Jaren, Freedom 58 Project, Oil, 16 x 20

Some months ago I was contacted by Bob Swenson, director of the Freedom 58 Project , which is working to raise awareness of the fact that there are some 30 million slaves in the world today, and 2 million children annually trafficked in the sex trade, a $32 Billion criminal enterprise that is rapidly growing and threatens to become worse each year. Women and children, some of whom are as young as 6 years old, constitute the majority of victims.

Freedom 58 has invited a number of portrait artists to paint images of those who have been rescued from sex-trafficking to create traveling exhibits. The art exhibits are dedicated to raising awareness about modern day slavery and other forms of violent oppression, and they are a component of the Justice Movement strategy to mobilize university students, faculty and communities in this endeavor. The exhibits are designed to be displayed at various venues such as schools, libraries, museums, churches and numerous events.  

Artists of various disciplines donate a portrait (or their interpretation) of people who were formerly enslaved and/or oppressed from actual case stories supplied by participating organizations. The secondary purpose of the exhibits are to drive people to the web site Freedom58project.com for more information, resources and opportunities for action.

My subject, Jaren, is a young woman who was rescued from slavery in the far east. 

If you would like more information or, as an artist, would like to volunteer to paint for the Project, please follow the contact information on the website or reach out to Bob Swenson at fsland@gmail.com.