“The Silent Victims of Human Trafficking” is a series of portrait photography that symbolizes the expression of a male individual in a meat package to symbolize that they are being traded. It’s like people buying “meat”, subject to human trafficking.

It’s often to see women and young children being exploited and trafficked both at home and abroad. Human trafficking is, however, not only happening to women and children. Male are also facing the reality of being trafficked, yet they are vastly underrepresented by the news reports and dramatization of human trafficking in social media. While each victim has his own reason to remain silent about his situation, the root of many of these reasons is because our societies reinforce such ideas that males are “too strong” to become victims, and if they become one, then they’re weak or foolish for not escaping.

Men and boys have been the silent victims of human trafficking for far too long. Thankfully, their cries are no longer being ignored. More tales are emerging than ever before to bring attention to this issue, which is gaining traction among the law enforcement and social service groups. Despite this, there is a lack of public understanding about male sensitivity to this very real threat.

To highlight these, I believe showcasing the victim’s expression with the right props and sticker labeling is powerful to deliver the concept. This series will be expressed through digital photography, because I believe photography is the best medium that can accurately capture the mood of the concept. I want the viewer to be able to see that men are also facing this human trafficking.

Through this photography project, I believe we can all empower men out there to find their voice by pushing out the stigma that when men are trafficked they are “weak”.