Gutierrez 1

Gabriel Gutierrez
Mrs. Bevill
ENGL 1301-04
2 December 2014
Traffic Stopping
The Red Light District, Amsterdam. The damp city streets of the cold night are glistening
with the reflections of lampposts. In the display window of an old run down brick building,
women in skimpy outfits make provocative gestures to get the attention of oncoming bystanders.
The gestures are suddenly replaced with a powerful synchronized dance, with strong moves and
choreography. The crowed continues to grow as people jokingly dance along and snap pictures
of the dancers. Men are shown smiling, laughing, and enjoying the show. The dance comes to a
close and cheers and whistles fill the street. Above the worn building a billboard fades into view,
displaying the words: Every year, thousands of women are promised a dance career in western
Europe (Guillaume 2012). Sadly they end up here (Guillaume 2012). The joking and good
feelings seem to dissipate from the crowed, as looks of shock move from the billboard to the
dancers. From behind the glass the once strong dancers look helplessly at the crowd as if asking,
pleading for help. The stunned, almost guilty looking crowd is the last thing seen before the
advertisement blacks out and ends.
This stop the traffik advertisement was directed by Duval Guillaume Modem and
produced by monodot, to raise awareness for human trafficking. The ad has immense power
when it comes to catching the attention of viewers, especially, and specifically towards men. The
majority of the people in the audience of people watching the demonstration were men. Men are

Gutierrez 2
the target audience in this specific advertisement, because the majority of consumers who
participate in brothels and prostitution rings are men.
The ad shows this large group having a great time watching the girls, unaware of the
types of human enslavement that go on in Red Light establishments. Guillaume wants to not only
shed light on the problems facing Amsterdam, but a problem that has affected countries all over
the world. Trafficking is a criminal industry, and statistically difficult to keep up with the
average rate of people being bought and sold through specific countries and parts of the world.
However it is estimated between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S each year.
Fifty five percent of these annual groups will be women and young girls ranging from ages
twelve to sixteen. (Bales. CNN. 2013)
Despite the way things operate in the Red Light District of Amsterdam, the crowds in the
streets seem to number in the dozens. One point that the director pans the camera out
emphasizing the vast amount of individuals coming over to see his production. The consumers
are the ones who can stop the demand for trafficking. If the demand for prostitution decreases,
then the demand for having to traffic out girls would be decreased as well. Unfortunately, as
shown in the advertisement, the Red Light District is booming with business and doesnt show
any signs of slowing down. When a man or woman uses the services of the Red Light District
like massage parlors or brothels, they single handily give money to help fund the business of
human trafficking. That is why the director focuses on the people in the crowed. Without
demand the need for girls in brothels is low, if the need is low, then business is low and the girls
are no longer needed.
Lets take a look at the dancers for a moment. The dancers of course symbolize the girls
being trafficked. The dancers begin the dance with powerful moves that require strength and

Gutierrez 3
control. Towards the end of the dance while the sign is being displayed the movements of the
dancers slow down, giving off signs of distress, then proceeding to give out depression like
gestures to the crowd, like rubbing hands softly on the glass. It seems almost like the dancers are
explaining what is happening in the sign. If you recall the billboard first appeared with the phrase
Every year, thousands of women are promised a dance career in western Europe (Guillaume
2012). This is the first part of the dance routine. Strong promising woman and girls, ready to start
therere careers as dancers. There energetic there alive and ready to dance and be successful.
Sadly they end up here (Guillaume 2012). So begins the second part of the dance. The girls
have been tricked. Ahead lies no promising career; just years of working in massage parlors and
brothels. Selling themselves to fund something they wanted no part of.
The message goes a little further than just raise awareness, but also to take action. The
website the advertisement was created for is stopthetraffick.org. An organization dedicated to
stop the spread of human trafficking internationally and domestically. The website was featured
in the advertisement and its functionalities allow an individual to do a lot more than get a bumper
sticker or a badge. Here on the website you can donate, fundraise, find other members willing to
join the fight to end the enslavement of others. The site makes it easy and fast to send money via
credit card or cash. The site also has a section built for educating the public on what trafficking
is, and the horrors that surround these heinous criminal acts. After all human trafficking just
doesnt involve women tricked into false dancing careers. Men, children, and sometimes-even
elderly are put into the traffic ring, sold, and forced to preform manual labor.
The message is clear in this advertisement. It starts with the consumer, and there is a role
we can all play to help end human trafficking. Taking time to donate, fundraise, or even
becoming educated and aware is valuable in this fight. The focus of the advertisement shined

Gutierrez 4
light upon the people in order to raise awareness for the cause. All it takes is control from the
individual. The advert shows that behind good times there is something much darker taking
shape underneath, and unless its brought to someones attention, it goes unrecognized.

Gutierrez 5
Works Cited
Stop the Traffik. Advertisement. Girls Going Wild in Red Light District. Duval Guillaume, 4
Apr. 2012. YouTube. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Bales, Kevin. The Number. The CNN Freedom Project Ending Modern Day Slavery. 2013.
Web. 2 Dec 2014.