The Demi and Ashton Foundation (DNA), which helps raise awareness about child sex slavery, launched its “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” interactive video campaign this week. The goal is to educate people about child sex slavery in the United States and to create a cultural shift around the buying and selling of human beings. The message of the campaign is that “Real Men” don’t buy girls. Instead, “Real Men” do respect, love, care for, and protect girls.

DNA released several short interactive videos about things “Real Men” do – starring Justin Timberlake, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Jason Mraz, Ashton Kutcher, Drake, Adrian Peterson and Isaiah Mustafa. The videos seek to entertain viewers through fun, engaging “Real Men” situations while also providing an interactive environment for consumers to support the campaign.

People can play a critical role in spreading the word about the campaign by creating their own personalized video and sharing it with friends.

• Go to the DNA Foundation Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dnafoundation. Click on the “Real Men” application tab.
• The application will allow guests to insert their own photo into the celebrity video – in order to create their very own “Real Men” video.
• After the video is created, they can share it with their friends by posting on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
• The goal is for as many people as possible to watch the videos, create a personalized video, and spread the word about child sex slavery.

“Child sex slavery is a difficult issue to think about, which makes it all the more important that we do,” remarked Ashton Kutcher. “Real Men do not ever buy children for sex. Period.”

Added Demi Moore: “People don’t realize child sex slavery is a serious problem in the United States. Young girls are victimized in the commercial sex industry every day. No 13-year-old girl chooses to be exploited for sex. Real Men love, care, and protect girls. Real Men don’t buy girls.”

The second component of the campaign is a “DNA T-shirt Challenge.” DNA has partnered with Threadless and retailer Steven Alan to create t-shirts around the concept of freedom – www.causes.threadless.com/dnafoundation. More than 200 artists submitted designs and 60,000 votes were cast to determine the winners. The two tees selected will be sold at Threadless.com and Stevenalan.com, as well as in all Steven Alan stores, with a percentage of proceeds going to DNA.

Current Trafficking Statistics:

• The average age of entry into forced prostitution in the U.S. is thirteen
• Ninety percent of youth trafficked for sexual purposes in the U.S. are citizens of our own country
• Hundreds of thousands of American girls and boys are currently enslaved in the U.S.
• An estimated one million children are forced to work in the global sex industry every year
• The global sex slavery market generates a $39 billion profit annually
• Selling young girls is more profitable than trafficking drugs or weapons

Makes you want to do something, doesn’t it?  Thank you to Ashton & Demi for using their celebrity as a platform for doing good — bringing this to our attention on a global level and helping us stop child sex slavery.