September 2011, Singapore – MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) premiered its first episode of Enslaved: An MTV EXIT Special hosted by Jared Leto from Thirty Seconds to Mars on 17 September 2011 at 1.30pm. With heartwarming scenes,this half-hour documentary features a compilation of human trafficking stories of real people from across Asia that raises awareness as well as increases prevention of human trafficking and exploitation in Asia.
It is the second in a series of 12 new documentaries to launch across the region with the remaining versions featuring locally specific human trafficking stories from each country, hosted by local celebrities. This follows from the previous release of MTV EXIT’s first documentary Traffic hosted by Lucy Liu.
MTV EXIT is produced by MTV EXIT Foundation in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development (AusAID).
Human trafficking is defined by the United Nations as “the recruitment , transportation, and receipt of a person for sexual or economical exploitation by force, fraud, coercion or deception” in order to make a profit. The UN estimates that at any one time there are 2.5 million trafficked victims in the world, with the majority of these victims in Asia and the Pacific. It is the second-largest illegal trade after drugs, with criminal traffickers earning over US$10 billion every year through the buying and selling of human beings. Often victims are young men and women – the MTV demographic – who are guilty only of wanting a better life.
Enslaved tells the stories of Janet, a young Filipina woman trafficked to Malaysia and forced into sex work, Vannak a young Cambodian man trafficked for forced labour on board a fishing vessel in Thailand, and Siti, and Indonesian woman trafficked to Malaysia and forced to work as a domestic slave.
The documentary series provides information on how you can protect yourself against trafficking and encourages everyone to stand up, take action and be part of the fight to end exploitation and trafficking.
Ambassador of the United States to Singapore, David Adelman said, “Singapore and the United States share the same strategy – the 4 P’s approach – Prosecution, Protection, Prevention and Partnership – to defeat human trafficking on a global level. We encourage the Singapore Government to sign on to the Palermo Protocol, the 2000 UN TIP Protocol. The U.S. looks forward to an increase in real time sharing of information and intelligence among law enforcement agencies and more public awareness projects to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts especially involving minors.”
Australian High Commissioner to Singapore Doug Chester says, “This MTV EXIT documentary gives a voice to human trafficking survivors and reminds us that a global and ongoing effort is needed to stop this crime. Individuals, families, businesses and governments all have a role to play to end the trade in human life. Australia is committed to working with Singapore, the United States, and the broader region, through ASEAN, to tackle this issue of shared international concern.”
Visit www.mtvexit.org to find out more about human trafficking and exploitation in Asia, or follow MTV EXIT on Twitter (@mtvexit) and www.facebook.com/mtvexit.
Broadcast details of ENSLAVED: An MTV EXIT Special
Premiere: Saturday, 17 September 2011 12.30PM (WIB), 1.30PM (SG/HK/PHIL), 2.30PM (MAL)
REPLAYS: 21 September 2011, 11.30pm (WIB)
Thursday, 22 September 2011, 12.30AM (SG/HK/PHIL), 1.30AM (MAL)
Saturday, 24 September 2011 6PM (WIB), 7PM (SG/HK/PHIL), 8PM (MAL)
MTV Exit, a cutting edge, innovative educational campaign to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and exploitation, has taken a 365 degree approach to the prevention and eventual eradication of exploitation and trafficking cause. There are On-Air, On the Ground, Online and Partnerships elements to the campaign to reach out to millions of people.
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