‘Invisible in Plain Sight’, a dramatic installation of 120 wooden human silhouettes symbolizing 120,000 Ukrainians trafficked abroad since the early 1990s, will be displayed in Mitskevych Park in Ivano-Frankivsk from January 16 to February 16, 2015. Originally installed in Kyiv’s Mariinsky Park in conjunction with the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery it seeks to remind us yet again about the danger and magnitude of this modern time slavery in Ukraine. Some of the figures are inscribed with testimonies of trafficking survivors, Ivan’s story below is one of them. Ivan had considerable debts to pay off. When a debt collecting agency told him a crew of builders was being recruited for construction work in Moscow at a salary of $1,500 per month, Ivan (name changed for confidentiality reasons) decided to seize the opportunity. Together with 11 other men he traveled to Moscow. Far from home, opportunity turned into subjugation. Immediately upon arrival, all the men were instructed to hand over their passports to “register” their presence in the Russian Federation. Then the crew was told they had to work 16-18 hours a day and could not leave the construction site. Furthermore, they would only receive their pay after the work was completed. Three months later, after being moved to another construction site, Ivan and the others demanded their pay. The administrator revealed that he had “purchased” them; moreover, they were now in the country illegally and would face severe punishment if they tried to run. When the enslaved workers attempted an escape anyway, they were caught and beaten. After seven months, the thoroughly exhausted workers were released at a Moscow train station and given their passports and USD 100 for travel. Ivan returned home in poor health and with a bad back. He turned for help to a local counter-trafficking NGO and was referred to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) whose Counter-Trafficking Program is funded by USAID. He received much needed medical treatment and psychological assistance at the Kyiv Medical Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Trafficking. With his physical and psychological recovery, he entered the USAID Micro-Enterprise Program for victims of trafficking. He received business training, developed a business plan and then won a grant to start his own furniture and woodwork business. The former victim of trafficking turned into a successful entrepreneur who not only paid off his debts but also employed and empowered other people in his town. In November 2014, IOM asked Ivan to help with the production of an art installation to raise awareness of modern-day slavery. He immediately agreed and quickly recruited a team. The art installation is titled ‘Invisible in Plain Sight’ and opened in Kyiv’s Central Park on December 2, 2014, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Starting in January 2015, the exhibition will travel to other regions of Ukraine, including to Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv and Odesa. “I survived through hardship and I owe it to the people who helped me. They made me believe that my future can be better than my past and helped me build this better future,” says Ivan. Thanks to Ivan’s efforts communicating the methods of traffickers and how to avoid becoming a victim, those men, women and children who visit the art installation will become more aware of the dangers of trafficking and how they can protect themselves.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015