Stars Shine Light On Child Slavery

mara · a grateful fan

A Nic attended charity event?

mara · a grateful fan

Poetic justice is slow, and these guys are inmune to regular justice. Exasperating.

Oom · Soon to be retired blabbermouth

I liked how you said the powers would be would be dripping blood. I do believe that what goes around comes around. Karma is going to take care of the evil ones of the world one way or another........

mara · a grateful fan

I hear you Jenny, and couldn´t agree more! Giving heart warming speeches is one thing, and rolling up our sleeves is another. But whatever we do, as symbolic as it may seem, can make a small difference in wealthy people´s consciences and in poor people´s lives.

As for the powers that be, their hands are dripping blood. They´re the ones who can stop all that but won´t, ever, as long as they´re making big bucks out of it. So, the bottom line is there´s only a handful of heroes who´re helping this unfortuante people on the spot. It´s impressive to learn you were one of them as a student Jenny. Must have been quite an experience.

jenny · Resident CRAZY Doc

Ditto my ladies,
but those are just words...............I know this is also impotrant to point out such topics, and NIC does it perfect, but i think, there are people, stronger than NIC, stronger than we, strong enough to CHANGE something.
Because I think, everybody say..OK, it is important to provide some help for kids, but WHO REALLY IS DOING THAT?

Sorry to say that, after some time spent like a student of medicine with the people /kids/ under neverending suffering in less "developed" countries,

those are just words for me

-- Edited by jenny on Saturday 16th of May 2009 01:06:57 PM

Oom · Soon to be retired blabbermouth

Very proud.

Although the cause may seem insurmountable (how do you stop such practises in regimes who believe human life is so cheap and discardable?), people trying to make a difference have to start somewhere. Baby steps CAN lead to huge strides over time.

It's wonderful to know Nic cares about those who are often forgotten and is trying to make a difference.

mara · a grateful fan

A short clip of Nic hosting the event... We´re so proud of him aren´t we? Slavery is unconceivable in our modern world, yet it still lingers in so many forms... Ending this atrocity is a worthy cause to fight for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB2CrCPr91k

-- Edited by mara on Friday 15th of May 2009 06:17:31 PM

mara · a grateful fan

All I can say is WOW: Mr. Ban-Ki-Moon loves Nic´s films and appreciates his concern over humanitarian matters. Warm words towards him.

REMARKS BY UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON AT THE OPENING OF THE "WELCOME TO GULU" EXHIBITION (AS RELEASED BY THE UNITED NATIONS)

854 palabras

14 de mayo de 2009

Federal News Service

inglés

SEC.-GEN. BAN: Dear Fris, Thank you very much, Mr. Nicolas Cage, for a very kind introduction. I am glad you are here today - I was thinking that as soon as I saw you my daughters will love to have your autograph!

I am glad you are here because it means you are continuing your efforts to raise awareness about global challenges.

Mixed in with all the action and special effects in your movies are some more important messages.

"The Rock" focused on the threat of chemical weapons.

As you saw in the last scene, "The Lord of War" showed us the dangers of the illegal arms trade. I hope more such movies are in your future. The United Nations deps on people throughout the world to use their influence and, yes, their stardom, to advance global causes.

In that same spirit, I also welcome all the other bright lights who join us from the arts and entertainment industry. I just met Alec Baldwin - thank you very much. It is not often that the United Nations has so many boldface names in one room, although some of you have been supporting us for years. I appreciate your advocacy.

I imagine many of you are invited to more fabulous parties in more glamorous locations. But you are here this evening because you care about the issue of human trafficking. And you understand the profound contribution that Ross Bleckner is making through his work.

Today Ross Bleckner will make history by becoming the first fine artist to be named as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. I welcome him to our family and I hope many others follow.

His tremously powerful exhibition, "Welcome to Gulu", proves that art has a unique and important mission in advancing peace and human rights. With his eye, Mr. Bleckner has been able to show the world a side of human trafficking that a diplomat never could. I have my role to play in fighting the horrous abuse of children we see in northern Uganda and elsewhere. But only an artist as visionary and compassionate as Mr. Bleckner could allow the victims to express themselves so eloquently.

