Slavery is probably not something you associate with MTV. But think again. MTV has been running an awareness-raising project about slavery: MTV EXIT. The network is helping combat human trafficking through innovative campaigns to inform young people.
The newest initiative is in India, a country with the highest estimated population of people in slavery in the world today (14 million). MTV EXIT has released a docudrama series to expose injustices endured by these trafficking victims. It’s called TRAFFIC: STOP.THINK.ACT.
By using real-life case studies, MTV EXIT is targeting India’s educated urban youth “to inspire them to take a moment from their lives, open their eyes and look around and question the injustice.” The goal is to mobilize young people to stand up and say “no” to modern-day slavery.
The program features five episodes, each on a different form of trafficking. “These are stories from our neighborhood and our cities and happening in homes, beauty parlors and factories near us,” says series presenter Anurag Kashyap. “These are stories happening behind the closed doors and walls around us. We are a part of these stories because we are the consumers who demand cheap labor and cheap sex.”
Promotional videos about several episodes are available online: Goa Mizo’s story about sex trafficking, Harimati’s story about forced marriage, and Namita’s story about domestic servitude.
Former Free the Slaves fellow and Indian trafficking expert Vithika Yadav worked with MTV on the series to ensure the stories reflect the reality of slavery in India today. You can visit the Free the Slaves India webpage to learn more about slavery in India, our projects to end it, and how you can help.
