The Real talk show co-host is using her platform to promote the film.
Jeannie Mai is promoting new film, Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking, to fight against modern day slavery.
Directed by Sadhvi Siddhali Shree, the documentary shines a light on child sexual abuse, child-focused cyber-porn, prostitution, and the enormously lucrative market for cyber and in-person sex trafficking.
The film will be shown in select theatres from 29 September until 5 October.
Mai, who co-hosts The Real talk show, used her Instagram to introduce sex trafficking survivor Karla to the world.
“Meet Karla, a survivor/activist of sex-trafficking from Mexico who was trafficked from age 12–16. She estimates she was raped over 43,200 times,” she wrote.
“Stories like this are why I’ll never stop my fight against human trafficking. I chose to be a part of the @StoppingTrafficFilm team because over two years was spent to produce a powerful, yet hopeful documentary about #human trafficking to the global community.”
“It’s not until you see and hear the woman behind the statistics that you understand how men, women, and kids as young as 4 years old are sold every 2 minutes — today. Mai Fam get involved in our movement,” she wrote. “Watch the film. Or pre-order from iTunes now.”
Speaking to Salon, Mai said the effects of sex trafficking extends beyond the victims.
“It affects every single person in our circumference because somebody you know is involved in trafficking somewhere. It’s that easy,” she said. “And every minute two children are being sold. I mean, that’s how common it is today, so we have to put a stop to it.”
“We have to end it and this film is a perfect way to understand how.”