Jason Mraz to Headline Myanmar Concert to Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking

USAID

USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, is an independent U.S. Government agency that operates under the foreign-policy direction of the U.S. Secretary of State.  Since 1961, USAID has been the principal U.S. Government agency extending assistance to countries worldwide recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.  USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia, based in Bangkok, oversees a broad portfolio of regional and transnational programs, and also provides support to several USAID bilateral missions in Asia as well as manages programs in countries in which it does not have a permanent presence.  Its regional approach addresses problems that cross national boundaries, such as human and wildlife trafficking, HIV/AIDS, natural resources conservation, trade, and political and economic conflict.  Please see http://www.usaid.gov for more information.

AusAID

AusAID is the Australian Agency for International Development. Australia's development assistance is guided by the Millennium Development Goals, the internationally agreed targets for poverty reduction, and by the Australian aid program's objective to assist developing nations to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development. Australia works with NGOs, multilateral institutions and volunteers, as well as directly with national governments. Australia's support to the MTV EXIT Campaign complements other anti-trafficking work AusAID is undertaking in the region. These projects include the Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons (ARTIP) Project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of criminal justice agencies in South East Asia to respond to human trafficking; Project TRIANGLE, which works with governments in the region to improve the living and working conditions of migrants; and Project Childhood, which seeks to better protect children from child sex tourism and improve government systems to put the perpetrators of this crime behind bars. See http://www.ausaid.gov.au for more information.

Walk Free

Walk Free is a new movement of people everywhere working together to end one of the world's greatest evils: modern slavery. As we build our community across the world with the powerful tools of new technologies and social media, we will seek change at local, national and global levels. Walk Free's aim is to mobilise citizens, governments, businesses and communities to take action - so that slavery in all its forms is brought to an end, and people everywhere can walk free. http://www.walkfree.org

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)  

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. The Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. General information on ASEAN appears on-line at the ASEAN Website: http://www.asean.org.

Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is defined by the United Nations as "the recruitment, transportation, and receipt of a person for sexual or economical exploitation by force, fraud, coercion, or deception" in order to make a profit. It is a form of modern-day slavery with the UN estimating that there are more than 20 million people living in slavery around the world, with the majority of these victims in Asia and the Pacific. It is the second-largest illegal trade after drugs, with criminal traffickers earning over US$10 billion every year through the buying and selling of human beings. Often, victims are young men and women - the MTV demographic - who are guilty only of wanting a better life.

SOURCE MTV EXIT

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