Last month, harrowing footage of migrants being sold as slaves for as little as $400 was uncovered by CNN.
The footage sent ripples of outrage across the world and led to Libya’s internationally recognized government announcing it would probe the allegations, but then the news appeared to fade from the front pages.
Now one artist is trying to keep the issue’s awareness alive by dedicating a project to the plight of migrants being auctioned off as slaves.
Making a statement: A powerful photo series raising awareness for the Libyan slave crisis sees models in the forest marked ‘not for sale’
Kofi Dua, a 23-year-old photographer based in New York City, recently had some models pose as father and daughter for what he describes as ‘a PSA editorial for the The Libyan Slave Trade,’ entitled Not For Sale.
‘I got my inspiration from the news feed and social media. I felt like to create better awareness of the problem, I had to do a PSA [public service announcement] editorial to start up the conversation,’ Kofi told Yahoo.
The shoot, conducted in a forest, sees the models dressed in dark, brown and black clothing and walking barefoot.
Looped around the ankle of the little girl, Mylah Shyv, four, is a large light blue price tag, reading: ‘NOT FOR SALE.’
Stepping up: The models are shown wearing dark clothes and walking barefoot
Driving the message: Kofi Dua, a 23-year-old photographer based in New York City, shared the images on Instagram, where they went viral
In another image, the ‘father’, Kwasi Opoku, 24, sits on a rock with a price tag slapped over his mouth.
Ghana-born Kofi shared the images on Instagram, writing in the caption: ‘WE ARE NOT FOR SALE! All lives must be cherished and valued.
‘It is our duty to stand for injustice and hold people responsible for their actions. We are not for sale. We shall not go backwards but forward.’
The post has gained more than 6,000 likes since first being posted as well as becoming widely shared on other pages.
Lots to say: Thousands of African migrants have traveled through Libya trying to get to Europe
African migrants from nations including Guinea and Senegal but also Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Gambia make the dangerous crossing through the Sahara to Libya with hopes of making it over the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.
But testimony collected by AFP has revealed a litany of rights abuses at the hands of gangsters, human traffickers and the Libyan security forces, while many end up stuck in the unstable North African nation for years.
More than 8,800 stranded migrants have been returned home this year, according to the International Organization for Migration, which is also compiling evidence of slavery.
In a meeting of Nigeria’s Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on Wednesday, it was revealed that up to 25,000 Nigerians have been held in slave prisons and sex camps in Libya while trying to get to Europe.