The project I stand up for you/I stand up for myself, which won this year’s SozialMarie second prize, is a unique, innovative and artistic effort to prevent sexual exploitation and human trafficking through theatrical performances and dramatic self-development workshops. The program was created by three non-governmental organizations – KV Theater, a theatre committed to addressing contemporary women’s issues and unexplored taboo topics, whose activities are based on the active social engagement of art; Horizon Group, an independent theater company whose mission is to create more solidarity and compassion in Hungarian society. They believe in art’s role and duty to change society, and consider it their task to strengthen individual and collective self-reflection because living in a healthy and joyful society is in our shared interest; i Anonymous Ways Foundation, an NGO offering a 12-step rehabilitation programme for victims rescued from prostitution in their shelter houses. It has provided fieldwork experience to raise awareness among professionals of the way out for the victims concerned.
Sexual exploitation and human trafficking is a growing social challenge worldwide. Yvette Feuer, an actress and theater pedagogue, active in the Horizon group, states that in Hungary, around 23,000 children growing up in state care are at increased risk of sex trafficking and prostitution and regularly abused and face difficulties in integrating into society. There is a lack of social attention and solidarity towards the problem in Hungary. The idea itself to create a project based on this issue came for a journalist. It inspired us to create and distribute a theatre performance with post performance workshops across the country, where social research is part of the creative process, and where the target group of children and adults are involved in the creation. The aim was all along prevention and social sensitisation. We started working with a big orphanage in the Eastern part of the country, at Nyírszőlős and started developping the material of the performance and conducting social research at the same time.
When asked about the perception of love in the relationship between the “lover-boy” and the victim, she explains that there is no such love, and that it is the hardest thing that the victim has to swallow. It is a pretence, a method of systematically getting closer and closer to the victim, making her/him believe that the ‘lover boy’ cares so they develop trust towards him. But he is really a pimp, and all he wants is another prey who he will use to make money. He lies and uses cunning and coertion first, and makes the victim have feelings for him, become dependent on him. It is a horrible trap. And there is no love, non at all.
From 2018, navodi Feuer, the National Police is a key partner in organizing crime prevention and victim protection conferences and the provision of a new target group (police), with the funding from the Ministry of Interior. We developed a post-performance workshop specifically for policemen, high ranking and low ranking as well, with the aim of creating more sensitivity towards the victims and shape the overall attitude of the Police. Iako je stalan angažman potreban kada je riječ o ovoj temi ipak je prisutna veća vidljivost projekta otkad je osvojio nekoliko nagrada. The Ministry of Interior as made a contract with us for 30 more performances until the end of 2026. ‘Anonymous Ways’ is regularly making campaings to raise attention and raise funds to be able to reach more victims. I have no data about how many girls seek help, but the fact that we reach more youth with the performance and the workshop enhances the chances of prevention – which is crucial.
