Margeaux Gray, Image courtesy of The Pixel Project
Margeaux Gray is a survivor of childhood sex trafficking, having been sold into slavery at the age of 5 [1][2][3]. She is, also, an artist who uses her talent both to convey the trauma of abuse and to honor the individual, no matter how broken.
Ms. Gray advocates against all forms of abuse. She mentors at-risk youth, speaks publicly about abuse, and confers with physicians and organizations about improving health care and social services for victims.
Below are excerpts of an interview with Ms. Gray and images of her work:
“Human trafficking…thrives on the ignorance of family and the community. I was sexually exploited and sold into sexual slavery by a man who had my trust and the trust of my family…I was not kidnapped or locked away in a basement. My mom, sister, and aunt did not think twice about the two of us going out and doing things together.”
“Untitled” by Margeaux Gray at age 13, Image courtesy of AMA Journal of Ethics
“At around fourteen years old, I disclosed to a healthcare worker that I was being sexually abused. This was before human trafficking was a definition. It was reported to police. After that the trafficking lessened, but continued. I had an emotional attachment to the man who trafficked me. This is…referred to as traumatic bonding…It took four years for me to gain a greater understanding of the what had been and was continuing to be done to me.”
“A victim of slavery is a trauma victim and every survivor deals with trauma in different ways…Many victims…suffer with alcohol and drug addiction, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and sexually transmitted diseases to name a few.”
“Universal Light, Nurture and Nursing” by Margeaux Gray, Image courtesy of AMA Journal of Ethics
“Art…was a strategic way for me to cope and find some freedom when I had little. Through my healing it has allowed me a way to process my emotions resulting from being trafficked. Today I use it as an extension of my voice. I have specifically used visual art to educate, inspire, and empower others.”
Not all abuse victims are talented artists. But the arts — writing, drawing, painting, music, theater — are a way to reveal the pain we have endured while reaching toward something better, something more.
We need not become professionals to do this. We need not even share the results of our efforts with others, if that feels too intimidating. We need only allow the soul to express itself.
Even concentration camp victims have done this [4]. Because light is stronger than darkness. And love is stronger than hate.
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[1] The Pixel Project, “Inspirational Interview: Margeaux Gray – Part I”, 10/26/14, https://www.thepixelproject.net/2014/10/26/inspirational-interview-margeaux-gray-part-i/.
[2] The Pixel Project, “Inspirational Interview: Margeaux Gray – Part II”, 10/27/14, https://www.thepixelproject.net/2014/10/27/inspirational-interview-margeaux-gray-part-ii/.
[3] AMA Journal of Ethics, “Out of Darkness, Light: Drawing and Painting by Margeaux Gray” by Margeaux Gray and Mary Richards, 1/19/17, https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/out-darkness-light-drawing-and-painting-margeaux-gray/2017-01.
[4] Yad Vashem Collection, “Art from the Holocaust”, January 2016, https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/art/index.asp.
This series will conclude next week.
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse and More 