Generosity From The Heart: Fighting Human Trafficking One Photo At A Time
Religion & Liberty Online

Generosity From The Heart: Fighting Human Trafficking One Photo At A Time

Tanner Stewart did not intend to become an abolitionist. His passion is photography. But his gift for taking amazing photos led him to fight human trafficking.

In 2012, Stewart was on a trip to Bulgaria, volunteering for A21, an organization that educates about trafficking and provides care for trafficking survivors. Stewart was bluntly confronted by trafficking in a chance encounter:

Stewart, a Seattle-based photographer, had spotted a man holding a baby. Wanting to capture the beautiful moment, he asked the man if he could take a photo. After a brief exchange, Stewart’s translator pulled him away from the man and his child.

“I said, ‘What’s wrong?’, and [the translator] said, ‘Oh, well, the man just said you can buy his baby for $50,'” Stewart said.

It was that moment, Stewart says, that made him an abolitionist. He has used his talent to create a book of photographs, and is donating the proceeds to A21. Stewart comments that his gift of photography has taught him about being generous, and that it is not how much one gives, but what one does with the gifts and talents that God gives you.

Elise Hilton

Communications Specialist at Acton Institute. M.A. in World Religions.