This piece is part of a series of murals led by the artist and activist Murad Subay, which was launched on 4th July 2013. The project discussed twelve political and social issues affecting Yemeni society, such as treason, corruption, civil war and child soldiers. Unfortunately many of the murals were vandalised after their completion. The murals were painted over a year and the artist painted a different topic each month. The murals created for '9th Hour' focused on the recruitment of children as soldiers and highlighted how many children are torn away from their families to die for a cause they don't understand. This mural shows a child soldier with a machine gun over his shoulder. He is looking down at the floor and a thought bubble shows that he is thinking about football, rather than being a soldier.
This piece is part of a series of murals led by the artist and activist Murad Subay, which was launched on 4th July 2013. The project discussed twelve political and social issues affecting Yemeni society, such as treason, corruption, civil war and child soldiers. Unfortunately many of the murals were vandalised after their completion. The murals were painted over a year and the artist painted a different topic each month. The murals created for '9th Hour' focused on the recruitment of children as soldiers and highlighted how many children are torn away from their families to die for a cause they don't understand. This particular mural depicts a parent on the floor reaching for their child's hand, who is being taken away by a man with devil horns and a trident. The small girl is holding a machine gun and looking back at her family, demonstrating that both boys and girls can become child soldiers.
This piece is part of a series of murals led by the artist and activist Murad Subay, which was launched on 4th July 2013. The project discussed twelve political and social issues affecting Yemeni society, such as treason, corruption, civil war and child soldiers. Unfortunately many of the murals were vandalised after their completion. The murals were painted over a year and the artist painted a different topic each month. The murals created for '9th Hour' focused on the recruitment of children as soldiers and highlighted how many children are torn away from their families to die for a cause they don't understand. This particular mural shows a child soldier holding a rifle and walking towards a gravestone, with a arrow showing that child recruitment will lead to death.
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 2016, which is the International Day of the African Child. Local artists, activists, NGOs, schools and communities were involved in the design and execution of the murals. The pieces were displayed on the buildings of Canadian embassies and High Commissions and unveilings of the murals were accompanied by speeches and events. The campaign had a strong presence on Twitter with #WallsCANBloom.This specific mural was created by students from the school of HSS-MPFA Department of Fine Art at the Zambian Open University. It portrays young girls being offered education instead of marriage and pregnancy, with marriage rings representing handcuffs and the phrase 'say no to early marriage and teen pregnancy'.
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.
In 2016 survivors of child sex trafficking who are involved with the charity Kristi House, which provides support to survivors of child sexual abuse, helped to create this mural. The charity's Project GOLD (Girls Owning their Lives and Dreams) Drop In Centre welcomes girls who have been sexually exploited and provides support to them, regardless of their current residential placement. A counsellor is also available to talk and girls can relax or study in the home-like setting. The programme is based on the Victim, Survivor, Leader model of GEMS and Project GOLD is shaped and directed by survivor input. The artist met with the survivors several times and composed drafts of images for the mural, receiving feedback and altering the images to fit with the survivors wishes. The mural is of a woman's face with many colours in her hair - this symbolises the different experiences and identities of each contributor. This project was fuelled by the use of PhotoVoice - an arts-based research methodology, where the survivors used art as a method of expression and healing. It began when Lauren Suarez stated working with Kristi House's Project GOLD in the summer of 2014. After two years of engagement, she initiated the PhotoVoice project as a research initiative to allow providers to learn more about survivors' experiences. The creation of the mural fits with Project GOLD's focus on survivors and in their goal of getting girls to own their lives and dreams. The charity also runs Project BOLD, which reaches out to boys and highly underserved, misidentified and high risk subset of sex trafficked youth in the LGBTQI community.
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.This mural was created by Fio Silva and depicts a bird escaping from the confines of the home to spread her wings in life.
