Cine ONU 4/12: Human trafficking and the risks to refugees and migrants

 

Filmed on five continents, in a dozen countries, Not My Life takes viewers into a world where millions of children are exploited, every day, through an astonishing array of practices including forced labor, domestic servitude, begging, sex tourism, sexual violence, and child soldiering. It is about the horrors and ubiquity of global human trafficking. “Human traffickers are earning billions of dollars on the backs and in the beds of our children,” says the film’s director Robert Bilheimer, “and yet no one knows this is happening. We have a huge responsibility, right now, to learn the truth and act on it.”

Challenging though it may be, Not My Life’s message is ultimately one of hope. Victims of slavery can be set free and go on to live happy and productive lives. Those who advocate for slavery victims are growing in numbers, and are increasingly effective. At this crossroads for the defining human rights issue of our time, Not My Life tells us, as the late Jonathan Mann said, “We can no longer flee, no longer hide, no longer separate ourselves.”

 

Heart of the Matter is a new film that will serve as a companion piece to Not My Life. It has been conceived in response to the current refugee crisis in Europe, where hundreds of thousands of refugees, especially children, are at risk of being trafficked in the months and years ahead.