Leaving the Life

“Leaving The Life” is a multi-platform initiative to facilitate a collective, action-oriented dialogue around the crisis of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children in the U.S. After working fifteen years on issues related to trauma and victimization, first with sexual violence and now with various forms of human trafficking, both in the U.S. and abroad, photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Matsui has embarked on an innovative long-term effort.

The project has three integrated components:

1.The first film (The Long Night), supported in part by the Alexia Foundation and produced by MediaStorm, follows a father as he searches for his daughter; a teenager’s struggle to break free of her drug addiction and street prostitution; a young girl rebuilding herself; and police officers trying to help those trafficked to break free. A second film is in the works.

2. An outreach campaign to engage key audiences with participatory practices supported, in part, by The Fledgling Fund.

They include:
• Screenings to Washington State Legislature, State Supreme Court and Federal Judges
• Use by the Ohio State Supreme Court for training
• Screening and panel discussion for the Family Court of the District of Columbia Superior Court’s annual Interdisciplinary Conference
• Screenings and advocacy support for community groups, non profits, anti-trafficking task forces, law enforcement and health care professionals across the nation
• Support for policy change in King County (Seattle) government.

3. An online platform of engagement.

The photographs featured here are stills Matsui created during the filming of The Long Night. To watch the trailer for the film The Long Night visit: http://www.thelongnightmovie.com/

Read about Matsui’s support for policy change in regional government on Medium: “I’m a Photojournalist and I’ve Been Working with Policy Makers. Should I Feel Dirty?”