Child sexual exploitation campaign uses celebrities to target men

AJ Buckley, Manoj Sood and Rick Campanelli speak out in edgy PSA

TORONTO, Oct. 26 /CNW/ - Beyond Borders launched phase II of its Man-to-Man campaign today with three hard-hitting public service announcements that will air on Canadian television stations. The PSAs feature CSI: NY actor, AJ Buckley, Little Mosque on the Prairie actor, Manoj Sood and co-host of ET Canada, Rick Campanelli.

"This campaign is ambitious," states Beyond Borders president, Rosalind Prober. "Our aim is to change attitudes about the sexual exploitation of children, not only among men generally but also among those prone to offend.

Although females also exploit children for sex, more than 90% of those charged with the offence are male. The campaign's simple premise is that without those who use children for sex and profit (the demand) there would be no victims (the supply).

Phase I of the campaign included male celebrities speaking out on the Beyond Borders website through a series of head shots and written statements. Manoj Sood is among the ten celebrities who came on board at the start. "I became involved because I agree that we need to "be more vocal and active with respect to this issue, says the actor. "It's time to "man up".

The PSAs have an edgy, nightmarish quality and feature the celebrities expressing distress and anger. What they're upset about isn't revealed. The spots are designed to drive traffic to the campaign website, endthedemand.ca. There, the celebrities introduce a riveting four-minute video of first-hand accounts of the impact of child sexual exploitation. The site offers suggestions about how men can take action, including steps those having thoughts about sex with children can take to put on the breaks.

"We're hopeful this campaign will get men talking and will be step one in terms of changing the offender mindset," states Prober. "An additional benefit is that the more men speak out about it the easier it will be for males who have been exploited to disclose and seek help."

Other celebrities involved in the campaign include, actor, Lorne Cardinal, NFL athlete, Israel Idonije, journalist/author, Victor Malarek, actor/director, Jason Priestley, style icon, Jay Manual, and race car driver, Jacques Villeneuve. A roster of French Canadian celebrities will be added to the campaign next month in a Quebec launch.

Visit www.beyondborders.org for more information on Canada's global voice against child sexual exploitation.

For further information:

Contact: Deborah Zanke [phone], [email protected]