By Sok Lak
EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking), in partnership with the Royal Cambodian Government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development (AusAID), on November 29th announced that they will launch a media campaign with a concert at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on December 17th to advocate against human trafficking.
“The event will bring together international and local artists to raise awareness and help prevent human trafficking and exploitation,” a report from the organizer said. The concert will be headlined by the Korean girl band, After School and also an American pop band, The Click Five, and also joining the line-up are top local artists such as Preab Sovath, Sok Pisey, Cartoon Emo, Eklectic, and Thmore band.
H.E. Chou Bun Eng, Secretary of State of Ministry of Interior and head of the Secretariat of the National Committee to Lead the Suppression of Human Trafficking Smuggling, Labor Exploitation and Sexual Exploitation, said that the event will be exciting for people, especially young people in order to know about human trafficking and government cooperation, NGOs and other organizations who preach against human trafficking, as also all services to help victims, and ideas for young in participants to equally speak out against human trafficking as well as prevent people within their own radius from being victimized from such kinds of events.
“I strongly support and cooperate with all sides and hope that the participation of artists, the media, and the young generation will help to go against human trafficking activities in Cambodia more effectively.
The U.S. Government is committed to ending modern-day slavery. We are proud to work with all partners throughout the region, including the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) ASEAN, AusAID, and civil society groups,” said Jeff Daigle, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires.
H.E Penny Richards, the Australian Ambassador to Cambodia said that the risk of being trafficked is all too real for many Cambodians. “Individuals, families, businesses and governments all have a role to play in stopping this trade in human life and ensuring justice for its victims.
The Human Trafficking problem calls for a global response. Australia is committed to working with Cambodia and other governments in the region on this issue of shared international concern. “The Forum will bring together youth leaders aged 18 to 25 years old for a series of interactive workshops conducted by media professionals over 4 days, from 14 to 17 December 2011.
The Forum will strengthen the youth leaders’ creative skills, while challenging them to produce a campaign plan to take the fight against human trafficking back to their local communities. The report from the event said: Human trafficking is a crime that affects 2.5 million people worldwide and more than half is living in or around Asia and the Pacific. It is also happening here in Cambodia while many Cambodians and their families are affected by human trafficking mostly foisted on young people who are guilty of nothing more than wanting a better life for themselves and their families.
The MTV Exit concert tickets are free and can be obtained from Cellcard office in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang, Sihanoukville and Kampong Cham.
Source: The Southeast Asia Weekly, December 4-10, 2011, Vol. 5, Issue 49, Page 8
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