The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by MTV EXIT Foundation (formerly known as the MTV Europe Foundation) to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking. MTV EXIT Foundation is a registered UK charity launched by MTV Networks Europe in 2003 to use the power and influence of MTV's brand and broadcasting network to educate young people about the social issues affecting their lives.
MTV EXIT in Europe: In June 2004, MTV EXIT Foundation and Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) joined in an alliance to combat trafficking in women for sexual exploitation in Europe. The campaign was branded as MTV EXIT (End Exploitation & Trafficking), and launched in July 2004 at the EXIT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro. The main elements of EXIT includes On Air, the production and broadcast of both dedicated and peripheral campaign exposure; On the Ground, awareness-raising events, and Online, production and maintenance of a 14-language, youth-oriented awareness and prevention website. With extensions, the alliance concluded on 30 November 2005. MTV EXIT has directly reached an estimated 7.5 million people through television, events, and the Internet, and countless more through additional media coverage generated. Partnerships were formed (and continue) with over 50 anti-trafficking NGOs across Europe.
MTV EXIT in Asia and the Pacific: In 2007, MTV EXIT expanded across MTV's channels in Asia and the Pacific in partnership with USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. The campaign features similar elements to the European initiative. MTV EXIT in Asia and the Pacific is focusing on three major forms of trafficking in Asia and the Pacific: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, labour trafficking, and forced domestic servitude. Also, due to the complexities of trafficking and the differences found geographically, the campaign is split into two regions: Asia-Pacific and South Asia.
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The MTV EXIT Campaign has been producing an array of programming since 2004 in multiple formats including documentary, short fictional films, live event programmes, and public service announcements. Some of these shows have been listed below:
Presented by Angelina Jolie, is a documentary that provides an introduction to the human rights tragedy of trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation in Europe. Featuring Anna, a woman from Romania, who was trafficked by her neighbor to the Balkans where she was forced to be a prostitute for 2.5 years; and Tatiana, a victim who spent 6 months as a sex slave in Amsterdam after being sold by her boyfriend. Their stories are told alongside other characters in the trafficking chain, including a potential victim, a young man who pays for sex, an anti-trafficking police officer, and prevention and assistance organizations. The show was produced in 2005 and is available in Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian and Spanish. It can be watched and downloaded for free here.
A unique programme presented by multiple celebrities in multiple languages that addresses the issue of human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific. Told through the stories of real people, the show features Anna, trafficked from the Philippines and forced into prostitution; Eka, an Indonesian woman, trafficked into forced domestic servitude in Singapore; and Min Aung, from Burma, trafficked to Thailand and imprisoned for 2 years in a factory. Their harrowing stories are told alongside other people in the trafficking chain, including a trafficker who has been forcing girls into prostitution for over 20 years, a young man who pays for sex, an anti-trafficking police officer, and a woman who runs a shelter for abused victims. The film gives an insight into the realities of trafficking, addresses the part we all play in the issue, and gives information on how to protect ourselves as well as what we can do to help end exploitation and trafficking. Traffic is presented by the following celebrities: Lucy Liu - English; Rain - Korean; Tata Young - Thai; Karen Mok - Mandarin; Verbal of M-Flo - Japanese; Christian Bautista - Tagalog; Krisdayanti - Indonesian; D. Bold - Mongolian; Ha Anh Tuan - Vietnamese; Kai from Overdance - Laos; Phyu Phyu - Myanmar. The show was produced in 2007 and 2008 and can be watched and downloaded for free here.
A documentary presented by Lara Dutta, an Indian actress and UNFPA Ambassador, in both Hindi and English and by Malvika Subba in Nepali. The programme introduces the tragedy of trafficking in South Asia where thousands of young girls and boys are sold into modern-day slavery. It features Pramila, an 18 year old girl who was trafficked from Nepal to a brothel in Delhi; Afsana, a 16 year old who was trafficked from her village in Bangladesh into forced domestic servitude in Calcutta; and Zakir, who was just 11 when he was trafficked by his aunt into a Zari factory. Their stories are told alongside those of other people from the trafficking chain - including a middleman who preyed on young women in Mumbai before selling them into brothels, a Zari factory owner who has witnessed trafficking and exploitation, and an inspirational trafficking survivor, Gita, who now works as a border guard looking out for potential victims and traffickers. Sold provides a compelling look into this dark, inhuman, and exploitative world and shows how each one of us can help to prevent modern-day slavery. The show was produced in 2007 and can be watched here.
A short documentary film of the Filipino trafficker featured in the Traffic documentary. The film looks in more detail at the life of a trafficker and how he exploits and forces women into prostitution. In Tagalog with English subtitles.
These are short pieces focusing specifically on the victims from MTV Exit's 2005 documentary, Inhuman Traffic.[1] The first short tells the story of Anna, the second short tells the story of Eka, and the third short is the story of Min Aung. These pieces can be used together, or aired separately. The shorts explore each victim’s vulnerability, recruitment, and eventual exploitation in greater detail than in Inhuman Traffic. 13:46 version in .mov format 13:46 version in .wmv format
This short documentary, hosted by Lucy Liu, uses the characters and footage from the documentary, Traffic. This program uses extended interviews with many of the characters, and is cut into 4 sections: Exploitation; Vulnerability; Targeting; and Solidarity & Action. It can be used as an easy to understand introduction to the issue of human trafficking in the Asia Pacific region. http://download.mtvexit.org/quicktime/01-human_trafficking_intro.mov http://download.mtvexit.org/windowsmedia/01-human_trafficking_intro.wmv
A series of short films presented by supermodel and celebrated photographer Helena Christensen, Gavin Rossdale of rock groups Bush and Institute, and Howlin' Pelle Almqvist of Swedish rockers The Hives. Premiered across MTV Europe in May 2005 the films provide specific awareness and prevention information about trafficking. The films were shot in Belgrade, Serbia, an area hit hard by the tragedy of trafficking. The show was produced in 2005 and can be watched and downloaded for free here.
