Missing Project's Public Art Throws Light on Trafficking of Young Girls

Missing, a public art project by Kolkata-based Leena Kejriwal hopes to create awareness about the sex trafficking of young girls in the country. And her art finds space on Bangalore walls too.

Having been involved with the cause of human trafficking and prostitution of young girls for almost a decade, Kolkata-based photographer and installation artist, Leena Kejriwal chose public art as a means of communicating the issue to the public {without being too preachy}. For instance, many of us may not know that of the 3 million women who are trafficked in India, 1.2 million are young girls {claims the artiste}. Or that the supposed average age of recruitment of girls into prostitution is between 9 and 12 years. Leena began the Missing Project in 2014, which was launched at the India Art Fair {in Delhi}.

Involving hundreds of participants {from students and artists to rescued girls from NGOs} across the country, the initiative’s stencil art project featuring silhouettes of young girls along with graffiti can be seen in various cities {even garnering support from people around the world}. You can spot the Missing Project’s artwork in Bangalore at Church Street and near the Sadashivnagar underpass, among other places. The group has also collaborated with ten NGOs around India for a national awareness campaign, giving out useful information like helpline numbers and contacts of nearby NGOs, particularly in vulnerable areas.

In a short while, you will also get to see larger-than-life structures of the silhouettes against the skyline or atop buildings in major cities, signifying the “black hole into which millions of girls disappear each year”. Along with the installations, Leena also plans to bring out a reality app and mobile game which will take the player through the different stages a girl goes through before, during and after being trafficked.

Find Missing on Facebook here.