March 20, 2009

Ananda Everingham And Taya Rogers Star In MTV Exit Animation About Human Trafficking

By News Desk

Intersection Launches in Singapore as Part of Regional Campaign

SINGAPORE- MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) today announced the release of Intersection, an adrenaline-fuelled animation that provides a hard-hitting look at human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Asia. The half-hour anime features the voices of film star Ananda Everingham and MTV VJ Taya Rogers. It will premiere on MTV Asia on 20th March 2009 at 10:30 pm.

Intersection is part of a series of MTV EXIT television programs produced in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to raise awareness and help prevent human trafficking across the Asia Pacific. Intersection is a riveting story told from the perspectives of five individuals who are part of the trafficking chain: the victim, trafficker, mamasan (brothel owner), brothel client and an undercover cop.

Ananda Everingham said: "I am proud to be a part of this project that will educate young men and women in Singapore and all over Asia on this important issue. I hope the animation will stir meaningful conversations about how we can fight against this tragic form of modern-day slavery."

The UN estimates there are 2.5 million trafficked victims in the world at any one time. More than half are from the Asia Pacific. Human trafficking is the second-largest illegal trade in the world after drugs, with criminals earning more than US$10 billion each year through the buying and selling of human beings. Hot spots in the Asia Pacific region include Singapore and Malaysia, which are destination countries for trafficking victims.

Taya Rogers said: "I hope a lot of young people, especially women, watch this program and understand that anyone can be a victim of sex trafficking. We have to protect ourselves and each other from this horrible practice."

The MTV EXIT campaign has reached over 20 million people in Asia Pacific. Many influential artists have supported MTV EXIT's special programming and events, including Angelina Jolie, Radiohead, R.E.M., Karen Mok, Rain and Tata Young.

"The purpose of the MTV EXIT campaign is to raise young people's awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and exploitation. Unique programs like Intersection are a creative and innovative approach to educating our audience about this critical social issue. The release of this program on MTV channels and other broadcasters across Asia will empower young people and their peers to avoid the dangers of human trafficking," said Simon Goff, MTV EXIT's Campaign Director.

"We're using a different medium, animation, to alert young people about the risks of human trafficking," said Olivier Carduner, USAID's Mission Director for Asia. "It adds to the body of work - documentaries, music videos, film shorts, concert specials and public service announcements - that MTV and USAID have released to reach potential victims and to promote law enforcement and victim outreach efforts."

MTV EXIT was launched in Asia with USAID in 2007. It is on air, online and on the ground. MTV and USAID held free awareness-raising concerts in Thailand and Cambodia in 2008, and plans to take the concert program to the Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal in 2009. MTV EXIT has partnered with more than 100 local and international non-governmental organizations across the Asia Pacific to raise awareness of human trafficking among the young people in those countries.

Intersection is MTV EXIT's first animated film. It is produced by JM Animation, the award-winning Korean studio that created the visually haunting Wonderful Days. Intersection's soundtrack features music by Radiohead of the UK and Thievery Corporation of the US. MTV EXIT will be releasing Intersection in English and Asian languages featuring the voices of well-known actors from throughout the region. MTV EXIT programming is produced rights-free and is free of charge for all broadcasters & organisations. All the programming can also be streamed and downloaded from www.mtvexit.org.

Intersection (English version) will air at the following times on MTV Asia:

Fri, 20 Mar at 10.30 pm

Sun, 22 Mar at 1 am

Sun, 22 Mar at 9 pm

Tue, 24 Mar at 11 pm