A young Malaysian girl has been declared the winner of the Bold Lipstick competition, a campaign by MTV Exit to end modern day slavery.
Chuah Siew Lin, 19, submitted an image which sported the caption, "I want 2 go home" in lipstick, a direct and central theme in the battle against trafficking and returning freedom to those who have been deprived of it.
Launched on St Valentine's Day, the campaign required contestants to write a resonating phrase representative of their thoughts and emotions on trafficking ... in lipstick. The result was an emotionally charged and powerful portfolio of photographs, which poured in from all over the world, highlighting the international problem of human trafficking. The use of lipstick, usually a symbol of women's freedom, is particularly poignant as it reminds us of the thousands of women sold into this modern day form of slavery.
The five runners-up included Soleil S. Pamatigan from the Philippines, J.T Liss from New York; Weaw J from Bangkok; Isela Guerra from Rio Grande Valley, Texas, US; and Mau Thi Thanh Nahn from Hanoi, Vietnam.
Pamatigan's image, which depicts a piece of paper being engulfed by flames, with the words "women & children, abuse & violence", reminds us that "there is no gender or age required to support this fight against modern slavery".
As runner-up Pamatigan exemplifies: "a single voice can make a lot of difference. Who knows, it could even save lives."
Liss, meanwhile, mirrors MTV Exit's idea "that if art of any medium can provoke thought, then change can ultimately be created". She was inspired to create her emotional image after watching Planet Better, and shares the sentiment that if only the affected young women had been empowered with some awareness of the situation, their plight could have been avoided.
Weaw, a Bangkok native, submitted a photograph which depicts a woman with the word "slavery" imprinted on her arm, echoing the fact that "we are taught to believe that slavery has been abolished a long time ago, however, that's not the case ... it's only been abolished on paper."
Guerra's photo cleverly shows two hands forming a heart and bearing the message "There Is Hope". She says the phrase was inspired by the empowering stories recounted by survivors of human trafficking, and enthuses "we have the power to lend a hand and the power to open our hearts to these people who are in desperate need of it... I believe that if we can raise an extreme amount of awareness on the issue of sexual trafficking around the world then there is hope for the future ... let us be bold!"
Thanh Nahn created a very relevant image of a girl among the aisles of a supermarket, with the words "I am not goods" emblazoned across a sign. The image has the uncanny ability to make the viewer empathise with the emotional desolation victims' face when they are sold merely on the basis of profit.
As she comments here: "So much tears and pain, we need to realise that people are not goods!"
Over 5,000 votes were cast, acknowledging the breadth of the human trafficking situation. Unfortunately this issue is creeping closer to home every day, as Thanh Nahn says: "Most of us think that human trafficking is something in the mountains, near the borders, where poverty is...but in recent years... trafficking is something closer to my doorstep forcing people like me to learn and understand."
Bold Lipstick was launched in conjunction with the newest music video in the MTV Exit series, which in the past has featured the likes of Radiohead, Muse, and the Killers contributing to the "Some things cost more than you realise" trilogy with songs such as All I Need, MK Ultra, and Goodnight, Travel Well, respectively.
Bangkok Post : Bold lipstick fights human traffickingSource: bangkokpost.com
I am interested in moving to thailand and working and volunteering in fighting human trafficking. Are there any organizations you could recommend applying to on the ground, either in a volunteer capacity or on a paid basis? I speak only English and French.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog please keep it up!
Can any one help Erin? SockFoon
ReplyDelete