Erin Single

Client: Student project while at SCAD
Project Type: Print Design

He’s not here was a visual communication campaign I developed as a project in my Introduction to Graphic Design class at SCAD to reach survivors of sex trafficking in Atlanta, Georgia. I designed two print flyers and a sticker that could be stuck on the inside of bathroom stalls in airports, sports stadiums, convention centers to reach survivors.

THE ISSUE Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that encompasses sex, child, and labor trafficking (1). All forms involve the use of violence, threats, lies, debt bondage and other coercion tactics to force adults and children to work or engage in commercial sex acts against their will (2). There are an estimated 20.9 million survivors of human trafficking globally and it is a $150 billion industry worldwide (2). Trafficking is not just an international issue, but homegrown as well. 

CURRENT SITUATION Atlanta, Georgia, home to one of the world’s busiest airports, a convention city, and a strong adult entertainment and sports industry (3), is the number one city in the US for sexual trafficking with an estimated $290 million sex economy per year (4). A vast majority of survivors are women and girls (2) with an average age of 12-14 years old (1).

A 2009 study by the Schapiro Group estimated that 12,400 men in Georgia pay for sex with an adolescent girl each month (5). Only 9% of trafficking activity occurs at the airport while 42% of activity happens in the North Metro area outside of I-285(1), specifically in the arc between I-75 and I-85 (5). Despite recent efforts by state legislature that mandate certain businesses and establishments post signs that enable survivors to seek help and services through a hotline number (6), and other efforts such as mandatory training for airport employees, the problem is growing (3). 

TARGET AUDIENCE Traffickers often target foreign nationals, runaway and homeless youth, survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or war (2). Survivors are often recruited and groomed with special attention and validation, after which they are “broken” through a process of isolation, physical and verbal abuse and potentially drugs (1). While a number of resources exists for survivors once they escape, such as housing, education, occupation services, family services, and health care, survivors are hard to reach and can only be helped if they decide first to change their situation (1).

My graphic design intervention is aimed at survivors who are in this stage before they are sure whether they want to change their situation. I will use styling and imagery that conveys hope rather than the fear-inducing tone along with red and black imagery used now in awareness materials. 

SOURCES

(1) Gateway to the South: Tackling Sex Trafficking in Atlanta. (2016) Emory University, Global Health Institute. Retrieved January 25, 2018 from http://globalhealth.emory.edu/resources/pdfs/2016_intramural_cc_case.pdf

(2) Sex Trafficking. (2017, October 26). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/sex-trafficking

(3) Human trafficking growing problem in metro Atlanta. (2017, March 14). Fox 5 Atlanta. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/human-trafficking-growing-problem-in-metro-atlanta

(4) The Issue. (2016). BeLoved Atlanta. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://www.belovedatlanta.org/the-issue/

(5) AJC Watchdog: Atlanta sex-trafficking tour reveals ‘the hell of it’. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://www.myajc.com/news/state--regional/ajc-watchdog-atlanta-sex-trafficking-tour-reveals-the-hell/ckp2tU0uDGYFOpQZl6P3yM/

(6) Human Trafficking Notice Law Goes Into Effect. (2013, September 12). Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2013-09-12/human-trafficking-notice-law-goes-effect