Their paintings show that although they have ured terrible forms of abuse, these children retain a purity and love of life that are the birthright of all youth. Only art - the kind of empowering art that Mr. Bleckner has facilitated through this life-changing project - can offer such a profound perspective.

It is vital that we shine a harsh light on the terrible trade in humans. I recently reported to the Security Council on the extent of this problem. I listed parties that are recruiting children to fight in conflicts, and abusing girls as sexual slaves. We call this "name and shame." I urged the Security Council to take action against those guilty of these atrocities.

At the same time, I am all-too-aware of the limits of my office. Naming and shaming are critical to confronting perpetrators.

Punishing them is essential to fighting the culture of impunity. But none of that will truly heal the boy who has been forced not only to witness killings but to commit them, or the girl who has suffered multiple rapes.

That is why I so deeply appreciate Mr. Bleckner's contributions. He has done more than just expose a problem - he has taken steps toward solving it. For him, the victims are not just poster-children trotted out to show the devastation caused by human trafficking. They are people with full rights, talents and aspirations. They are speaking in their own voices, painting their own images and healing in the process.

I was delighted to learn that proceeds from the sale of these powerful paintings, and from Mr. Bleckner's compelling portraits, will benefit former child soldiers and abducted girls.

Fris, Two years ago, my wife opened another exhibition sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime here at UN Headquarters called "Human Trafficking: Images of Vulnerability." She decried the trade in people, and she said, "Thanks to this exhibit, it is staring us in the face." Then she called for action. "Let us not just look at these pictures and walk away," she said. "Let us be moved to act." There was an artist in the audience that day who took those words to heart. His name is Ross Bleckner, and we see today the results of his passionate activism.

So I repeat the words my wife spoke then: Let us be moved to act. You may not have the same painting skills as Mr. Bleckner, but each and every one of you can make a difference in your own sphere of influence.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime is showing the way through its invaluable activities. By supporting UNODC, we can stop human trafficking so that the people who are today in shackles can tomorrow be free to contribute to a better world for all.

Thank you.

Oom · Soon to be retired blabbermouth

May 13, 2009 11:36 AM

Stars Shine Light On Child Slavery

Posted by Pamela Falk | Comment On This Post

This story was written by CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk, reporting from the United Nations.

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) was not a likely international organization to follow Hollywoods lead to expose the horrors of modern day slavery. But this week, there was a red carpet entrance at the General Assembly and the stars mingled in the moonlight facing the East River on the outdoor veranda of the Delegates Dining Room, to showcase paintings by young victims of the rebel war in Uganda.

Actor Nicolas Cage was there to introduce U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He was accessible and chatty, telling diplomats, stars and journalists that a project like this one brings public awareness to the issue. In addition to Cage were Alec Baldwin, Adam Yauch, Antoice Fuqua, Deborah Roberts, Kat DeLuna, Joy Behar and Rachel Roy.

The unusual glitzy gala was in honor of American painter Ross Bleckner after he was named to be the first artist to be a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, joining the ranks of Nicole Kidman, George Clooney, Mira Sorvino and Angelina Jolie.

The concept is not new; Danny Kaye started the Goodwill Ambassadors program for UNICEF in 1954 and had Hollywood engaged. But with an economic downturn and the U.N. occupied by major security crises around the world, Hollywood has been at the frontlines of exposing human trafficking with movies like "Taken" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

Thus, the event was a return to the U.N. of the rich and famous. The idea was to shed light on a problem that is vexing the international community and growing. Bleckner was named as the U.N. Goodwill Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking with the opening of an art exhibition displaying paintings by former child soldiers and abducted girls from Uganda to bring attention to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) "Blue Heart" campaign against human trafficking.

The "Welcome to Gulu" exhibition, which Bleckner curated for the U.N. anti-drug office, UNODC, and the International Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims, was set up to add to existing U.N. funding and proceeds going to the victims, who painted the artwork under Mr. Bleckners supervision in Uganda.

The issue of human trafficking is near to the Secretary General Ban Ki-moons heart: his wife opened another exhibition two years ago called "Human Trafficking: Images of Vulnerability." The Secretary-General, facing the crowd of stars of stage and screen at what could have been an Academy Award or Grammy event, said, "It is vital that we shine a harsh light on the terrible trade in humans. I recently reported to the Security Council on the extent of this problem. I listed parties that are recruiting children to fight in conflicts, and abusing girls as sexual slaves. We call this 'name and shame.' I urged the Security Council to take action against those guilty of these atrocities."

