VZCZCXRO5062
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGP #2161 3400833
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060833Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4548
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0499
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1903
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4163
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5788
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 1399

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 002161 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PHUM SOCI ELAB SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE PREMIERE OF TRAFFIC: AN MTV EXIT SPECIAL 
 
¶1. (U) MTV-Asia hosted the Singapore premiere of "Traffic: An 
MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) Special," a joint 
project of the U.S. Agency for International Development, MTV 
Networks and the MTV Europe Foundation.  "Traffic" is a 
documentary about human trafficking, hosted by UNICEF 
Goodwill Ambassador Lucy 
Liu.  The documentary includes a look at Singapore's 
Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), a 
shelter for mistreated and abused foreign workers in 
Singapore.  "MTV networks offer a unique opportunity to 
reach hundreds of millions of people in a region that 
accounts for many of the world's trafficking victims," 
Oliver Carduner, Regional Mission Director for USAID in Asia 
told the premiere audience on November 20.  DCM, Public 
Affairs Counselor and Poloff participated in the event.  The 
documentary was broadcast on MTV Asia every day through the 
last week of November, and MTV EXIT has established a website 
for easy information access.  MTV Asia DJ Denise Keller 
noted, "Raising awareness of the issue is the first step in 
ending this trade in human beings." 
 
¶2. (U) Simon Goff, MTV EXIT Campaign Director explained to 
the audience and press how MTV became involved in the fight 
against exploitation and trafficking.  "Many of the victims 
fall within MTV's 15-29 age demographic, which makes the MTV 
EXIT campaign critically important to MTV's audience," he 
said. 
 
¶3. (U) Bridget Lew, founder and president of HOME, spoke 
about her experiences in combating trafficking in the 
region.  She shared with the audience her belief that we can 
each be part of the solution and encouraged viewers of 
the program to speak up when they see domestic workers 
mistreated and to call an anti-trafficking organization to 
make them aware of problems.  While noting that HOME receives 
no GOS funding, Lew said that HOME works closely 
with the GOS to repatriate foreign workers who seek shelter 
with HOME and to pursue prosecution of abusive employers. 
 
¶4. (U) Saleemah Ismail, President of the National Committee 
for UNIFEM, Singapore, reiterated Lew's call for action. 
Over the past couple of years, Ismail has advocated for the 
Government of Singapore to pass legislation to criminalize 
child sex tourism, which was included this year in a a 
comprehensive revision of the 
Penal Code.  Ismail told the audience, "We were told it would 
take five years to enact such a law; but look at 
what we were able to accomplish because we didn't know it was 
impossible."  Ismail also urged that citizens of ASEAN 
countries use the inclusion of human rights in the ASEAN 
Charter as a way to hold ASEAN governments accountable for 
their human rights records. 
 
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm 
HERBOLD