(photographer)
To shine the light on the pressing issue of Human Trafficking, today we share this story.
▫︎ This series profiles Cary Stuart, an American sex trafficking survivor, as she reflects on her experience, the way it has impacted her as a mother, and the challenges of reintegration into society.
From the article: "Trafficked into ‘the life’ at just 23 years old, Cary spent the next 7 years isolated, beaten, drugged, and moved between states, forced to sell herself night after night to meet the quotas set by her pimps. Despite enduring the most difficult of circumstances, Cary emerged from the horrors of trafficking strong and determined to rewrite her story. That’s what I wanted to emphasize in telling her story.
The series takes place over a one-year time frame, and in it, I strive to support Cary in reclaiming her truth, giving a voice to her resilience. The mother of a teen son, and two young boys, 3-year-old Tristin and 1-year-old Jay, Cary’s love and dedication to them are evident and one of the focal points of the project. She says her goal is to model confidence and self-worth, teaching her sons to respect and defend girls and women — and it’s this passion that sets Cary apart.
The reality is that trafficking is far more prevalent in the United States that most people realize, with more than 9,000 illicit massage businesses operating across the country at any given time — part of organized criminal groups that rake in an estimated $2.5 billion every year. Through sharing Cary’s story, I hope to empower other survivors, engage with my audience to challenge common myths about sex trafficking and prostitution and foster a dialogue about the root causes for sexual exploitation, namely the demand for commercial sex in the U.S... Continued in