Popular Puerto Rican band Calle 13 to help raise awareness of child trafficking

November 29, 2011 | (Catholic Online)

Human trafficking in Latin America – where mostly children are tempted with promises of a better life in foreign lands, such as the U.S., only to be used covertly in slave labor, is an ongoing problem in the 21st Century. The International Labor Organization has estimated that around 2.4 million people worldwide have become trafficking victims. In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, more than 550,000 children have been trafficked.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF communications specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean Tamar Hahn, says that the highest rate of trafficked children into the U.S. comes from Latin America, with more than 17,000 children trafficked into the U.S. in 2010.

“While it is hard to quickly change these underlying causes of trafficking or exploitation, UNICEF is trying to install more knowledge and awareness around the issue,” she said. “Young people are looking for opportunities overseas for study or work and this is how (others) can exploit them.”

“This is one of the most pressing issues drawing young people in and we need to educate them to have a better understanding of situations to avoid and how to prevent themselves from being exposed.”

UNICEF launched a new campaign last month to tackle the issues of trafficking, exploitation and HIV in Latin America. Joining forces with MTV Latin America and TR3S, the groups have created MTV EXIT, and have recruited Puerto Rican super group Calle 13 to help awareness among young people.

The effort will primarily use social media outlets and a documentary, to be broadcast on MTV Latin America. Calle 13, a band that has won multiple Latin Grammy awards will be spreading the message in both words and music to youth.

“We have been working with Calle 13 over the past few months on the production of the documentary and music video and we feel that this collaboration is going to have a strong impact on the issue,” Simon Goff, CEO of MTV EXIT says.

“We believe Calle 13′s involvement will have a big impact in engaging and inspiring youth on this issue,” Goff added.

Rene Perez Joglar, who makes up half of the two-man band, said at a press conference that he was drawn to the campaign when he found out about victims of child labor and those being sexually exploited.

Joglar likened the situation in Latin America to the 21st century version of slavery, calling it devastating, “because children are the future of every country’s development.”

© 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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