Blog

CONNECTING SILENT VOICES is an international collaboration sparking dialogue and awareness on global female sexual exploitation. It investigates the topic of arginalisation and exploitation of women in the sex industry; aiming to raise awareness and empower communities to create actions as well as to create visibility, debate and inclusion through art on a very marginalised and veiled nuance of violence against women.

The Malta landscape

In Malta, both research and the experiences of those working on the ground show a clear pattern: many women involved in prostitution are not there by choice. They are often driven by poverty, manipulation, or forced into it through trafficking networks. In this light, it’s clear that prostitution and human trafficking are not separate problems; they are deeply connected.

Both are rooted in inequality and power imbalances, and need to be addressed together. When countries legalise or fully decriminalise prostitution, evidence shows that it often leads to more harm, not less. Demand for paid sex tends to rise, and with it, the trafficking of women and girls to meet that demand. This means more exploitation, especially of the most vulnerable.

According to the Council of Europe’s GRETA Report (2021), Malta continues to be a destination for trafficked persons. The report highlights the need to improve how we identify and support victims, and how we hold traffickers accountable through the justice system. In 2019, a national coalition of 40 organisations — including five international ones — came together, led by Dar Hosea, to speak out on this issue. They warned that removing all penalties for prostitution, without also holding buyers accountable, could turn Malta into a destination for sex tourism and deepen the cycle of exploitation.

That warning was repeated in 2023, after an international conference hosted by Dar Hosea. There, 125 individuals and 99 organisations from Malta and abroad endorsed the same position: “the call for coordinated action to address the deeply entrenched link between prostitution and human trafficking in Malta, particularly in cases involving sexual exploitation; reaffirming that prostitution is not a form of empowerment but a form of violence, often glamorised in ways that obscure the reality of coercion, abuse, and systemic inequality” (Dar Hosea, 2025).

Connecting Silent Voices

Connecting Silent Voices is an artistic collaboration led by BILOURA Intercultural Arts Collective (Italy) together with WomanUp (Bulgaria), Artpolis (Kosovo) and Dance Beyond Borders (Malta) – the local coordinators of the project.

The Foundation aims to raise awareness around the urgent and often silenced issue of female sexual exploitation in Malta. Through accessible events; including performances, workshops, a film screening, and an education pack, we aim to break taboos, challenge stereotypes, and invite the public into meaningful engagement with this complex topic.

Rooted in collaboration, the project encourages actionable reflection and offers tools for individuals to better understand the local and global contexts of prostitution and human trafficking. By involving performing artists, experts, organisations, and audiences, the project aims to create inclusive spaces that raise awareness, encourage discussion, and inspire action.

This approach, known as Artivism, brings artists together with those already working on the cause, building alongside them. By working with key stakeholders and offering different ways for people to participate — whether by attending, creating, or learning — the project supports engagement and empowerment as steps toward social change.

Different Activities for ‘Connecting Silent Voices’

1. Main Performance – Silent Voices
   📍 Tuesday 22 July, 7:30pm, Valletta Campus Theatre
   🎟 Tickets
   The main event of the project, Silent Voices, launches Dance Festival Malta’s Artivism Platform. This performance explores the female body as a site of trade, pleasure, and pain; revealing how patriarchal systems intersect with economic vulnerability. Created through intercultural collaboration and grounded in women’s testimonies from four continents, it offers a raw, research-based reflection on global female sexual exploitation.
   Following the performance, a panel discussion will be led by Angele Galea, with speakers from academic, legal, and social fields. These include: Prof. Marceline Naudi, Maria Borg Pellicano, Dr. Lara Dimitrijevic, Beth Cachia, and Angie Rottensteiner. Together, they will explore the Maltese context of female sexual exploitation and invite public dialogue.
   20% of ticket proceeds will go to Dar Hosea, a local NGO supporting women involved in prostitution with care services, legal aid, and advocacy.
2. Workshop – Creating Art for Change: An Artivism Workshop
   📍 Wednesday 16 July, 6pm, Dance Studios, University of Malta
   📝 Register here:
   Led by Emilia Figiel and Biloura, this creative workshop invites performing artists into a space of reflection and co-creation. The focus is on ethical practices in socially engaged art and how through a process of questioning, exchanging and co-creating we can drive social change.
3. Private Workshops for Women Supported by Dar Hosea
   The project will offer private creative workshops in dance, music, and storytelling for women using Dar Hosea’s services, creating space for expression and empowerment.
4. Film Screening – Transborder Rape: Film & Discussion
   📍 Sunday 20 June, 5:30pm, St Patrick’s Salesian School, Sliema
   📝 Register here
   This powerful documentary, created by the Observatory on Gender in Crisis, follows women seeking asylum who face violence and sexual exploitation during their journey. It gives voice to those silenced by fear and injustice. A discussion will follow, in collaboration with Moviment Graffitti and guest Regina Egle Liotta Catrambone, exploring what we can do to respond to these human rights abuses.
   Led by Biloura Intercultural Arts Collective, Connecting Silent Voices is a winner of the Perform Europe Grant, the innovative funding scheme for the European performing arts sector supported by the European Union. Locally coordinated by Dance Beyond Borders, it involves the collaboration with local organisations Dar Hosea, Moviment Grattiffi and Observatory on Gender in Crisis; together with various experts including: Emilia Figiel, Angele Galea, Prof. Marceline Naudi, Maria Borg Pellicano, Dr. Lara Dimitrijevic, Beth Cachia and Regina Egle Liotta Catrambone. It is generously supported by Dance Festival Malta, Dance Studios School of Performing Arts of University of Malta, St Patrick’s School and Mark Bajada of Bajada Lyons Group – Ignazio Hotel.