Tampa Bay area. The mural includes the telephone number of the Human Trafficking Hotline and is located at the busy Greyhound bus station to raise awareness of the trafficking that happens in Tampa. The project was led by Nicole DeLoach (Juniour League of Tampa), artist Leon Bedore, along with the support of the City of Tampa Arts Department, survivors of modern slavery, community activists and the Tampa Police Department. The reveal of the mural was attended by the Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is the Chair of Florida's Statewide Human Trafficking Council, and Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms, a charity that supports female survivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction. Subsequently the mural has been printed onto posters and flyers which have been placed onto the city's buses. 

“Although I had to work everyday for my employer, I did not get a decent place to rest.” – Man from BrazilThis picture is part of PAG-ASA’s Photo-Voice project, which aims to give a voice to the human trafficking victims living in our shelter. For victims, explaining what they have been through is a complicated and distressing experience; the feeling that words are not enough is often overwhelming.  11 victims worked with us to create these photos. Each picture depicts an image and a message they wanted to convey. Each picture gives a glimpse of their personal experience and shows what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. The victims are present in every picture, both emotionally and physically, as they envisioned and interpreted them. Their stories are therefore an important means not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to transmit a powerful message of strength. Photo: Indecent Living Conditions, courtesy of PAG-ASA  

This mural was completed in conjunction with the 6th Annual Welling Court Mural Project to raise awareness of child slavery. It is located on 12th Street between Welling Court and 30th Road in Astoria, Queens, NYC. It tells the story of a 7-year old girl who is enslaved and works in a granite quarry near Katmandu, Nepal. Indira and the other children working at the quarry are forced to perform dangerous jobs with little or no safety gear. If they refuse, their employer withholds food from their family.The text that accompanies the mural on the artists website is as follows: Indira works in a granite quarry near Katmandu. She is 7 years old. The granite is sent to Britain to provide stone tiles for patios. Children are paid the equivalent of 25 cents a day to perform tiring and dangerous work with little or no safety gear.. Approximately 32,000 children in Nepal work in stone quarries. Some are as young as 5 years old. Many work besides their parents who are in debt bondage with  little hope of escaping. Some live at the work site which is watched by guards who forbid them from leaving. The children are forced to perform hazardous jobs & if they refuse the employer withholds food from the family. Eradicating child labor from Nepal is difficult because it is fundamental to the economy.

"I didn’t have any force left, but I did not have a choice but to carry on.” – Man from MoroccoThis picture is part of PAG-ASA’s Photo-Voice project, which aims to give a voice to the human trafficking victims living in our shelter. For victims, explaining what they have been through is a complicated and distressing experience; the feeling that words are not enough is often overwhelming. 11 victims worked with us to create these photos. Each picture depicts an image and a message they wanted to convey. Each picture gives a glimpse of their personal experience and shows what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. The victims are present in every picture, both emotionally and physically, as they envisioned and interpreted them. Their stories are therefore an important means not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to transmit a powerful message of strength.Photo: Inhuman Working Conditions, courtesy of PAG-ASA

This piece by crochet artist Olek is on the walls of the Village Underground in Shoreditch, London and was completed in conjunction with the Street Artists Against Slavery for 'Follow Your Art - Street Art Against Slavery' in aid of the NGO Anti-Slavery International. The four panels of crocheted graffiti display a quote from Martin Luther King's Birmingham Jail Letter written in 1963 - it reads: 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere‘.

Jessica is a survivor of sex trafficking - she was kidnapped at gun-point when she was 17 years old, raped and branded with a tattoo on her neck. Jessica was forced to prostitute herself and she suffered great physical, sexual and mental abuse at the hands of her pimp and countless other men. She escaped when she was 20 years old and now has a good relationship with her mother and her daughter. Jessica says she would not have made it without the help of the Mary Magdalene Project, now called Journey Out, an organisation that helps survivors of sex trafficking and/or commercial sexual exploitation. They kept her safe and ensured that no one could find her, alongside providing her with programs to help her establish a new life. The artist Lydia Emily Archibald wanted to create this mural to highlight the fact that sex trafficking is happening every day in America. She believes artwork 'can do more than hang, it can help,' and she hopes other survivors will look up at this mural and find inspiration in it. Archibald included two hummingbirds in the mural because when Jessica recounted her story, she mentioned that she loved these birds and they reminded her of her grandmother. The hummingbird at the top represents her grandmother and the one at the bottom represents her daughter, who Jessica had when she was 16 years old. The mural is situated in an area of LA where sex trafficking is prolific and the artist and her team faced abuse from locals. This corner was a popular place for drug-dealing and the painting of the mural temporarily shut down business for many dealers, leaving many unhappy at the muralists presence. Nevertheless they persisted and the mural is still there today. To watch Jessica's story and see her reaction to the unveiling of the mural, click here.

