November 22, 2007

Lucy Liu Joins MTV EXIT Campaign To End Exploitation And Trafficking

By News Desk

Lucy Liu, the star of the new ABC series Cashmere Mafia, and of hit movies such as Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, is turning her attention to the critical social issue of human trafficking by presenting a unique and powerful MTV documentary aimed at raising awareness and increasing prevention of human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific.

Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special presented by Lucy Liu premiered on November 20 in Singapore. The program is the lead feature of the MTV EXIT Campaign in the Asia-Pacific. Lucy Liu is joining well-known Asian celebrities, including Korea's pop icon Rain, Thailand's Tata Young, Greater China's Karen Mok, and Bollywood star and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta, to raise awareness about this issue.

Traffic tells the stories of real people who unwittingly became part of the trafficking chain, including Anna, who was trafficked from the Philippines and forced into prostitution; Eka, an Indonesian woman trafficked into forced domestic servitude and a life of slavery; and Min Aung from Burma, who was trafficked to Thailand and imprisoned for two years in a factory.

Their harrowing stories are told alongside other people in the trafficking chain, including a trafficker from the Philippines who has been forcing girls into prostitution for over 20 years, a young man from Taiwan who pays for sex, an anti-trafficking police officer from Thailand, and a woman who runs a shelter in Singapore for victims of trafficking and other abuses.

The documentary gives insight into the realities of trafficking, emphasizes that everyone plays a role in the issue, and provides information on how individuals can protect themselves against trafficking, as well as what people can do to help end exploitation and trafficking.

"I first became aware of the tragedy of human trafficking through my work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and I am now very happy to be able to join the MTV EXIT Campaign to educate young people about this form of modern-day slavery," said Lucy Liu. "We all have to make a stand against trafficking, and awareness of the issue is the important first step towards bringing an end to this cruel trade in human beings."

"Human trafficking has become a critical human rights issue facing young people across Asia and the Pacific. Victims are subject to horrendous abuses, including rape and torture, with women and girls particularly affected," said Bill Roedy, Vice Chairman, MTV Networks. "MTV EXIT is part of our commitment to highlighting issues affecting young people in Asia and across the world, and we are delighted that Lucy Liu is joining us and lending her powerful voice to the fight against trafficking and exploitation."

"Law enforcement and community-level efforts to stop human trafficking have been hampered by the public's lack of awareness about the severity of this problem," said Olivier Carduner, USAID's Regional Mission Director for Asia. "USAID is funding this project to reach hundreds of millions of people in a region that accounts for many of the world's trafficking victims," Carduner said. "Raising awareness will encourage communities to promote the law enforcement and victim outreach efforts needed to stop this atrocious crime."

MTV EXIT television programming is produced rights-free and free of charge for all broadcasters and organisations. All the programming is also available to be streamed and downloaded from www.mtvexit.org.

Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special presented by Lucy Liu will broadcast on MTV Asia at the following times:

Showtimes
Singapore/Hong Kong

Premiere Sat, Nov 24, 9pm
Repeat
Sun, Nov 25, 10pm
Mon, Nov 26, 10.30pm
Tue, Nov 27, 6pm
Wed, Nov 28, 1.30pm
Thu, Nov 29, 4.30pm
Fri, Nov 30, 9pm

Malaysia

Premiere Sat, Nov 24, 10pm
Repeat
Sun, Nov 25, 11pm
Mon, Nov 26, 11.30pm
Tue, Nov 27, 7pm
Wed, Nov 28, 2.30pm
Thu, Nov 29, 5.30pm
Fri, Nov 30, 10pm

For more information, visit MTV EXIT's official website.