In early 2009, MTV EXIT completed its first animated film. Intersection is a stark, stylish, and high quality anime that provides a hard-hitting look at human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Asia. It is a riveting story told from the perspectives of five individuals who all play a part in the trafficking chain: Mei (the victim), Dulok (the trafficker), Mamasan (the brothel owner), Chan (the brothel client), and Ryu (an undercover cop). The half-hour film features the voices of film star Ananda Everingham and MTV VJ, Taya Rogers. Intersection was produced by Korean animation studio, JM Animation, the award-winning studio behind the highly-acclaimed, visually haunting, Wonderful Days (Sky Blue). The soundtrack features music by UK rock band, Radiohead and Thievery Corporation. Intersection is available in the following languages: Chinese Mandarin, English by Ananda & Taya, English by MTV Philippines, Japanese, Tagalog, Thai, Lao, Italian, Portuguese, French, Greek, Estonian, Latvian/Lithuanian, Turkish and Ukrainian.
The film was selected to receive Best International Human Rights Short at the 2009 Artivist Film Festival.
A live action drama is also in production in Mumbai for the South Asia market.
Since 2004 MTV EXIT has produced multiple PSAs to raise awareness about human trafficking across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. These include: Sunita Multi-Purpose; Deal Of The Decade; Go with English; Go with English – Reveal; Hospitality Job; Hospitality Job - Reveal; Computer Game; Musical; Happy Anniversary; Pole Dancer; Shoes; Truth; Cribs; Pimp; Subway; Streaker; Streaker World Cup 2006 Site; Trophy; Business; Train; Dollshouse; ITA Training Video 1; ITA Training Video 2
MTV EXIT and Radiohead partnered to produce a music video for Radiohead's track All I Need off the album In Rainbows. The video itself is shown in split screen: one side depicting a day in the life of a young child from an affluent, developed area; the other showing the day in the life of a child being forced to work in a sweatshop. The video was launched on May 1, 2008, International Labour Day.
Awards received:
MTV EXIT and alternative rock band The Killers partnered with UNICEF and USAID to produce a music video that dramatically highlights the dangers and impact of trafficking for sexual exploitation, particularly for young women. The video, for the band’s track Goodnight, Travel Well from the album Day & Age premiered globally across all of MTV’s properties on-air and on-line on Monday July 13, 2009. This video represents the second in a series of music video collaborations to highlight the dangers and impact of human trafficking.
Awards received:
MTV EXIT and Muse, in partnership with USAID, released a music video "Muse and MTV EXIT: MK Ultra," the third in a series of award winning music video collaborations to highlight the dangers and impact of human trafficking. Produced for the band's track MK Ultra from the album The Resistance, the video was launched globally across all of MTV's properties on-air and on-line on Friday, September 17, 2010.
MTV EXIT has also made a number of live programs including: Rise: A Tough Ascent (featuring Kate Miller-Heidke); Placebo Live in Angkor Watt; The Click Five Live in Cambodia; MTV EXIT Live in Cambodia; MTV EXIT Live in Taiwan; MTV EXIT Live in Manila; and MTV EXIT Live in Bangkok
The MTV EXIT campaign in Europe has been raising awareness of trafficking on the ground through concerts, festivals, and other cultural events. The events include:
The MTV EXIT campaign first collaborated with the EXIT Festival in 2004 to dedicate the festival to the fight against trafficking. In 2005, the collaboration continued with a dedicated MTV EXIT stage. In 2006 and 2007 the MTV Europe Foundation (now known as the MTV EXIT Foundation) continued to work with festival on other social issues.
During their 2005 European tour rock group R.E.M. supported the MTV EXIT campaign by inviting local anti-trafficking organisations to attend each of the events and distribute awareness and prevention information. For more information click here.
In 2004 and 2005 the MTV EXIT campaign joined with Belgrade Fashion Week to use the power of music and fashion to raise awareness of human trafficking through on the ground events and television programmes.
The first music event of the MTV EXIT Asia campaign took place at Air, with a DJ set by Suuirumn.
[2] The MTV EXIT Europe website is now available in 19 European languages. Please follow the respective links: English; Albanian; Bosnian; Bulgarian; Croatian; Czech; Dutch; French;German; Italian; Macedonian; Polish; Portuguese; Romanian; Russian; Serbian; Slovenian; Spanish; Ukrainian
The MTV EXIT Asia and Pacific website is now available in 8 Asian languages. Please follow the respective links: English; Indonesian; Japanese; Korean; Simplified Chinese; Traditional Chinese; Thai; Tagalog (Philippines); Vietnamese
To maximize the coverage of the campaign all MTV EXIT programming is produced rights-free and distributed free of charge to any broadcaster that wishes to air the programming as well as any organisation or individual that wants to use the programming in outreach educational work.