Description United Nations, 12 February 2009 - Academy Award-winning American actress Mira Sorvino was named today as Goodwill Ambassador to combat human trafficking for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Meeting victims of the sex trade while preparing for her role in the miniseries "Human Trafficking" was what propelled Sorvino to become active as an advocate to end the practice. She said that "people certainly look up to the UN" and "just being a representative of the UN gives me a greater platform from which to be heard". She was therefore "really thrilled to take on this challenge". She said that human trafficking was about "slavery, this is people being abused and used as dishrags, less than dogs, less than cockroaches." A new report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says sexual exploitation accounts for nearly 80 per cent of human trafficking cases. Only one out of every 100 victims is rescued. Related links: Global Report on trafficking on Persons (.pdf): www.unodc.org Webcast Video: webcast.un.org News story: www.un.org
