USAID-MTV Pan-Asian End Trafficking and Exploitation Campaign

BACKGROUND 

Nearly 800,000 people – mostly women and children – are forced or defrauded into labor or sexual exploitation and trafficked across national borders each year. This estimate does not take into account the millions of people worldwide who are trafficked within their own countries. 

The U.S. Government has a critical role in the fight against trafficking in people (TIP), and USAID is uniquely positioned to engage this issue across Asia. TIP, by its nature, is a regional problem. Victims from developing countries are often trafficked to wealthier neighboring nations, and possibly to destination countries in the region or much farther away. Prevention, protection, and prosecution programs can benefit from a regional perspective working across national borders. 

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

USAID, the MTV Europe Foundation (MTVEF) and MTV Networks Asia Pacific (MTVNA) have joined in a partnership to raise awareness about and increase prevention of trafficking in persons in Asia.  The campaign is on air, online and on the ground.

In order to maximize the impact of this campaign and address regional sensitivities, the initiative’s efforts have been split into two distinct geographic regions  — South Asia (the Indian subcontinent and surrounding nations) and the Asia-Pacific. 

PROJECT COMPONENTS

On Air

"Traffic" and "Sold" full-length documentaries:  The cornerstones of the project are a pair of documentaries  — "Sold" for South Asia and "Traffic" for the Asia-Pacific — which introduce the victims, traffickers and end users, as well as the police and members of the public who are committed to stopping the trade in human beings. 

These films are then made for release in individual countries. They are hosted and narrated by a major pop or movie star, speaking in his or her native language.  The hosts, including Rain in South Korea, Christian Bautista in the Philippines, and Lara Dutta in India, tell viewers how to avoid traffickers and protect family members and friends. They also discuss the importance of not being complicit in human trafficking. 

The films have been broadcast from Mongolia and Japan to New Zealand and Australia.  Lucy Liu hosts the English-language version.

Film shorts: MTV is making collections of anime and live-action film shorts that will premiere in 2008. 

Public Service Announcements (PSAs):  Several 30- and 60-second PSAs are being developed to raise awareness about trafficking and its prevention.

More than 380 million households in the MTV Asia Pacific Broadcast Region and Distribution network can be reached via these on-air components.

Online 

Websites:  MTVEF has launched an EXIT campaign website (www.mtvexit.org) in eight Asian languages. It has documentary downloads, awareness and prevention information, and links to organizations dedicated to the fight against human trafficking. MTV is also launching social networking pages on myspace, youtube and other websites.

On the Ground

National events:  A series of MTV events are envisioned for source and destination countries to raise awareness, garner media coverage, and bolster support for local NGOs that are working to stem human trafficking. These events will feature international, regional, and/or local artists, and involve local NGOs. Large-scale events like these are highly effective vehicles to raise awareness among young people and the media. In many countries, particularly source countries, MTV name, logo and image convey an aura of excitement and lend credibility to events and to issues, such as human trafficking.

Road shows:  Acknowledging that many of the most vulnerable people don't have access to television, MTV is planning to bring the campaign to rural communities that are often preyed upon by traffickers. The documentaries and film shorts will be shown at community fairs, concerts and other events, likely on a truck outfitted with a large screen.  The events will involve local artists, radio and TV personalities, and NGOs. The films are distributed rights-free and will be given to local theatres, community centers, libraries, and schools.

Anti-trafficking materials:  The project will work with NGOs to develop simple, attractive, culturally sensitive materials in local languages for young people to use as references. The materials will include NGO information and hotline numbers.

The on-the-ground component needs additional funding. USAID RDMA is looking for sponsors and partners to expand this segment of the USAID-MTV EXIT campaign.

CONTACT

FURTHER READING

• Asian Awareness Campaign to Counter Trans-national Trafficking in Persons 2006 (230KB)