October 30, 2007

U.S. Ambassador Cameron Hume Introduces U.S-Funded
MTV Documentary on Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Bahasa Indonesia

Jakarta , October 30th -- U.S. Ambassador Cameron Hume introduced Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special, a MTV-produced documentary on human trafficking in Southeast Asia at the Time Break Café, in Plaza Semanggi today.  The film program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been received enthusiastically by audiences in China , Malaysia and India , when it was shown in those countries.  

The documentary film features the true stories of three people – an Indonesian, Filipino and a Burmese – who were trafficked into domestic servitude, prostitution and forced labor.  The film explains how people can guard against trafficking and what they can do to help end exploitation and trafficking.  

 “This film is meant to save lives. Through MTV, it will reach millions of young people, the group most at risk in Asia ,” said Ambassador Hume speaking at the film’s premiere at Time Break Café in Plaza Semanggi.  

Traffic is presented in Bahasa by Indonesian celebrity Krisdayanti.  The documentary was a joint project of the MTV Foundation/Europe and USAID.  USAID plans to reach 380 million households in Asia in order to raise awareness about the issue and to prevent trafficking in persons in the region.  The documentary is part of a larger campaign that includes short anime films and public service announcements and MTV events to alert people about the dangers of trafficking and to bolster NGO anti-trafficking activities.  

Human trafficking is a worldwide criminal enterprise that is second only to illegal drug trade earning an estimated US$7-$10 billion annually.  

For more information on USAID and what the U.S. government does to fight human trafficking, including our annual Trafficking In Persons report, please visit the U.S. Embassy website at: http://jakarta.usembassy.gov.

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