In the Second World War, tattoos were used as a method of branding captives in concentration camps. In the times of the Roman Empire, masters branded their slaves. Nowadays, farmers brand their cattle. Branding or tattooing has repeatedly been used as a method of illustrating ownership. However, concerning the branding of humans, this act not only symbolizes ownership, but is also emblematic of a dehumanization process. It is symbolic for the loss of dignity. It is symbolic for the loss of ownership over one’s own body. It is symbolic of captivity.
Throughout the world, branding people in order to illustrate ownership is a practice that still continues to this very day. There are not a lot of statistics available on this practice. However, we have seen countless victims and heard a plethora of stories through our work with survivors of human trafficking. Often times, women voluntary placed a tattoo with their pimp’s name because he had led them to believe that they were in love. Only later to discover that there were more girls with his name on their body and that he was taking their money as well. In addition to these stories, we also have the stories of women who branded under force.
The Branded Free Campaign is an initiative by Stichting Share Network, a non-profit that works to rid the world of modern slavery. The Branded Free campaign aims to facilitate the conversion of these forms of tattoos on survivors into something else, thus contributing to the restoration of ownership and dignity. Raising awareness is essential in mobilizing people to take a stand against modern-day slavery. The transformation process will be documented in a photobook. In this book survivors will be able to SHARE their story in an empowering way.
The exact amount of human trafficking victims is unknown. However, the Global Slavery Index estimates that there are 48.5 million worldwide and approximately 1.2 million modern slaves working in Europe, of which 17,500 are in the Netherlands.
The Book
At this moment we are very busy working on the book about transforming the tattoos and with that also the lives of survivors. Changing these tattoos for them means a huge step for them in regaining their dignity.
The restoration of dignity. By transforming the tattoo into a beautiful creation that the victim herself chooses, the process of restoring dignity will take another leap. Instead of a daily reminder of her captor, the victim will now daily bereminded of her new-found freedom.
This post is also available in: Dutch