USAID and MTV Fight Human Trafficking

August 24, 2009

Indian pop star Sunidhi Chauhan and Nepalese headliners Nima Rumba, Kranti Ale, and Nalina Chitrakar will take a stand against human trafficking at a September 5th concert in Kathmandu, the first in a series of free MTV EXIT Live in Nepal concerts in Pokhara, Dharan, and Hetauda this September.

The September 5th concert will be held at 5 p.m. at Jawalakhel Stadium and  hosted by television and film star Malvika Subba, who narrated the MTV Exit (End Exploitation and Trafficking) documentary sold: An MTV EXIT Special. Subba is the MTV Exit campaign';s ambassador in Nepal. 

The MTV Exit campaign extends across all of Asia and is produced by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and MTV. Anti-trafficking organizations Maiti Nepal and ABC Nepal will provide information on how to combat human trafficking at the concerts.

"I am incredibly proud to perform at this important concert," Sunidhi Chauhan said. "I hope that through my music and involvement in the MTV EXIT campaign that millions of people learn about this tragic form of slavery."

"Efforts to stop human trafficking have been hampered by the public's lack of awareness about the severity of the problem," said Kevin Rushing, USAID/Nepal's Mission Director. Victims of trafficking are often young men and women MTV's demographic who are guilty of only wanting a better life. USAID is excited to fund this effort with MTV, in part because of their unique ability to reach millions of people and prevent Nepalis from becoming victims.

Non-governmental organizations in Nepal estimate that as many as 15,000 Nepali women and girls are trafficked to India annually, while 7,500 children are trafficked domestically for commercial sexual exploitation. In addition, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 Nepali girls become involuntary domestic workers each year within Nepal, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report.