12.00 - 14.00, Tuesday 12 February, Heldenplatz, Vienna: Members of the media are invited to join Emma Thompson, the Oscar-winning actress and Chair of the Helen Bamber Foundation, and Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, for an exclusive preview of The Journey, a unique art installation that maps the journey of a victim of human trafficking and opens this week in Vienna's Heldenplatz.
The Journey Against Sex Trafficking uses seven transport containers to illustrate the brutal and harrowing experiences of women sold into the sex trade. The Journey aims to show visitors the reality of human trafficking - a crime that happens every day, all around the world. The installation arrives in Vienna to coincide with the first-ever global forum on human trafficking, The Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking, which opens on Wednesday 13 th February at 10.00.
Mr Costa will be taking questions from the media about the Parliamentary Forum, also taking place on Tuesday, which is bringing together over 100 Parliamentarians from across the world to discuss the lead legislators can take to fight the crime. They will be debating a new handbook which outlines the practical legislative steps that can be taken by elected officials to fight human trafficking. He will also be taking questions about the Film Forum which begins on Tuesday evening at 20.00 and will be screening 19 movies from 11.00 - 22.30 at Metro Kino until Friday 15th.
Mrs Thompson and Mr Costa will take questions from the media 12.00 - 12.30, after which the media will be invited to have an exclusive preview of the installation. The Journey opens to the public from 10.00-18.00 daily, from Wednesday 13 th to Saturday 16 th February.
This event provides an excellent photo opportunity for the press.
Members of the media who would like to attend the preview, should register with:
· BROADCAST: Faridoun Hemani; fhemani@linxproductions.com ; tel: +44 7748 648 355
· PRINT: Toby Orr; toby.orr@portlandpr.co.uk; tel: +44 7736 175 311
The Vienna Forum will bring together 1,200 experts, legislators, law enforcement teams, business leaders, NGO representatives and trafficking victims from over 100 countries. The Forum has been convened under the auspices of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).
For further information on UN.GIFT and the Vienna Forum, please visit www.ungift.org
For further information on the Helen Bamber Foundation, please visit www.helenbamber.org
For further information on the Film Forum, please visit www.filmarchiv.at
