Minga's Let's Get Real Campaign: Public Service Announcements
the problem:
The child sex trade is an invisible monster among the world’s scourges. Experts measure global warming with melting ice caps, the spread of HIV/AIDS with diagnoses and the level of poverty with empty stomachs. Calculating the number of young people trapped in guarded brothels, in the back-rooms of businesses and behind the closed doors of residences is far more difficult. An estimated 2 million children are involved in the global sex trade.
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) includes child prostitution, child sex trafficking, child pornography, child sex tourism, underage marriage, and the sale or transfer or child sex organs. According to Shared Hope International, more than 100,000 children in the United States are victims of sex trafficking, and at the end of 2000, there were as many as 325,000 children at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. The average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. is 13 years old.
The child sex trade has developed rampantly by preying on the vulnerability of children. Some youth leave home and meet masters of coercion: pimps and kidnappers who exploit them for commercial gain. These young people have lost any sense of personal agency that would empower them to escape.
vital stats:
people impacted:
100,000people involved:
100why it's important:
Minga’s staff recognizes this vulnerability but also strongly believes that youth have an immense capacity for power. Our young age is our most precious resource, as we have infectious curiosity and passion. When made aware of the child sex trade, young people want to make a difference. Minga is both youth-led and youth-driven. We understand the issues of our generation and we identify with our audience.
We believe Minga’s greatest power in countering the child sex trade is prevention. Our goals are to 1.) inspire youth to take action that raises awareness in their communities, 2.) teach youth to avoid entering prostitution, and 3.) prevent our generation from becoming future abusers by exposing the realities of the child sex trade. We hope to bring our methods of education and empowerment to scale, creating a mass movement of young people who think about the sexualization of children in a different way. This topic is taboo, and a certain stigma surrounds its victims. We want youth to start the conversation, commit to action, and remove the stigma so that victims can heal.
the plan of action:
Our current strategy involves the production and airing of several public service announcements. The PSAs will be specific, simple calls to action that ask young people to raise awareness of the child sex trade in their communities. The campaign will employ the top-down model, by which youth are inspired by their role models to take action. The plan is to involve one or more admirable, responsible celebrities who share our target audience.
Minga will also create bonds with corporations and media outlets to ensure that our PSAs will reach millions of youth. Young people are brand-oriented, but they also are passionate about good causes. In the Cone report Past. Present. Future. The 25th Anniversary of Cause Marketing, an estimated 88% of 18- to 24-year-old consumers are likely to switch from one brand to another […] if the other brand promotes a good cause.” 51% of this consumer market has bought a cause-related product in the last year and 41% prefer knowing that a percent of their purchase will go to support a cause. Youth are not only inspired to buy; they are inspired to act. 45% of young people who experience cause marketing are likely to donate money, 36% are likely to participate in the charity’s programs, and 32% are likely to volunteer. We believe partnering with the right corporations will greatly increase our capability to reach young people and enthrall them to action.
how you can get involved:
Once our PSA's are finished, we'll need youth to show them to everyone they know. Also, throughout the process, youth can volunteer to help with making test PSA's, doing PR work, and volunteering in the Minga office. Youth can also always help us by voting for us to win grants that require voting.
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