This mural is one of six created by Delhi Street Art in collaboration with the Jan Sahas Foundation, which works to promote and protect the rights of socially excluded communities. The were completed amid the launch campaign of the Foundation in October 2017. The 70 foot metal facade that covered the B. R. Ambedkar Building whilst it was under construction was turned into a canvas by 10 artists from DSA. These murals highlighted the plight of abducted children, who are exploited and abused. They juxtaposed their past with their present, exposing how children are vulnerable to traffickers. The artists explained that the children in these murals are metaphors for the thousands of children who are in slavery today. This mural tells the story of 'Kanta', who was abducted when she moved to the city and has now made a home for herself in a shelter.

This mural was created by Plan International in 2010 with the help of children from the local community as part of the organisation's Learn Without Fear campaign. The campaign works to end violence in schools and ensure that children can attend school. The mural is situated on a wall near the main port on the Masbate Island in the Philippines, ensuring that visitors to the island see the mural as the disembark boats and ferries. The piece protests against human trafficking and shows scenes of children being taken away from their families in exchange for money. These children are trafficked into slavery, with images of young girls in little clothing to highlight sexual exploitation and young boys carrying sacks over their shoulders to symbolise forced labour.With this mural, Plan International tried to discourage people from sending their children to work or selling them to traffickers. Instead the organisation encourages people to send children to school and stresses that education is crucial to escaping poverty.

In 2011, English literature students at T.C. Williams High School, Virginia, were inspired to create a mural and raise money for survivors of forced sexual exploitation. After reading Sold by Patricia McCormack, a novel about sex trafficking in India, the students wanted to do something to combat slavery.At the centre of the mural is a quote by Eli Wiesel, the writer, professor and political activist who survived the Holocaust. Surrounding the quote are the students' hand prints - for every hand-print placed on the wall, students made a $3 donation and the students raised over $100. The proceeds went to Courtney's House, an organisation that helps survivors of sex trafficking. The charity was set up in 2008 by Tina Frundt, a survivor of sex trafficking, and fights to protect children from sexual exploitation. The charity provides counselling, medical treatment, food, clothing and toiletries to survivors of sex trafficking. Erin Neff, Assistant Project Manager of Courtney’s House, visited the students and explained that the organisation's name allows survivors to say they are 'just going to Courtney's house'. Neff also told teachers that the organisation has helped survivors who have come from T.C. Williams High School, emphasising the fact that the sex trafficking of children is 'something that happens in our backyard.'

“Often alone and sad, only religion remained to comfort me.” – Woman from Ivory Coast This picture is part of PAG-ASA’s Photo-Voice project, which aims to give a voice to the human trafficking victims living in our shelter. For victims, explaining what they have been through is a complicated and distressing experience; the feeling that words are not enough is often overwhelming. 11 victims worked with us to create these photos. Each picture depicts an image and a message they wanted to convey. Each picture gives a glimpse of their personal experience and shows what it means to be a victim of human trafficking. The victims are present in every picture, both emotionally and physically, as they envisioned and interpreted them. Their stories are therefore an important means not only to raise awareness on human trafficking, but also to transmit a powerful message of strength.Photo: Loneliness, courtesy of PAG-ASA

July 2015 A tweet on the Preston Police Twitter page raised concern about some young women living at an address in Longworth Street, which was suspected to be a brothel. Further enquiries led to a police raid at the address, where two young women were found and were thought to have been brought to the UK from Romania and forced into sexual exploitation.   Marius Petre, Adrian Matei and Ionut Ion were arrested at the address. The victims, both aged 18, had only been in the UK for two weeks before they were found. They were transported to the UK from Romania by Petre and Matei with the promise of work as maids at a hotel. Instead, they were taken to Longworth Street where they were told they would be working as prostitutes. The girls were forced to perform sexual acts on customers and were told that both they and their families would be beaten if they refused to comply, or tried to run away. They were also subjected to rape by Petre, Matei and Ionut, who were already at the house when the women arrived. In February 2016, Marius Petre and Adrian Matei were found guilty of intentionally arranging or facilitating entry to the UK of a person with a view to their sexual exploitation, causing or inciting prostitution for financial gain and of four counts of rape. They were both sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.  Ionut Ion was found guilty of keeping or managing a brothel used for prostitution and of two counts of rape. He was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves. Photo: Longworth Street, Preston, courtesy of The Dark Figure

This mural is one of six created by Delhi Street Art in collaboration with the Jan Sahas Foundation, which works to promote and protect the rights of socially excluded communities. The were completed amid the launch campaign of the Foundation in October 2017. The 70 foot metal facade that covered the B. R. Ambedkar Building whilst it was under construction was turned into a canvas by 10 artists from DSA. These murals highlighted the plight of abducted children, who are exploited and abused. They juxtaposed their past with their present, exposing how children are vulnerable to traffickers. The artists explained that the children in these murals are metaphors for the thousands of children who are in slavery today. This mural tells the story of 'Mantu', who was forced into sex work until she was rescued by an NGO.

