Breaking News

New York street art shines a light on human trafficking

By Nell Lewis, CNN

Updated 1622 GMT (0022 HKT) May 10, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Street Art for Mankind (SAM) uses art to campaign against human trafficking. Its latest project includes a series of murals in New York City that represent the experiences of victims of modern slavery. The images are meant as an "allegory of the issue," not a direct representation of the individual victims.<br />This image tells the story of Henriette, who migrated from Togo to France at the age of 14. She told SAM that her parents had sent her there to work for a woman in return for education. However, she says she did not go to school, and instead spent almost five years working in the house, sleeping on the floor and eating leftovers. French artist, Jo Di Bona created the mural, located on Cliff Street.
Photos:
Street Art for Mankind (SAM) uses art to campaign against human trafficking. Its latest project includes a series of murals in New York City that represent the experiences of victims of modern slavery. The images are meant as an "allegory of the issue," not a direct representation of the individual victims.
This image tells the story of Henriette, who migrated from Togo to France at the age of 14. She told SAM that her parents had sent her there to work for a woman in return for education. However, she says she did not go to school, and instead spent almost five years working in the house, sleeping on the floor and eating leftovers. French artist, Jo Di Bona created the mural, located on Cliff Street.
Hide Caption
1 of 7
This mural represents the story of Ibrahim, who says he spent his childhood working as a cocoa picker in Ivory Coast. According to the <a href="https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/importing-risk/cocoa/" target="_blank">Global Slavery Index</a>, an estimated 891,000 children aged between 10 and 17 years old worked in cocoa production in Ivory Coast between October 2016 and November 2017. The mural was painted by French street artist Loic Ercolessi and can be found at 9 Maiden Lane.
Photos:
This mural represents the story of Ibrahim, who says he spent his childhood working as a cocoa picker in Ivory Coast. According to the Global Slavery Index, an estimated 891,000 children aged between 10 and 17 years old worked in cocoa production in Ivory Coast between October 2016 and November 2017. The mural was painted by French street artist Loic Ercolessi and can be found at 9 Maiden Lane.
Hide Caption
2 of 7
This mural represents the story of Ariel, who says he began working as a seafood diver in Honduras aged just seven. The <a href="https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/policy-areas/fisheries/lang--en/index.htm" target="_blank">International Labour Organization (ILO) </a>says child labor is widespread in the global fishing industry, and that it's one of the most hazardous occupations. Ariel's account was provided to SAM by the charity World Vision. The mural was painted by Btoy, a Spanish artist, and is located at 243 Water Street.
Photos:
This mural represents the story of Ariel, who says he began working as a seafood diver in Honduras aged just seven. The International Labour Organization (ILO) says child labor is widespread in the global fishing industry, and that it's one of the most hazardous occupations. Ariel's account was provided to SAM by the charity World Vision. The mural was painted by Btoy, a Spanish artist, and is located at 243 Water Street.
Hide Caption
3 of 7
This mural represents the problem of child labor in the fashion industry in Bangladesh. It tells the story of Bithi, who says she was sent to work in a factory at the age of 12, helping to make designer jeans. According to World Vision, who provided her account to SAM, she helped to make 480 pairs of jeans a day, for which she was paid just over $1. The mural on 28 Cliff Street was painted by Mexican street artist KinMx.
Photos:
This mural represents the problem of child labor in the fashion industry in Bangladesh. It tells the story of Bithi, who says she was sent to work in a factory at the age of 12, helping to make designer jeans. According to World Vision, who provided her account to SAM, she helped to make 480 pairs of jeans a day, for which she was paid just over $1. The mural on 28 Cliff Street was painted by Mexican street artist KinMx.
Hide Caption
4 of 7
This mural represents the story of Melanie Thompson. She says she was just 12 years old when she was kidnapped and forced into prostitution in New York City. The mural was created by French artist Victor Ash, and can be found at 25 Bridge Street.
Photos:
This mural represents the story of Melanie Thompson. She says she was just 12 years old when she was kidnapped and forced into prostitution in New York City. The mural was created by French artist Victor Ash, and can be found at 25 Bridge Street.
Hide Caption
5 of 7
In April this year, to mark the ILO's centenary, SAM also unveiled its largest mural, by the artist Jorge Rodriquez-Gerada. Stretching 13-stories high -- on the side of the Westin Hotel Grand Central at 212 East 42nd Street -- it features the face of a small boy, with two towering flowers on either side.
Photos:
In April this year, to mark the ILO's centenary, SAM also unveiled its largest mural, by the artist Jorge Rodriquez-Gerada. Stretching 13-stories high -- on the side of the Westin Hotel Grand Central at 212 East 42nd Street -- it features the face of a small boy, with two towering flowers on either side.
Hide Caption
6 of 7
The mural is designed to raise awareness of child slavery. Inside the boy's two pupils are images of children rescued from child labor camps.
Photos:
The mural is designed to raise awareness of child slavery. Inside the boy's two pupils are images of children rescued from child labor camps.
Hide Caption
7 of 7
street art slavery henriettestreet art slavery Ibrahimstreet art slavery Arielstreet art slavery bithiStreet art slavery Melaniestreet art slavery ILO 2street art slavery ILO