In Gulu, Uganda, Bleckner worked with 25 children, now aged 13 to 21, who had been kidnapped when they some were as young as 9 years old and forced to fight for the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda, or to work as sex slaves. The issue of human trafficking is not just in Uganda: around 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States from at least 35 countries each year.

"If evil is present in this world, so is good," said Under Secretary General Antonio Maria Costa, the Executive Director of the UNODC. And, along with the Host & Supporting Committees including Alec Baldwin, Joy Behar, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman, the pictures painted by the young victims in Uganda did effectively shine some light on an issue that is difficult for the U.N. to tackle without some significant star power.

Oom · Soon to be retired blabbermouth

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/31365/ross-bleckner-helps-ugandan-kids-paint-a-brighter-future/

Ross Bleckner Helps Ugandan Kids Paint a Brighter Future

By Ruthie Ackerman

Published: May 8, 2009

Courtesy Ross Bleckner

Ross Bleckner in Uganda

NEW YORKRoss Bleckner sees tragedy, beauty, horror, illness, sex, fear, and death in his paintings. Half a world away from his sunny Chelsea studio, he found much of the same trying to bring some comfort to former child soldiers and sex slaves in Uganda, who are haunted by an orange-tinted visage of the warlord who allegedly tore them from their homes.

Bleckner, known for large-scale abstract paintings and his dedication to AIDS-related causes, said he has always been fascinated with politics, history, and journalism, yet he does not consider himself an overtly political artist. But on some level, he said in a recent interview, everything is political.

What I want to give off in my work is an engagement with real issues and ideas, Bleckner told ARTINFO in his studio. Along those lines, I see what you do in your studio and outside your studio as very connected.

In January, Bleckner traveled to Gulu in Northern Uganda on an official mission for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In Gulu, he did art therapy with 25 young people, now aged 13 to 21, who had been kidnapped as children some as young as 9 and forced to fight for Joseph Kony, the guerrilla leader of the Lords Resistance Army, or work as sex slaves. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Kony for his role in the brutalization of civilians, including murder, abduction, sexual enslavement, and mutilation. In recent years, Northern Uganda has been plagued by scores of rebel groups that abduct and recruit thousands of children to fight against the Ugandan army and civilian communities.

Although Bleckner is used to teaching he is a professor of studio art at New York University it was a shock to him to work with kids who had never even seen paint and didnt know that yellow and blue, when mixed, make green. More surprising was that many of the children repeatedly drew Kony with an orange face. Theyre still scared of him, he said. But the amazing thing is that when you see these kids, theyre incredibly gentle and open. Once they trusted me, they were really ready to move forward and actually express their appreciation for their lives.

On May 12, the UNODC will appoint the 59-year-old Bleckner as a goodwill ambassador at an exhibition and ceremony titled Welcome to Gulu. Two hundred of the childrens paintings will be exhibited and sold at the benefit, with proceeds going to support child soldiers and abducted girls. Attendees are expected to include actor Nicolas Cage, hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, designer Calvin Klein, and artists Ghada Amer, Chuck Close, Eric Fischl, and Jeff Koons.

Simone Monasebian, the chief of the UNODCs New York office, told ARTINFO that she thought of Bleckner for the appointment after seeing his paintings of cancer and AIDS cells, which she says told the story of HIV in an imaginative and beautiful way, last year. We wanted someone to bring that same imagination to human trafficking, to empower people to want to do something about it without turning them off, she said. We knew a painting, unlike music, needs no translation. It is immediately accessible to everyone.

The United Nations estimates that human trafficking is a $32 billion-a-year business, with women and children the majority of the victims.

Funds to ship brushes, paint, and paper for the mission were provided by Eleanora Kennedy. Louise Blouin, publisher of Louise Blouin Media, ARTINFO's parent company, provided additional support in funding a documentary crew to film the mission.

For more information or to find out about tickets to the May 12 "Welcome to Gulu" exhibition and benefit, contact monasebian@un.org.