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Susana Trimarco Portrait 2013.jpg

Susana Trimarco Portrait

This mural is a portrait of Susana Trimarco and raises awareness of human trafficking and forced sexual exploitation. Trimarco’s daughter, Marita de los Angeles Veron, was kidnapped in Tucuman in 2002 and forced into prostitution in La Rioja. Trimarco took matters into her own hands when she suspected that the police and government officials were not doing all they could do find her daughter. She has personally led 10 searches to find her daughter by going undercover as a prostitute in bars that doubled as brothels in La Rioja. She found the phone numbers of people she believed were involved in sex trafficking, tracking them and setting up meetings to help free the girls that were being trafficked. Trimarco has survived two murder attempts because of her efforts to infiltrate sex trafficking rings and her undercover efforts have led to the rescue of 150 trafficked girls, some as young as 12 years old. In October 2007 she set up the Fundacion Marita de los Angeles to help survivors of sex trafficking – the organisation provides free legal, psychological and social support to survivors and their families. In 2008 her lobbying efforts led to human trafficking being made a federal crime in Argentina.In February 2012, 13 people, including former police officers, were put on trial for allegedly kidnapping Marita and holding her as a sex slave in brothels. In December 2012 they were acquitted of this crime as the court ruled there was no way to prove that Marita had been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. This verdict led to protests across Argentina and the three judges were accused of corruption by the public. This mural was created in January 2013 to raise awareness of Marita’s case, Trimarco’s activism and the severity of sex trafficking in Argentina.

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Wall of Hope: Neglected

This mural was created by Benjamin Swatez as part of the Wall of Hope Campaign. The project was started by the Human Rights Film Focus in Nepal in 2013 and coincided with the United Nations' annual 16 Days to Stop Violence Against Women. The campaign calls young people to action to end violence against women and girls through education and artistic expression. Swatez works with the campaign to create murals to raise awareness of this issue. He was created murals in 17 countries, alongside holding art therapy workshops. Swatez's main focus is on the plight of refugees, the socio-economically marginalised and the vulnerable. This mural was created on the wall of the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu. It highlights child slavery and the forced sexual exploitation of women and girls.At 252 feet long, this mural is the longest in Nepal and is part of a larger anti-sex trafficking campaign. Alongside Nepali painters and international artists, Swatez directed the project and created an array of portraits of women in between flora and fauna. 

Wall of Hope EU Embassy.jpg

Wall of Hope: Eyes

This mural was created by Benjamin Swatez as part of the Wall of Hope Campaign. The project was started by the Human Rights Film Focus in Nepal in 2013 and coincided with the United Nations' annual 16 Days to Stop Violence Against Women. The campaign calls young people to action to end violence against women and girls through education and artistic expression. Swatez works with the campaign to create murals to raise awareness of this issue. He was created murals in 17 countries, alongside holding art therapy workshops. Swatez's main focus is on the plight of refugees, the socio-economically marginalised and the vulnerable. This mural was created on the wall of the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu. It highlights child slavery and the forced sexual exploitation of women and girls.In the centre of this mural are two eyes that are embedded into the brickwork of the wall. The mural progresses from right to left, with a girl lying on the floor in chains, covered in a red piece of material and reaching out her hand appealing to the public for their help. The chain has been broken by an eagle and as a result the wall is beginning to falter. Behind the left eye, we can see a beautiful landscape, symbolising a life away from slavery. On the far left there is a girl with a cheetah, looking defiantly towards a life that is free from slavery and sex trafficking. 

Wall of Hope Australian Embassy.png

Wall of Hope: Dance

This mural was created by Benjamin Swatez as part of the Wall of Hope Campaign. The project was started by the Human Rights Film Focus in Nepal in 2013 and coincided with the United Nations' annual 16 Days to Stop Violence Against Women. The campaign calls young people to action to end violence against women and girls through education and artistic expression. Swatez works with the campaign to create murals to raise awareness of this issue. He was created murals in 17 countries, alongside holding art therapy workshops. Swatez's main focus is on the plight of refugees, the socio-economically marginalised and the vulnerable. This mural was created on the wall of the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu. It highlights child slavery and the forced sexual exploitation of women and girls.As the mural moves from right to left, it shows a progression from slavery to freedom. In the window on the left, we see two factories that represent forced labour. There is barbed wire covering a window, keeping two children loocked inside and the barbed wire trails onto the bed to symbolise forced sexual exploitation. In the centre, we have a teapot pouring a steaming cup of tea and the face of an elderly woman represents the comfort that can come from NGOs for survivors. The dancing woman on the right symbolises the dance therapy that has helped many survivors in Nepal, and the bright outlook of the window represents a world free of slavery.

