Shop

In Europe, sexual exploitation is on the rise, victims are difficult to identify, there are too few organizations working on the ground to combat exploitation, and European legislation is vague and/or contradictory from one country to another. As a result, traffickers slip through the net and use methods to coerce their victims that are unknown to the general public and therefore to potential users of these services. A striking poster appeared for a month on the walls of six European cities, including Brussels. A provocative silhouette, a first name, and a phone number were its only elements. Behind the Belgian number, Tatiana, a victim of sexual exploitation, tells her story and invites everyone to leave a comment, “a thought.” This campaign was rolled out simultaneously in six European cities: Brussels, Paris, Bucharest, Sofia, Dublin, and Lisbon. The creator of this unusual awareness campaign about sexual exploitation is Marian van der Zwaan, a Dutch artist committed to fighting discrimination against women and immigrants. Through research and interviews with victims and those working on the ground, Marian van der Zwaan exposes the social problems of our time. Her work has received support from Amnesty International, the United Nations, and various governments.