Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign Takes Documentary Invisible Slaves (the Animation) to Vulnerable Communities in Mexico

• Ruta Cinépolis presents the MTV-produced Invisible Slaves (The Animation) documentary to raise awareness about human trafficking
• This series of outdoor film presentations provides an opportunity to showcase socially conscious content to many communities at no cost to them
• The documentary screening for this Ruta Cinépolis will take place in public spaces in 7 states throughout south and central Mexico

OAXACA, Oaxaca--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cinépolis Foundation, MTV EXIT Latin America, Teléfonica Foundation, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and EMC launched yesterday the Ruta Cinépolis Against Human Trafficking, a three-week long series of outdoor film presentations that will showcase the recently released anti-human trafficking documentary “Invisible Slaves (The Animation)”. During September, the events are expected to reach nearly 10,000 people, including children, youth and families living in communities where the problem of human trafficking is acute.

“Since 2005, Cinépolis has brought the cinema to communities displaced by poverty and natural disasters. Using a combination of social and entertainment content, we have implemented 115 outdoor presentations that have reached more than 164,000 people.”

Ruta Cinépolis (Cinepolis Route, in Spanish) against Trafficking will reach 11 cities in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Guerrero, Chiapas and Mexico City, as part of the campaign Tu Voz Contra la Trata (Your Voice Against Trafficking), an initiative that aims to reach youth and children at risk.

See Ruta Cinépolis calendar

This project has the support of the Cinépolis Foundation, Teléfonica Foundation, Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), MTV EXIT Latin America, EMC, and other members of the Alliance Against Human Trafficking in Mexico, which involves key partners from the Mexican government, the corporate sector, and civil society.

In coordination with the Telefónica Foundation, Ruta Cinépolis Against Human Trafficking will focus on carrying the message of respect for human beings to the thousands of children participating in the Proniño program, a comprehensive initiative that seeks to eradicate child labor in Latin America through education.

Giovanna Bruni Mondolfi, Director of the Telefónica Fundation in Mexico, said “Invisible Slaves will be presented in 7 of the 17 states we are implementing Telefónica Foundation’s Proniño program, which aims to help eradicate child labor through quality education. We hope to reach children and youth who are at risk of exploitation, and sensitize the general public to identify this type of abuse that affects millions in the country."

Lorena Guillé-Laris, Cinépolis Foundation Executive Director said, "Since 2005, Cinépolis has brought the cinema to communities displaced by poverty and natural disasters. Using a combination of social and entertainment content, we have implemented 115 outdoor presentations that have reached more than 164,000 people."

Invisible Slaves (The Animation) presents the stories of four young victims of human trafficking who were exploited and abused, and later escaped. Award-winning Calle 13 band members René Pérez Joglar (Residente) and Eduardo Cabra Martínez (Visitante), are featured in this animated 18-minute production that aims to bring attention to a global issue that is affecting Latin America, but in particular Mexico where the problem of human trafficking is most severe. The film received support from MTV Latin America, U.S. State Department, and Telefónica Foundation. It premiered on MTV Latin America channels in August and is available online.

The documentary is an important component of the Alliance’s Tu Voz Contra la Trata campaign, which closely supports the broader MTV EXIT initiative, created to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking. The campaign is currently expanding through mass media broadcasts of the documentary, social media activism, a national poster campaign, and local events that involve children and youth.

“The enormous attention that this campaign has received, and the actions that it has motivated, is a testament to how troubling the problem of human trafficking is to everyone in our society, in Mexico and around the world. Today, more than ever, your voice needs to be heard against this horrible phenomenon that every day destroys the lives of countless underage and young girls and boys, robbing them and us of a better future,” said Louis Alexander Senior Programs Director at PADF.

Documentary projections in each of the communities will be followed by the presentation of commercial films for the whole family with the aim of sharing joy with the community. Attendees will receive free popcorn and sodas.

All commercial films presented at the outdoor events have broadcast permission from MPLC Mexico, a key ally of the social program Ruta Cinépolis.

Tu Voz Contra la Trata stems from the Alliance Against Human Trafficking in Mexico which includes MTV EXIT, MTV Latin America, Telefónica Foundation, Cinépolis Foundation, the Pan American Development Foundation, the National Center for Human Rights (CNDH), the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), and civil society groups, including the Colectivo Contra la Trata, a group of NGOs that work on human trafficking-related issues.

Both documentary and campaign aim to increase the awareness of the risks of human trafficking and exploitation, measure the knowledge young people have about the issue, engage young people through education and calls for action to prevent further trafficking, and provide them with new opportunities to communicate through social networking platforms.

For more information please visit:
www.mtvexit.org
www.tuvozcontralatrata.org
www.padf.org/tuvozcontralatrata

Facebook:
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Twitter:
@MTVExitla
@tuvozcontralatrata

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About PADF

PADF is the development and relief arm of the Organization of American States, established in 1962 to implement integral socio-economic development programs for disadvantaged people, to strengthen civil society and community groups in support of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and to aid victims of natural disasters and humanitarian crises. In 2011, it helped more than 7.5 million beneficiaries in 23 countries. www.padf.org

About Cinépolis

Cinépolis is the world’s 5th largest movie theater circuit, operating more than 2,000 screens in 6 countries and serving more than 100 million patrons annually. The company aspires to provide its patrons the best overall experience in filmed entertainment and employs a global workforce of 13,000 people to support its mission. Founded in 1971, Cinépolis is privately held and is headquartered in Morelia, Mexico. www.fundacioncinepolis.com.mx

About Telefónica Foundation

Telefónica Foundation contributes to social development through access to knowledge. It does so through its own innovative social programs that use information technologies and communication (TIC), in addition to collaborative networks. In 2010, Telefónica Foundation invested 80 million Euros, worked with more than 800 educational, social, public and private entities, and implemented almost 5,000 initiatives that benefitted more than 37 million people in 14 countries. www.fundacion.telefonica.com/es

About MTV Networks Latin America

MTV Networks Latin America, US Hispanic & Canada, US Hispanic & Canada, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), owns and operates the company’s portfolio of entertainment brands which include MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and their respective properties in Spanish speaking Latin America as well as Viacom Networks Brazil. Additionally, the portfolio includes Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más in the US, which targets a broad US Hispanic audience, and MTV Networks International’s programming partnerships in Canada with Corus Entertainment for Nickelodeon and CTV Globe Media for MTV, Comedy Central and Vh1. The company’s emerging multiplatform businesses include MTVNHD and Red Viacom in Latin America as well as VH1HD in Brazil. MTV Networks Latin America, US Hispanic and Canada also serve the growing number of digitally connected consumers via its websites: www.MTVla.com, www.Mundonick.com, www.Vh1la.com, www.Vh1Brasil.com.br, www.mtvtres.com.