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.