This mural was created in Sierra Leone by WHI (World Hope International) with FAAST (Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking). It highlights different types of slavery, including forced sexual exploitation and forced labour. The piece raises awareness of the vulnerability of migrant workers and stresses that people must be careful about accepting jobs that might sound "too good to be true".World Hope International is an organisation that works with vulnerable and exploited communities around the world. It aims to alleviate poverty, suffering and injustice, and this mural was created as part of their anti-trafficking work in Sierra Leone.WHI is a member of FAAST, an alliance of Christian organisations that are working together to combat slavery and human trafficking. Other members include Compassion First, who work with survivors, and the Salvation Army. WHI was the lead in FAAST in Sierra Leone and have helped raise awareness of modern slavery in the country.

2004 A number of local fishermen were called in by the coastguard to help with the rescue of 24 Chinese cockle pickers that were trapped by the sweeping tides. Within a few hours, 20 bodies had been recovered and only 1 man was found alive. Morecambe Bay holds a 28-mile tide. Locals told the press that the disaster was avoidable had the cockle pickers known the geography of the area. Instead, they were unable to navigate a safe route off the cockle bed. The workers had been imported unlawfully via shipping containers into Liverpool where they were hired out through local criminal agents of international Chinese Triads. Rescues of large groups of stranded Chinese cockle pickers by Morecambe locals had already taken place in previous years, but rather than act as a warning to both gangmasters and authorities, the booming cockling trade meant the industry was heavily under-regulated, so workers could be easily exploited.  In May 2004, the 21st body was washed up. January 2006 Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren was found guilty of the manslaughter of at least 21 people, of breaking immigration laws and for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. Ren’s girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and cousin Lin Mu Yong, were both found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration and for perverting the course of justice. They were sentenced to 7 ½ years between them. Business owners of Liverpool Bay Fishing Company Ltd. David Anthony Eden senior and David Antony Eden junior, bought the gang’s cockles for far cheaper than local rates. Both were found not guilty for helping the workers break immigration law.The Dark Figure* is an ongoing photographic project that investigates and documents UK neighbourhoods where victims have been identified as modern-day slaves.

Photo: Morecambe Bay, courtesy of The Dark Figure

"That wall reminds me of those days when we were in Libya, of the prison I told you about, how we can’t escape. We have to see the brightness of the sun through a hole, and even money cannot pass through that hole. Nothing can pass through it. It’s under the gate and the men give us biscuits, just something that will sustain us for that day. It was not easy. I told you how I was trafficked, how I was being kidnapped. They were asked for ransom to pay back, a huge ransom. It was more than the money that we bring. The emotion of the building, the way that I took the picture, it shows that it’s a prison, it’s where people have been trapped. You’ll just be there, not going out. No food, nothing. So that’s what the building reminds me a lot about. It’s really important, it’s one of my favourites." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Okungbowa Osamude, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

"Back in Nigeria anytime I wanted to pluck mango, this is how I pluck it. I had a farm from when I was 13 years old. My grandmother gave me the land because no money, no one go to school. So they give me the land. I cleared the land, plant cassava, plant mango. I went there to harvest it, then I sell it and get some money so I will take care of my brother, pay for his school fees. That is why I hold this tree. Anytime I see this picture I will remember. The land was far. Maybe if I didn’t have anything to do at home I would go to the farm, clear it there, clean the farm. I use cassava to make fufu or fry gari. Then I do palm oil. So from there we sold them. After that there is not a lot of money... even the land, if I plant fruit nothing will go well. So someone came in order to help me, so that I can go to school and a lot of things. From there they took me, this person, I didn’t even know that he want to sell me at Libya. Then he sell me from there, then another person sell me." This image was taken as part of the Voice of Freedom workshop in Asti, Italy, working with ten Nigerian women trafficked through Libya to Italy. The title of the photograph refers to the name of the individual who took the photograph, and not the figure therein.  Photo: Omo Colis, courtesy of Voice of Freedom.

In 2016, Joel Artista, several Bengali artists and a group of local teenagers collaborated with the Meridian International Center, the US Consulate and NGO Banglanatak.com to create a mural that highlights the issues facing young people in Kolkata. The young people involved in the project had faced several difficult situations in life, including homelessness, human trafficking, poverty and addiction, but were working to overcome their pasts and were specially selected for this project because of their passion for visual art. The piece is on the large outer wall of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, a hub of ancient and contemporary Bengali visual art. The project began with a mural workshop from Artista and, after some discussion, the group came up with images that they felt represented a journey from a dark past to a future full of hope.In one section, the young artists painted the personification of the demons in their lives and communities, portrayed as a giant fiend terrorising a city. In the next section, each student painted representations of that which gives them peace, strength and support to fight these demons: positive relationships with family and friends, activities such as art and music, religious faith and education. At the closing ceremony for the mural project, dozens gathered around to celebrate the artwork and its message.Joel Artista (Joel Bergner) has completed several murals against human trafficking and modern slavery. He is an artist, educator and activist who is celebrated for his antislavery artwork and murals. Artista's art is heavily influenced by his work with communities and non-profit organisations, and in 2015 he joined forces with Max Frieder to form Artolution. This community-based arts initiative empowers artists, youth and communities to be agents of positive social change and explore critical societal issues and create opportunities for constructive dialogue.