Leading anti-trafficking charity Hope for Justice has launched a new film telling the story of a male victim of modern slavery as part of its Men Aren’t Victims awareness campaign.
The 3m42s film shares the experiences of a man who is enticed to find work in another country, but who finds himself in situations of forced labour, exploitation, control and barely any pay. He receives a call from his wife back home, but due to shame and fear finds himself unable to share his experiences or how bad things are. The story is based on real-life experiences of survivors that Hope for Justice has supported.
Research shows that male victims often do not want to come forward because of feelings of embarrassment as there is a stigma around asking for help. The traditional “masculine” stereotype can stand in the way of male victims asking for help, and disclosing such information can often bring about feelings of shame or can trigger flashbacks. We have seen cases of men not wanting to return home empty handed, and so do not want to contact their families even once they have been helped out of exploitation.
Male survivors of trafficking need access to comprehensive and culturally appropriate assistance to meet their needs. Assistance such as: housing, health, legal support, and employment assistance. While some governments have made progress to improve the anti-trafficking response for male victims, there is a still a long way to go to make sure men and boys are not overlooked victims in our societies.
According to the best estimates, there are at least 10 million men and boys globally who are living in conditions of modern slavery. Even more are likely to be hidden away, uncounted.
To find out more about the Men Aren’t Victims campaign, visit: https://hopeforjustice.org/men-are-victims/
There are resources and downloadables available for the Men Aren’t Victims campaign and Hope for Justice will be sharing more on our social media channels over the next few weeks. Follow us using the buttons below.
