This is the first comprehensive collection of murals focused on modern slavery and human trafficking. It brings together anti-slavery murals from across the world and demonstrates the emergence of an anti-slavery mural movement from the early 2000s to today. The collection depicts modern slavery in general, alongside more specific types, including forced sexual exploitation and forced labour. It demonstrates the power of art to build community activism and imagine freedom.
Creator: Charlotte James
Project Director: Professor Zoe Trodd
This mural is one of two created by artist ArtLords with the help of the Canadian Embassy in Afghanistan. ArtLords frequently creates pieces that make political statements, including asking people to pick up a book not a gun and encouraging a transparent and accountable government. These murals…
This mural is one of two created by artist ArtLords with the help of the Canadian Embassy in Afghanistan. ArtLords frequently creates pieces that make political statements, including asking people to pick up a book not a gun and encouraging a transparent and accountable government. These murals…
This mural was created by Joel Artista and Max Frieder in collaboration with Artolution, Tangentyere and Baker Institute. Artista and Frieder worked with indigenous communities to create the piece and raise awareness of issues facing these communities, including human trafficking. Indigenous youth…
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…
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…
This mural was part of the 2016 Welling Court Mural Project. The project began after members of Welling Court community met at Ad Hoc's Bushwick gallery and invited Ad Hoc Art to come up with a vision to beautify their neighbourhood. With the community's support, the first mural was created in…
This mural was created by graffiti artists Danielle Mastrion and Lexi Bella as part of the 2014 Welling Court Mural Project. This project began after members of Welling Court community met at Ad Hoc's Bushwick gallery and invited Ad Hoc Art to come up with a vision to beautify their neughbourhood.…
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…
Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE) is an organisation that use art, design and technology to encourage young people to develop creative solutions and bring awareness to local and global human rights challenges. They are dedicated to finding the next generation of social justice leaders and…
This mural is part of the 'You Are Loved' mural project that works with schools, worship groups, artists, businesses and organisations to create community murals. It was created as a result of the sharp increase in human trafficking cases crossing the federal prosector's desk. Since 1997 Alex Cook…
In 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) visited different areas of Colombia to educate children and young adults on how to recognise, report and prevent human trafficking. As part of this program, children from various schools and communities created murals to show their…
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…
This piece was part of a series of murals created in 9 countries across Africa. The #WallsCANBloom campaign was launched by the Government of Canada in 2016, whereby the government committed $80 million to ending early and forced marriage in Africa.The murals were created on or around 16th June…
This mural was created by Mark Palen in 2014 and is situated on the wall of Thistle Farms Cafe, which is part of an organisation that helps survivors of human trafficking. Thistle Farms' mission is to Heal, Empower and Employ. They provide safe housing, economic independence and a strong community…
This piece was created over a year by 15 artists who came together to tell the story of the Chattanooga landscape being reborn. They were inspired to create this piece for human trafficking survivors who are a part of the non-profit organisation Second Life. The idea behind the piece is that,…
This mural was created by Zimmer as part of the Bushwick Collective, New York City's most prolific neighbourhood for street art and graffiti. The piece supports the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which raised awareness of the kidnap of 276 Chibok girls in Nigeria on 14th April 2014. Many of these…
In 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) visited different areas of Colombia to educate children and young adults on how to recognise, report and prevent human trafficking. As part of this program, children from various schools and communities created murals to show their…