This mural of a child soldier was created by Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant), the artist who is famous for creating the iconic Obama HOPE poster. The image draws parallels between the complex emotions around the Vietnam War and the invasion of Iraq. While it does not focus on modern slavery, it includes an element of modern slavery in the form of a child soldier.There was a great amount of controversy surrounding this mural. Michael Claypool, the building's owner, did not review the piece before it was placed onto his wall and he was shocked when it was unveiled. Claypool commented that he felt it was offensive and he hired painters to cover the mural in white paint. Many felt the mural was inappropriate considering it was opposite the John G. Carlisle Elementary School.Shepard Fairey admitted that he did not know that the mural was opposite a school and stated that had he known of the school's presence, he would have altered the piece. However the artist defended his work and commented that he felt it did not encourage violence, but rather did the opposite. The artist created another mural against child soldiers in 2011 as part of the Irvine Contemporary Art Gallery project in Washington D.C.
This Bansky piece was placed on the side of a Poundland store in Wood Green, London in May 2012. It was created by the infamous artist in protest against the use of sweatshops to create Diamond Jubilee and London Olympics memorabilia in 2012. It features a child crouching on the ground, sewing together bunting with the Union Jack. It has become an iconic image of child labour and child slavery.The mural remained on the wall until February 2013, when it was removed and put up for sale at the Fine Art Auctions in Miami. However, after appeals from residents of Wood Green, the mural was withdrawn the Miami auction and returned to the UK. It was subsequently sold at auction in Convent Garden, London for $1.2million. After the mural was removed, a stencil of Banksy's supposed signature rat holding a sign asking 'why?' was placed on the wall, which was then quickly removed. A Banksy representative stated that this was a fake.
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 'Ajay', who was forced to beg for money until he was rescued by a NGO.
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 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 'Pappu', who was subjected to forced labour and is building a new life for himself after his adoption.
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 'Aditi', who lost her childhood when she was sex trafficked but is making a new life for herself in school.
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 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 'Amina', who was sold as a child and forced into marriage.
This mural shows an older woman on the left, with struggle carved onto her face. On the other side, we see her young daughter who pulls the fog that envelops her mother and uses this fog to weave threads of gold, creating a new life for both of them. It is situated in Lodhi Colony, an area of New Delhi that is full of murals thanks to the St+Art India Foundation. This non-profit organisation takes up projects to make art accessible to the public with their murals and installations in the area. This piece was created by Shilo Shiv Suleman with survivors of sex trafficking who are involved in Sewing New Futures. This is a social enterprise that empowers survivors and girls at risk of trafficking through career training, education, medical care, and social services. The company opened their pilot centre in May 2014 and has gone on to train and employ women to create fashion items, which are sold worldwide through their website. Suleman is involved with the Fearless Collective, an organisation that is building a movement of women across South Asia using beauty and art to reclaim public spaces with their stories. Set up in 2013, the organisation has created 25 murals, in eight countries and with hundreds of co-creators and is currently raising funds to open the first Fearless Collective Public Art Residency.
This mural was completed alongside the Montreal Mural Festival and raises awareness of sex trafficking and forced sexual exploitation.Local community activist Heidi Yane and her daughter Megan Yane came up with the idea for the mural. It was created as part of the organisation About The Way Out, which was founded in 2013 and offers lodgings and support to survivors of sex trafficking.The piece contains the handprints of many people who are involved in human rights issues, including Alwyn Morris and Kakaionstha Deer, as well as a survivor of the Cambodian 'killing fields'. The phoenix is a symbol for rebirth after death and represents spirituality, direction, protection and awareness. It sends a message that the rights of a survivor of human trafficking are just as important as anyone else's rights.
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 highlight the importance of education for young girls and women, and condemn the practice of forced marriage. In September 2017, forced marriage was recognised as a form of modern slavery and was included in the estimates of people who are enslaved by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). At this time, there were an estimated 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and the vast majority of these are girls and women. Over a third of the people who were forced to marry were children, of whom 40% were below fifteen at the time when marriage took place.
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 highlight the importance of education for young girls and women, and condemn the practice of forced marriage. In September 2017, forced marriage was recognised as a form of modern slavery and was included in the estimates of people who are enslaved by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). At this time, there were an estimated 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and the vast majority of these are girls and women. Over a third of the people who were forced to marry were children, of whom 40% were below fifteen at the time when marriage took place.
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 and elders took part in creating the colourful mural and came up with ideas for the piece with the artists. It was part of Artolution's project to create 400 art projects around the world to raise awareness of human trafficking.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.