Source: The Mynmar Times
By Nyein Ei Ei Htwe
Volume 31, No. 618
March 12 - 18, 2012
March 12 - 18, 2012
THE Music Television End Exploitation and Trafficking (MTV EXIT) campaign has produced a documentary on human trafficking in Myanmar, which will premiere on MRTV and MRTV-4 later this month, the film’s director said last week.
The film, titled Enslaved, was produced by MTV EXIT in partnership with the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons (CBTIP), Myanmar’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Government Aid Program (AusAID), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
According to the MTV EXIT website (www.mtvexit.org), Enslaved “documents the real-life experiences of people involved in the trafficking chain”.
“Three brave survivors tell of their harrowing experiences: Kyi Kyi, a woman trafficked to China for marriage; Ko Min, a man trafficked onto a fishing boat in Thailand; and Vatsana, a woman sold by a friend to carry out domestic labour for over 10 years with no pay in Thailand,” the website said.
Mr Matt Love, the film’s director and the Myanmar campaign director for MTV EXIT, told The Myanmar Times that he hoped the documentary would educate viewers about human trafficking and the need for all nations to cooperate in stopping the problem.
“We created a specific story with the experiences of three victims, police officers and NGOs workers in Myanmar. … We also worked with local production teams and we hope to present a strong message to the audience,” he said.
The documentary is narrated by rock vocalist R Zar Ni, who said he accepted the job because he knew that human trafficking was a big problem in Myanmar.
“We started working on the film last June and finished recently. I narrate the story, which is about people from Myanmar being trafficked to China and other countries. The film also includes interviews with real victims,” R Zar Ni said.
“By watching the documentary we can learn about trafficking and understand the feelings of the victims. It is everyone’s responsibility to end trafficking, but first they need to know how to end it.”
Enslaved marks MTV EXIT’s second foray into Myanmar to make a documentary about human trafficking. The first visit occurred in 2009 as part of a film exploring the issue across Asia.
“For the first film we interviewed trafficking victims from Myanmar, the Philippines and Malaysia,” Mr Love said, adding that celebrities from different countries took part in the project, including singer Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein from Myanmar
He said MTV EXIT has been making educational documentaries about human trafficking since 2004, using music and local celebrities to help raise public interest.
“Our campaign mainly focuses on Asia, even though trafficking is happening all over the world. According to UN records, half of all victims come from Asia,” he said.
Mr Love said the specifics of the human trafficking problem differ from country to country.
“Most Myanmar women are trafficked to China for marriages and Myanmar men are trafficked to Thailand to work in the fishing industries,” he said.
He said his organisation, in cooperation with the Myanmar government and non-government organisation partners, starting conducting research for Enslaved in Myanmar about nine months ago.
“We researched human trafficking and found recent stories for the documentary, so I believe we made a film that can highlight the people of the country,” he said.
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