Contributed image
Contributed image
The City of Houston is launching an art-filled campaign to highlight the issue of human trafficking during Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
The city commissioned a public art installation in the Northside Houston area – a set of four mini murals on traffic signal control cabinets with the phone number of the National Human Trafficking Hotline emblazoned on each. These mini murals are designed to catch the eye of those who pass by.
Houston City Council member Karla Cisneros, of District H, funded the project, and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, as well as the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, lent support to the project.
"This public art installation is a unique project geared toward raising awareness and preventing the further exploitation of individuals in Houston," Turner said. "Our hope is that these mini murals will not only bring awareness to human trafficking but will also encourage victims and witnesses to reach out for help by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline."
The murals are installed at sites chosen after analysis of 311 data and reports from are residents. Those locations are: Airline at Crosstimbers, Airline at Cavalcade, Jensen at Crosstimbers, and Moody Park. The artwork was chosen with input gathered through an online survey.
Alex “Zú” Arzú and Anat Ronen each painted a single cabinet and Renee Victor painted two.
“Victims of trafficking are typically isolated and hidden," Cisneros said. "Often, both victims and witnesses don’t know how to report this heinous crime or receive help. The uplifting images on the Mini Murals will be a helpful resource. The goal is for these street art installations to bring hope and a number to call for help.”
The UP Art Studio commissioned the artist who created the works, and managed the projects.
“We hope the Mini Murals will be effective in leveraging the power of public art to help raise awareness about human trafficking,” said Minal Patel Davis, director of the Mayor’s Office on Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence.
To report information about a trafficking situation, call the free hotline at 1-888-373-7888; text 233733; or chat with a hotline agent.
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