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Arista, Together we can end Human Trafficking 2016.jpg

Together We Can End Human Trafficking

This mural was created by Joel Artista in collaboration with Artolution, Meridian International Center, Shakti Vahini and the US Consulate in Kolkata. It raises awareness of modern slavery in West Bengal and hopes to educate people on human trafficking and enlist their help to end slavery.The piece was part of 'Shanti Arts for Action' by Artolution, a community-based public art organisation that seeks to ignite positive social change through collaborative art making. This project engaged young people in slum communities, street children, those in drug rehabilitation and survivors of human trafficking. The mural was inspired by a photograph that was taken by Brooke Shaden when she worked with Kolata Sanved, an organisation that helps survivors of trafficking with dance therapy. Shaden partnered with the women and the girls to create a series of photographic self-portraits in which they each chose a pose that they felt represented their stories. Sangeeta portrayed herself having her ankle gripped by a menacing hand, while she reached toward another hand for support. When Kolata Sanved collaborator Laura Price showed Artista this photograph, he was moved by the image and the story behind it, and received permission to use it as the central figure in the mural.The sari of the main figure depicts many of the main issues around modern slavery along with images from Bengali folkloric art. On the opening day of the International Anti-Human Trafficking Conclave there was an event, with dancers who are survivors of trafficking. This mural and the events surrounding it place survivors at the centre of their efforts.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.

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Sex Slave

This mural was created as part of the Elementi Sotterranei Festival (the International Graffiti Festival) in Gemona del Friuli, Italy. It depicts a man trapped in a cage and a woman holding the key. In this piece, traditional roles are reversed and the woman holds power.

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8. Survivor - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This is the eight and final piece in the mural walk titled 'Survivor.' The Durga has managed to escape, but her story does not end there. The virtual guide tells how sometimes girls cannot return home to their families and others are forced back on the run where they are at risk of being trafficked once again. This highlights how important it is to support survivors and provide them with alternative options to help them escape the world of trafficking. 

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7. Hidden in Plain Sight - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the seventh in the mural walk, titled 'Hidden in Plain Sight'. The virtual guide tells the viewer that the Durga is now missing and states that 42% of India's trafficked people come from India. This mural highlights how modern slavery and human trafficking happens all around us, but is not always visible - it is hidden in plain sight. 

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6. The Black Hole - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the sixth in the mural walk and is titled 'The Black Hole'. The virtual guide tells the viewer that the Durga is depressed and in a dark place, or a black hole, now she has been trafficked. She has been sold for Rs 5000, the average price of a 13 year old girl in India, meaning that she has been sold for less than 40kg of chicken. It also relays how 1.2 million girls and 3 million women are sold every year. 

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5. Durga On The Run - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the fifth in the mural walk, and is titled 'Durga On The Run'. The virtual guide describes how many young girls are trafficked in India, stating that there has been 133% increase in number of young girls trafficked. While some girls may be able to escape by running away, they cannot run forever and the mural urges young girls to speak out to parents, teachers or policemen to tell them what's happened.

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4. You Can't Hear Me - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the fourth in the mural walk and is titled 'You Can't Hear Me'. The mural depicts the Durga's mouth as below us and on the floor, symbolising the fact that we cannot hear what she is trying to say and she has no voice. It highlights how, even though many girls in India are becoming educated, their ambitions are being suppressed and opportunities for them to be self-reliant are squashed by system. The virtual guide notes how 'sometimes she is crying out for help but people cannot hear her'.

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3. Ten Faces of Patriarchy - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the third in the mural walk and is titled 'Ten Faces of Patriarchy'. The virtual guide describes how the Durga is influenced by all of the people that she grows up around. The organisation maintains that in order to overthrow patriarchy, the people around young girls, like the Durga, need to inform them about the system of patriarchy and need to teach her to be smart and not just "good". 

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2. Who Am I? - The Hunt for the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world. This piece is the second in the mural walk and is titled 'Who Am I?'. The virtual guide asks the viewer how many people they see and discusses the different appearance of the fifth person on the far left. This faded figure is the Durga and she is playing the role that people around her expect her to play. However by taking on everyone else's colours, she is losing her own identity and fading into the background. 

