LexisNexis Helps Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking

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LexisNexis Canada Inc.
Apr 23, 2010 10:03 ET

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - April 23, 2010) - LexisNexis Canada, a leading provider of information and services solutions to law firm, corporate, government and academic professionals, teamed up with experts and leading advocates yesterday evening to educate participants about the urgent need to combat the degrading and violent practice of human trafficking. LexisNexis hosted the Toronto premiere of the critically acclaimed film Holly and led a discussion with a panel of anti-human trafficking experts and advocates including Guy Jacobson, an award-winning filmmaker and president of Priority Films; Rosalind Prober, co founder and president of Beyond Borders, a Canadian non-profit organization working to stop global child sexual exploitation; and Christine Lonsdale, a partner at law firm McCarthy Tétrault. The evening's events were attended by members of the Canadian business, legal, government and academic communities.

Produced and co-written by Jacobson, Holly is a film about a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl sold into prostitution in Cambodia. The film is based on the true stories of abducted children and their fight for freedom. It was shot on location in Cambodia, including many scenes in actual brothels in the notorious red-light district of Phnom Penh.

The special screening of Holly in Toronto is part of a global tour for the film, made possible by LexisNexis, to educate professionals about the global and local prevalence of human trafficking. In Canada, the RCMP says that 600 to 800 people are sold in the country every year, mostly as sex slaves, and about 2,000 more are sent through Canada to the United States. Around the world, Interpol estimates that trafficking of children and young women is the third largest international criminal activity.

LexisNexis, as part of its global commitment to the Rule of Law, is a strong advocate for action to halt human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children around the world. LexisNexis believes that the Rule of Law is the critical component for protecting and advancing human rights around the globe. In an effort to make a difference, LexisNexis has applied its resources-people, solutions, expertise and direct financial aid-to combat human trafficking.

"LexisNexis has had a major impact on human trafficking through our participation in efforts such as the Polaris Project in the U.S. and the Somaly Mam Foundation, all founded on our underlying support for the Rule of Law," said Andy Prozes, CEO, LexisNexis Group. "Human trafficking exists around the world today because of an absence of Rule of Law and the civil rights that typically protect men, women and children from human trafficking. We operate on the premise that public corporations are stakeholders-alongside governments and NGOs-in global issues. Through collaborative working relationships, we can make a difference to people around the world. As a Canadian, I am delighted that we can bring Holly, and this discussion, to Canada to highlight human trafficking and how it can be stopped."

Prozes attended the Holly screening and provided introductory remarks.

Rosalind Prober founded Beyond Borders in 1996 with children's rights lawyer Mark Erik Hecht. Beyond Borders is the Canadian affiliate of ECPAT International, a global network of organizations and individuals working together to eliminate child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

At McCarthy Tétrault, Christine Lonsdale leads the law firm's Unaccompanied Minors Project, which matches the firm's lawyers with children who arrive alone at Toronto's international airport from foreign countries and helps them navigate the complicated refugee claim process.

The panel discussion was chaired by Patrick Collins, CEO, LexisNexis Canada.

"The brutal exploitation of the world's most vulnerable people is absolutely reprehensible and as a society we simply cannot allow it," said Collins. "In some parts of the world there is no Rule of Law, no justice, and no social or economic development. We cannot turn a blind eye to those parts of the world and we certainly cannot tolerate human trafficking for a moment in Canada."

Editor's note: Photos of yesterday's event are now available, as are DVD copies of Holly for background or review by the media. Please email media@lexisnexis.ca or call 613-238-3499, ext. 202.

About LexisNexis

LexisNexis® (www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. A member of Reed Elsevier [NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK] (www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 15,000 employees worldwide.

LexisNexis Canada Inc. (www.lexisnexis.ca) provides information and services solutions that serve the changing needs of professionals in law firms, corporations, government and academic institutions. LexisNexis offerings include the Quicklaw® online legal research service; Butterworths® print and CD ROM titles and newspapers for legal, accounting and other professionals; the Lexis and Nexis research services for global online legal, news and business information; and leading solutions in Practice Management, Client Development and Litigation Services.

For further information: Media Contact:
Tracy Smith
LexisNexis Canada Inc.
613-238-3499, ext. 202
tracy.smith@lexisnexis.ca/


LexisNexis Helps Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking