A new art project in Greenwich Village is purposely turning heads as it explores the world of sexual slavery and forced labor. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

The contents of a row of shipping containers along Washington Place tell a horrific story -- the lives of woman trafficked across the globe into the sex industry.

"In order to comply, the woman are beaten, raped, starved, into submission," said Human Rights Activist Helen Bamber.

"Journey" the art installation near Washington Square Park illustrates the experiences of a woman who was forced into sexual slavery.

International experts say at any given time some 2.5 million people are recruited, entrapped, transported and exploited for sex or forced labor. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports people from 127 countries are victimized in 137 different nations.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hopes the exhibit raises awareness among New Yorkers of what he called a heinous form of exploitation in a city that is not immune to it.

"It will encourage, we think, greater understanding and reporting of human trafficking in our city," Bloomberg said.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the exhibit is "The Bedroom" -- a foul smelling room that depicts the place that many victims of human trafficking are sent to live and work.

The project is the result of a team effort by artists from around the world. Among the supporters of the effort to educate on the issue is oscar winning actress Emma Thompson.

"It invites you in to kind of feel a facsimile if you like, of what this experience is," Thompson said.

Visiting the installation is free. It will be on Washington Place near Washington Square East through Sunday.