(CNN)At the age of 12, on the way home from the movies, Melanie Thompson says she was kidnapped on the streets near her family home in New York City. She was forced into prostitution, and for more than eight years she was sold for sex on the street, online and in underground strip clubs.

"I felt like it was never going to end. I was raped all the time, I was bought all the time, people would come and do unimaginable things to me," she told CNN.
Thompson, aged 23, is now free, though she still bears the scars. She has bite marks on her neck and a scar on her arm from when a pimp attacked her with a knife.
    "I may be physically out, but I still feel mentally trapped... Even to this day, I still struggle with viewing myself as a person who's worth something more than sex or money," she said.
    Thompson's story is now represented in a mural on Manhattan's 25 Bridge Street, and her experience can be heard by simply scanning the image using the "Behind the Wall" phone app.
    Read More
    This is part of an initiative by the NGO Street Art for Mankind (SAM) to raise awareness of child slavery through art.

    Street art for slavery

    The campaign features six graffiti murals by international artists, depicting different forms of slavery across the world, including sex trafficking in the US, domestic slavery in Europe, and child soldiers in Africa -- as well as child labor in the fashion industry in Asia, the fish industry in Latin America and the chocolate industry in Africa.
    The images are not direct representations of the victims, but rather an "allegory of the issue," said Audrey Decker, co-founder of SAM along with her husband Thibault Decker. "The point being that this child could be any child, including ours," she added.
    The mural telling the story of Melanie Thompson measures 60 by 40 foot
    The mural telling the story of Melanie Thompson measures 60 by 40 foot
    SAM's core mission is to fight against human and child trafficking through art. Audrey Decker believes that putting the subject in front of the public in the form of street art will help people realize that modern slavery is everywhere.
    "That's why it was important to include a local survivor," she said. "People weren't aware it was happening here... So we decided to make a statement to show it happens right on our doorstep."

    Freedom walk

    On May 10, members of the public will join street artists, trafficking survivors, legislators and anti-trafficking campaigners in a two-mile walk across Lower Manhattan, viewing each mural.
    Speaking at the event is Cecile Noel, commissioner of the NYC Mayor's office to end domestic and gender-based violence. "Using public spaces for art, just as SAM does, is a critical way to start dialogues and advocate for change," she told CNN.
    The Mayor's Office has taken various actions to help trafficking survivors. Last May, the city announced a paid sick and safe leave law for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, that allows employees to take paid time off to recover from abuse or trafficking crimes. It has also opened family justice centers in all five boroughs of the city, that provide counseling and legal assistance to survivors.
    The largest mural stretching 13 stories was commissioned for the ILO's centenary
    The largest mural stretching 13 stories was commissioned for the ILO's centenary
    However, Noel says there is still a lack of awareness of the issue. "Trafficking is a global issue and it is grossly underreported," she said. "New York continues to be both a gateway and a destination for trafficking, underscoring the need for both prevention and intervention at the local level."
    An estimated 40 million people around the world were victims of modern slavery in 2016, according to the International Labour Organization. Of these, one in four victims were children. In the US, there was an estimated 403,000 people are living in trafficking situations, according to the Global Slavery Index.
      Thompson said it is vital to get the message out that this is a domestic problem.
      "Everybody believes that it only happens in places like India, or China, or Russia or Thailand," she said. "But people need to really open their eyes and understand that this happens right around them every day."