Girlhood

Survivor-led nonprofit The SHERO Foundation and its agency partner Duncan Channon have launched “Girlhood,” a pro bono campaign that reframes how sex trafficking is portrayed. The work blatantly omits showing the crime itself and instead focuses on what trafficking takes away from girlhood. The work was created as part of Purpose, Produced, a partnership between Kevin Bacon’s SixDegrees.org and Advertising Week that pairs top agencies with deserving nonprofits to create pro bono campaigns.

The campaign includes a two-minute hero film and three 30-second spots that capture a diverse group of girls simply being girls: taking selfies, making TikToks, and going to school. Viewers hear the real stories of women who were trafficked as girls, describing what was stolen from them long before anyone noticed something was wrong.

The contrast is deliberate. Rather than relying on familiar imagery of violence or exploitation, “Girlhood” exposes a reality that is often misunderstood: many victims are hiding in plain sight. Domestic sex trafficking most often affects girls and young women who are U.S. citizens, frequently meeting traffickers through social media or gaming platforms, while continuing to attend school, live at home, and post online.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the average age a girl is first trafficked is between 11 and 13, a statistic that shaped the emotional core of the campaign. By pairing survivor testimony with moments of everyday joy, “Girlhood” highlights what is truly at stake when a sense of safety, normalcy, and possibility is taken.

The campaign was produced pro bono, and came to life through an outpouring of support from the creative community and the town of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where much of the work was filmed. Photographer Sean Murphy and the team at Gannet Creative House led production alongside cinematographer Tyler Trant and line producer Skye Bailey, with local residents, businesses, and young performers volunteering their time, venues and resources.

Despite the lack of budget, the scale of the production is expansive, featuring scenes set in a bustling high school, a roller derby rink, live dance performances, and a park where four girls gather to play Dungeons & Dragons. one of the actresses had played before, yet they quickly began inventing worlds, rules, and futures of their own, staying long after cameras stopped rolling.

Additional footage was captured in the Bay Area by photographer Darius Riley, with editing, score, and color finishing also donated by collaborators who felt compelled to help tell the story. The result is a campaign shaped as much by community as by concept.

Alongside the films, Duncan Channon refreshed The SHERO Foundation’s visual identity, creating a streamlined logo system centered around its name and shield icon. The updated design improves accessibility and consistency across SHERO’s programs, helping build recognition as the organization continues to expand its reach.

The SHERO Foundation provides a full spectrum of care for girls and young women who have survived sex trafficking, including emergency housing, medical and mental health support, mobile wellness services, and long-term recovery programs such as art therapy and job training. Through its SHERO Shield prevention initiative, the organization also educates schools, families, businesses, and community groups to stop trafficking before it starts.

“It sounds strange to say, but for a nonprofit organization focused on combating sex trafficking – The SHERO Foundation is really rooted in joy. Their focus is on rehabilitation and awareness, on making sure these women and girls feel safe and accepted. We were incredibly inspired by that, and we wanted to create a campaign for them that reflected that purpose,” says Creative Director Jessica Wyatt from Duncan Channon.

"“Girlhood” supports that mission and the work that SHERO stands for by shifting the conversation away from shock and toward responsibility. Rather than asking audiences to witness harm, the campaign asks them to recognize what is being quietly taken and what deserves protecting. Thank you to SixDegrees.org for amplifying this message and Channon Duncan for crafting it so well. It will save lives,” stated Ginger Land-van Buuren, Executive Director, SHERO Foundation.

The Girlhood films will roll out across digital and social platforms beginning January 27, 2026.