Phosphor's Lumps (aka Sam Drew) has been working on animations for a very important campaign for the past two years. Sex trafficking is one of Canada’s most lucrative and misunderstood crimes. Let’s Talk About Sex Trafficking is a campaign from Covenant House Toronto aimed at empowering and equipping parents and teens with the tools they need to help prevent sex trafficking in Canada. The images you see here are stills from the videos, which will launch on Canada’s National Human Trafficking Awareness day, February 22, 2024.
At the heart of the campaign are the two videos, illustrated and animated by Lumps, which are based on real stories of sex trafficking survivors. The campaign encourages parents to watch these videos with their teens to help understand the red flags in the luring process and how sex trafficking happens. There is also a microsite for teens featuring animation from the videos that includes information about healthy relationships, safety tips and where to get help.
Animation is a unique way to tell survivor stories. The goal was to tell these stories in a medium that teens would pay attention to, which is why Lumps was picked - Sam's signature style is bright, engaging and accessible. Animation also allows use of symbolism to tell parts of the story and cover a heavy and complex topic in a more approachable way for this audience.
Development of the campaign concept was informed by research conducted with survivors, teens, parents and educators. The campaign is supported by social media advertising, PR and parent and teen influencers.
To find more of Lumps' work check out his portfolio or animation page and get in touch with Trina at Phosphor to commission him for your next project.
