To correct the impression that the prostitutes may be there of their own free will, an installation was created in one of the canal houses. In the left window, a hologram of a pretty young girl shows her beckoning to customers out in the street. In the window on the right, passers-by get to see how she got there. They see her forced into the sex trade. Eventually the girl rings for help. At this moment, Bluetooth activates the mobile phones of the audience and they hear the girl’s voice speaking directly to them: ‘Help me, please help me.’

This unique initiative was wholeheartedly supported by Amsterdam’s City council. The Chief City Councillor wrote: “Informing the public in the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district could not be done in a more realistic and persuasive way.” Interviews with those who witnessed the event in Amsterdam revealed that it had had a profound impact - not least because it exposed the brutality of the sex industry right before their very eyes. Coupled with the Bluetooth phone call from the victim, the installation literally stopped people in their tracks, its immediacy and surprise adding a tangible level of engagement.