Ruhama are putting survivor voices at the forefront.
Ruhama is a frontline organisation working with women in prostitution and survivors of sex trafficking.
They've launched a campaign called 'Get the Full Picture' to raise awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking in Ireland.
Ruhama is an Irish NGO and registered charity.
And it offers nationwide support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation.
This new campaign has been created with the collaboration of survivors to bring their stories to the Irish public.
'Get the Full Picture'
The campaign aims to help people understand and recognise the signs of sex trafficking.
'Get the Full Picture' also wants to break the silence around sexual exploitation.
Incidents of sexual exploitation often happen under the radar - however this campaign wants an end to that.
By opening the public's mind up to such incidents, we are better placed to recognise what is happening and help stop it.
Knowing the signs
Through this campaign, Ruhama is sharing the signs of sex trafficking on their website.
Some of these signs include ways to recognise a victim - such as uncertainty around their legal status, or appearing bruised, injured, or malnourished.
Other signs people can look out for in their area include having new neighbours every few weeks.
There are a number of different ways you can reach out for help or report suspicious activity, which you can find on Ruhama's website here.
Barbara Condon is CEO of Ruhama, and while launching the campaign, she shared how their services were being used across the country.
Ruhama Campaign Launch in MoLI“50 different nationalities, including Irish women, engaged with our service in 2020,” said Condon.
“People need to understand that sexual exploitation is happening in their communities. They also need to know how to spot it and how to report it.”
Campaign Exhibition
As part of the campaign, two artists and Ruhama service users have collaborated on an exhibition, Sinead Dowling and Colm Mullen.
Ruhama Campaign Launch in MoLIThe images represent the experiences of service users and the hidden nature of the sex trade.
As well as that, they aim to show how widespread and prevalent the issue is in Ireland.
For more information, head over to Ruhama's website here.