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Elimination of Violence Against Women

This mural was created by street artist Hyuro as part of a series of pieces that celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th November 2013. Hyuro is one of many artists who took part in the Memorie Urbane in Italy.This concept began in 2011 when Davide Rossillo, the president of creative tourism, had an idea about bringing contemporary art practices into the open space to create an open-ait museum. Memorie Urban proposes a new way of doing tourism and the team behind it began recognising 25th November in their project with this piece in 2013. This specific mural is in the city of Formia. It shows rows of women holding a banner with hundreds of tally marks, highlighting the number of women who have been subjected to violence, both inside and outside of slavery. The women and the banner wrap around a column on three faces. When these faces are put together (as in the first picture above) they form the continuous line of women and tallies.

Masbate Mural, Plan UK.jpg

Learn Without Fear

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.

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Because I am a Girl (portrait)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Because I am a Girl, Siany 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

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Because I am a Girl (artists)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

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Because I am a Girl (Rosa Parks)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Malala 2, Because I am a Girl 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (Malala)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Malala 1, Because I am a Girl 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (Malala and Plan)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Girls Reload, Because I am a Girl 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (Girls Reload)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Final Girl, Because I am a Girl 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (Final Girl)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

FGM, Because I am a Girl 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (FGM)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

Believe in Me 2015.jpg

Because I am a Girl (Believe in Me)

In 2015, the team behind Femme Fierce (the World's Largest All Female Graffiti Street Festival) worked with Women of the World (WOW) and Plan International UK to create a series of murals against forced marriage. Over 150 female street artists took to the graffiti tunnel on Leake Street in Waterloo to support Plan UK’s fight against child and forced marriage. This project was part of Plan International’s worldwide campaign ‘Because I am a Girl’. The walls were painted blue to reflect Plan’s logo and then the female artists let their imagination run wild, painting their interpretations of ‘Because I am a Girl’.Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

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18+: Ending Child Marriages

This mural was created as part of Plan International's campaign '18+: Ending Child Marriage in Southern Africa' to raise awareness of the negative aspects of child and forced marriages. A ‘Pinkification’ campaign occurred in Maputo, Maxixe and Inhambane whereby pink billboards, buses and murals appeared throughout the cities. Children were invited to take part in the mural and paint the message 'I want to decide my own future; say no to child marriage'.With this campaign, Plan International aimed to empower girls and challenge gender norms and practices that drive child/forced marriage. The project included workshops with communities to promote education and training sessions for government representatives, schools, etc. on sexual and reproductive health rights. Plan International, which works to protect the rights of children, launched this campaign to fight for girls’ rights and gender equality. It is a youth-led, global movement that supports girls to take the lead and influence decisions that matter to them. The charity works on forced and child marriage throughout the world.

MISSING Stencil German Consulate 2017.jpg

#MissingGirl (group)

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kerjriwal and started as a public art project after years of working with NGOs such as Apne Aap, Hamari Muskan and New Light. As an artist, Kejriwal fought against human trafficking by creating installations in galleries that brought up the realities of sex trafficking. She felt that the world needed a new approach to tackling human trafficking and introduced MISSING as a four-part Art As Activism movement through her #MissingGirl stencil campaign.The stencil campaign aimed to raise awareness of human trafficking in local communities and educate people on the issue, as well as helping people thinking about how they can stop modern slavery. Over two years, the campaign has spread beyond India to include six countries and 18 cities, with 2,500 stencils and over 42 million impressions made on people. The campaign continues today and you can find out more here. In 2017 the MISSING Stencil Campaign spread to the walls of the German Consulate in Kolkata. The single silhouette of the missing girl, which can be seen on the right, has been multiplied and as the girls increase, they fade into the background and are lost forever. The German Consulate Mural Project is an initiative of the Missing Collective, a group of artists that create art around the MISSING campaign. Jurgen Thomas Schrod, German's deputy consul-general, said that he thought the mural was a fantastic idea and crucial to highlight the fact that child trafficking occurs all around the world, not just in India.

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Anti-Slavery Day

This mural was created on the wall of the People's Republic of Stokes Croft for Anti-Slavery Day on 12th October 2012. The PRSC was established in 2006 and is a community enterprise that aims to improve the landscape of Stokes Croft through direct action and creating a sense of identity.The mural highlights the forced sexual exploitation of women and girls. It states that '2 million women and girls imprisoned in the sex trade…you're probably standing within 5ft of one of them now'. It also provided a freephone helpline number.Unfortunately this mural no longer exists.

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Let Us Remember

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.'