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1. Ma'er Chotu Durga - The Hunt of the Lost Durga

The organisation MISSING was founded by Leena Kejriwal 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, the first of which was the MISSING Stencil Campaign. The Hunt for the Lost Durga is the first of a series of mural walks that MISSING is undertaking in its plan to engage the public with the issue of child trafficking. The murals were completed with the support of Shalimar Paints under their Colours for Change initiative. This mural walk is accompanied by an interactive Facebook messenger experience - the viewer can type 'Missing Mural Walk' into the search bar of the Facebook Messenger App then press 'Get Started' to be guided through the mural walk. The virtual guide asks the viewer which mural they can see and provides information about the mural and child trafficking, always ending with the question 'why wait for a girl to get trafficked to save her?' The virtual guide is still available and you can use it anywhere in the world.  This piece is the first in the mural walk and is titled 'Ma'er Chotu Durga'. The virtual guide describes how Durga is getting ready for school - she is doing her hair and putting a pink flower (far bottom right), pink ribbon and pink clip in her hair (left). The guide then explains that Durga can be trafficked today and states that every 26 seconds a child disappears into the world of trafficking. 

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Child Labour

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 about child abuse and the maltreatment of children.This mural highlights how children who live in poorer households and rural areas are more likely to be victims of child labour, where they are open to exploitation and abuse. The image of a girl at a sewing machine emphasises how millions of girls and women are forced to be domestic workers, with little to no pay and no opportunity to leave.

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#BringBackOurGirls

This mural supports the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which is fighting to save the 276 Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram on 14th April 2014. #BringBackOurGirls calls for the Nigerian government to secure the release of the 113 girls who are still missing. To learn more about the campaign, click here.

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Save Yazidi Women

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 December 2009 by M-City. The rest of the winter was used to plan the launch of the first multi-block mural project that occurred in May 2010 with over 40 murals. With a mix of artists and new talents, the Project hosts over 140 murals by artists from around the world and it is one of the most well-known collections of contemporary street art.This mural was created in response to the treatment of Yazidi women in Iraq. Thousands of Yazidi women have been kidnapped, raped and tortured by ISIS in Northern Iraq, with many forced to marry ISIS fighters and sexually exploited.

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Bring Back Our Girls

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. With the community's support, the first mural was created in December 2009 by M-City. The rest of the winter was used to plan the launch of the first multi-block mual project that occured in May 2010 with over 40 murals. With a mix of artists and new talents, the Project hosts over 140 murals by artists from around the world and it is one of the best collections of contemporary street culture.This mural supports the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which is fighting to save the 276 Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram on 14th April 2014. #BringBackOurGirls calls for the Nigerian government to secure the release of the 113 girls who are still missing. To learn more about the campaign, click here.

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Jessica's Story

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.

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I Am Not For Sale. I Am Priceless

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. 

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We Are All Immigrants

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 is committed to providing quality human rights education.In New York, ARTE worked with students from Pan American International High School to create this mural. They discussed several human rights issues, including human trafficking and child slavery.ARTE then worked with the students using different artistic mediums to help them express their ideas. While this mural focuses on immigrants' rights and racial discrimination, it links to contemporary slavery as many undocumented immigrants are survivors of trafficking.On June 10th the students unveiled their mural to fellow students, family members, school administrators, volunteers and community members.

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You Are Loved

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 as created over 150 murals internationally and the project focuses on spreading 5 messages;- You are loved- You are needed- You are important- You are beautiul- You can do itThis project brings together communities and people of all different ages and drives to bridge divides to spread these messages. This mural is in Church Street Marketplace, a business improvement district that has been named one of great public spaces in USA and declared a national historic district.

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Hands Off!

Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE) worked with The Advocacy Lab, Project Futures Global, Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF), Subway Art History, students fom the Wings Academy and the South Bronx Community Association to create this mural, which is dedicated to the anti-trafficking activist Somaly Mam. The mural itself reads 'Somaly Mam' in graffiti style. It is in the South Bronx neighbourhood in New York. 

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Flycatcher 4

This mural was created by James Bullough with the Handle with Care Project, a Dallas-based organisation that is dedicated to fighting slavery through the arts. They argue that graffiti and slavery have something in common - they are both done covertly and are illegal, yet when a wall is defaced it can be painted over, whereas there is no "easy solution" for the slavery survivor.This piece 'Flycatcher 4' is one of four murals of individual birds that are dotted around the city and link back to the main mural of the project 'Release'. Unfortunately the building was demolished and the mural has been destroyed.