Dakar, Senegal, March 2022 - "Painting the Silence: Stories of Disability and Trafficking" (orig. ‘Peindre le silence: histoires sur le handicap et la traite’) is the title of an exhibition launched by the Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (TiPSoM) Unit of the UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa on 8th March 2022.
As part of a broader campaign, nine artists living with disabilities, including four women, were selected in close collaboration with the Senegalese NGO ‘Handicap.sn’ to participate in a mixed arts training program. The training was followed by a social media campaign and the initiative culminated with the exhibition of the artists’ work at several events, including the Dakar Biennale in 2022.
Khady Touré, who is a stylist and participating artist in ‘Peindre le silence’ talked about the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in the regional context:
Touré highlights that it is their dependence on others that makes women with disabilities particularly vulnerable to physical and verbal aggressions and abuse. On top of that, their limited access to employment opportunities increases their risks of being victims of human trafficking.
Annalisa Pauciullo, Regional Coordinator, Head of TiPSoM Unit from the UNODC Regional Office in West and Africa explains how her motivation to include a gender perspective in the "Peindre le Silence" initiative was rooted in recognizing the heightened vulnerability of women and people with disabilities to trafficking: “By focusing on the intersectionality of gender and disability, we aimed to bring attention to the unique challenges faced by women with disabilities who are often overlooked victims of trafficking. Through art and storytelling, the initiative sought to empower these individuals and advocate for gender-inclusive solutions to address these issues” she explains.
In doing so, ‘Painting the silence’ adopted an intersectional approach to gender equality by integrating a gender perspective in many of the stories narrated through the artists’ work, thus unveiling the intersecting forms of inequalities experienced by women with disability.
Khady Pouye, a singer and songwriter, who participated in ‘Peindre le silence’ explains:
While empowering men and women living with disabilities through capacity building and by providing them with a platform for their work, 'Peindre le silence' raised awareness through the voices of those often marginalized in discussions around human trafficking on the daily challenges of living with an impairment and the specific risk factors that make persons with disabilities particularly vulnerable to trafficking.
The Peindre le Silence initiative already expanded to other countries, starting with Mali in November 2023, which will be followed by subsequent replications in 2024 in West and Central Africa. The planning of a second exhibition in Mali and beyond reflected the commitment to sustaining and evolving the impact of the initiative.
