AUGUST 10, 2005, 9:00 a.m. (ET)

Contacts: Pam Carter
Steve Barbour
202-401-9215

Ricky Martin Partners with HHS to Fight Human Trafficking

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 10, 2005 – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced its partnership with The Ricky Martin Foundation to continue raising awareness among English- and Spanish-speaking audiences on the issue of human trafficking. The partnership is the latest development in HHS's Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking national public awareness campaign.

“Ricky Martin is well known throughout the world and cares deeply about the well-being of children,” said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “Our partnership with Mr. Martin and his passion on combating human trafficking will expand the awareness of this growing problem.”

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, with thousands of victims trafficked annually into the U.S.

“More than half of trafficking victims worldwide are children, forced into pornography, prostitution and labor servitude. Human trafficking is one of the cruelest social problems in the world today,” said Martin.

To build awareness on the issue of human trafficking and to gain understanding on the methods available to rescue and restore victims, the partnership will include the distribution of radio and television public service announcements that provide a call to action to audiences in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The radio public service announcements, produced in English and Spanish, highlight the issue of human trafficking and the steps listeners can take to report suspected victims of the crime. The television public service announcements, also in English and Spanish, showcase Mr. Martin as he provides a visual depiction of the environment that human trafficking victims are forced to endure and the campaign hotline number to report instances of this crime. The hotline, 1.888.3737.888, will help identify local resources available in communities to help victims, and coordinate with local social service organizations to help protect and serve victims so they can begin the process of restoring their lives.

For more information on human trafficking, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking. For more information on the Ricky Martin Foundation, please visit www.rickymartinfoundation.org.