U.S.-Funded Film to Help Fight Human Trafficking

December 18, 2007

“Traffic,” the centerpiece of a USAID-MTV anti-human trafficking campaign, premiered on December 18 in Hanoi for Vietnamese audiences.  U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael W. Michalak joined representatives of MTV and Vietnamese agencies to launch the documentary at the Hanoi Cinematheque.

This short film, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region.  It is being shown regionally as a part of MTV's EXIT Campaign.  The film is presented in Vietnamese by renowned singer Ha Anh Tuan.

As Ambassador Michalak noted at the premiere, “'Traffic: An MTV EXIT Special’ is an important film.  It calls for reporting factories and households that use bonded, forced or enslaved labor, and to report contact with people trafficked for sex.  In the final analysis, these actions will save lives."

The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation And Trafficking) Campaign, one of numerous U.S. Government-funded trafficking-in-persons programs in South East Asia, is a regional campaign focused on prevention of trafficking. This program compliments bilateral and regional programs conducted by the U.S. government in its effort to fight human trafficking.

Last year, the U.S. Government contributed more than $74 million to fund anti-trafficking programs, while working with the governments and peoples of 70 countries, including Vietnam.