The MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) campaign is a multimedia initiative produced by MTV EXIT Foundation (formerly known as the MTV Europe Foundation) to raise awareness and increase prevention of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

and

modern slavery Contemporary slavery, also sometimes known as modern slavery or neo-slavery, refers to institutional slavery that continues to exist in the 21st century. Estimates of the number of enslaved people range from around 38 million to 49.6 million, d ...

. The MTV EXIT Foundation was co-founded by Tom Ehr and Simon Goff The MTV EXIT Foundation is a registered UK charity launched by

MTV Networks Europe Paramount Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) is a division of Paramount International Networks which is fully owned by Paramount Global. The unit's headquarters are in Madrid, with additional offices in Berlin, Lisbon, Paris, A ...

in 2003 to use the power and influence of

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

's brand and broadcasting network to educate young people about the social issues affecting their lives. The main elements of MTV EXIT's campaign include: # On Air; the production and broadcast of both dedicated and peripheral campaign exposure. # On the Ground; awareness-raising events including large-scale concerts, youth sessions, roadshow events and community screenings. # Online; production and maintenance of a multi-language, youth-oriented awareness and prevention website. In June 2004, MTV EXIT Foundation and Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) joined in an alliance to combat trafficking in women for sexual exploitation in Europe. The campaign was branded as MTV EXIT, and launched in July 2004 at the EXIT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia & Montenegro. In 2007, MTV EXIT expanded across MTV's channels in Asia and the Pacific in partnership with

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

AusAID Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

, Walk Free, and

ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...

. The campaign features similar elements to the European initiative. MTV EXIT in Asia and the Pacific is focusing on three major forms of trafficking in Asia and the Pacific: sex trafficking and forced prostitution, labour trafficking, and forced domestic servitude. Also, due to the complexities of trafficking and the differences found geographically, the campaign is split into two regions: Asia-Pacific and

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. Taking into consideration all outputs of MTV EXIT including their partnerships with over 50 anti-trafficking NGOs across Europe and Asia, the alliance has directly reached an estimated 7.5 million people through television, events, and the Internet, and countless more through additional media coverage generated.

History

The MTV Europe Foundation was established in 2003 by

to expand its commitment to

social issues A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control. Soc ...

and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

. As a result, MTV Networks Europe launched the MTV Europe Foundation, a legally independent, but closely related, corporate charity. The MTV Europe Foundation is incorporated under United Kingdom law as a charitable company (UK Charity. No.1103267Charity Commission
/ref>). The MTV Europe Foundation runs multimedia campaigns including the MTV EXIT campaign to fight human trafficking. In 2010 The MTV Europe Foundation was renamed the MTV EXIT Foundation.

On Air

The MTV EXIT Campaign has been producing an array of programming since 2004 in multiple formats including music videos, documentaries, short fictional films, live event programmes, and

public service announcements A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

MTV EXIT Live

MTV EXIT has also made a number of live programs including: Rise: A Tough Ascent (featuring Kate Miller-Heidke); Placebo Live in Angkor Wat; The Click Five Live in Cambodia; MTV EXIT Live in Taiwan; MTV EXIT Live in Manila; MTV EXIT Live in Yangon; and MTV EXIT Live in Bangkok. MTV Exit Live Yangon

Distribution

To maximize the coverage of the campaign all MTV EXIT programming is produced rights-free and distributed free of charge to any broadcaster that wishes to air the programming as well as any organisation or individual that wants to use the programming in outreach educational work.{{cn, date=April 2020

References

MTV Contemporary slavery Human trafficking