ATA's Film and Game

Behind the Smile from atalliance.org.uk on Vimeo.

Targeting men - A need to change attitudes

There is little evidence that there is direct demand from buyers of sex for trafficked women. The demand for trafficked women is linked to the demand for prostitution.

The proliferation of cheap travel abroad to countries where prostitution is more tolerated and an increasingly sexualised culture in the UK has contributed towards the normalisation of paying for sex within many UK communities and social groups, increasing the demand for trafficked women.

Reducing this demand has been identified as a key component within both Europe and the UK in tackling sex trafficking. In 2006, The House of Lords and House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights identified a specific need to:

‘change the attitudes and opinion of men who use prostitutes towards prostitutes who may have been trafficked and to get the message across that trafficked women are not consenting to sexual activities’.

Our campaign responded to this need and aimed to inform the opinions and attitudes of men who buy sex or were considering buying sex by raising awareness about:

• the extent of sex trafficking
• the gross human rights violations suffered by victims
• the buyers’ culpability in having sex with a trafficked woman
• the buyers role in the perpetuation and exacerbation of sex trafficking.

We also recognised the role of those who influence young men, such as their friends and girlfriends, and wanted our work to speak to them also.

Using online media

The majority of our target audience is familiar with computers, the internet and computer gaming online and so we have specialised in using online media to give them the information they need to make an informed choice about paying for sex and / or the role they can play in stopping or perpetuating sex trafficking.

Our campaign includes:

Producing our film – Behind the Smile

“We can all agree that sex trafficking and prostitution happens.  But from my point of view, that’s as far as my knowledge goes. And I think the key to stop it from happening is realising there’s a story, a family, an experience behind everyone that’s involved in it.  And I think this film brought it home really well.”

“Before I might have thought, ‘it’s just about paying for sex’.  Whilst now I’ve watched the film there’s another bit in my mind that says, ‘No, it’s more than that, there’s a victim’.”

External Evaluation

Watch our film on sex trafficking (opens link to new ATA website)

This hard hitting film features exclusive testimony from ‘Alma’, who was trafficked into the UK to work in prostitution, as well as insightful analysis from a variety of experts.

There is a long (7 minutes) and a short (2 minutes) version of the film and a new website with additional information was produced to host it.

Behind the Smile was produced by ATA in 2008 with funding from the National Lottery.  The film has reached over 2 million people:

• Showings in 1000 London black cabs throughout the summer of 2010 as part of the Greater London Authority campaign to tackle violence against women.
• Screenings at UK and European festivals including Glastonbury, Bearded Theory, Lovebox, the Edinburgh Festival, Lounge on the Farm, Stokes Bay, Ruigoord Landjuweel and the Folkswoods Festival.
• Screenings at art galleries and events in London in partnership with Autograph APB.
• The Metropolitan Police in London have used the film extensively in their police trainings on sex trafficking
• The prison service has used the film to sensitise prison wardens to the plight of trafficked women.
• Soroptimist International have shown the film countrywide as part of their ongoing campaign to tackle sex trafficking.
• There are also plans to use the film in trainings for the armed forces before deployment.

Producing our Online Game – On the Game in Soho

“Nicely atmospheric and realistic, and not too heavy-handed, because the judgement comes at the end (and not throughout) the game”

“Fun to play! Makes you think too!”

“I think this game rules ! It really gets you thinking”

Online feedback, 2010

Play ATA’s interactive online game (opens new ATA website)

Funded by Comic Relief, ‘On the Game in Soho’ is an innovative interactive awareness-raising tool that was designed to communicate the choices made by a buyer of sex in relation to the experience of a trafficked woman.

Designed to target young men who are familiar with playing video games, our online game has interactive features within an animated scenario - it’s a story that the player controls.

This digital project has reached over 70,000 people across the world to raise awareness of the issue of sex trafficking and to direct users to ATA's other websites, which house further information.

Using Social Networking Sites

One of the key ways we generated traffic to our campaign websites was by leveraging the power of user-generated content sites such as YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook. 

We created a dedicated project group on these social networking sites allowing friends to sign up to the group pledging their allegiance and support.  This gave real momentum to our campaign.

Join our facebook group