Redlight Children Campaign

Redlight Children Campaign is an advocacy organization established in 2002 to combat child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Its stated approach is centered on reducing the demand that sustains the international commercial sex trade involving children, rather than focusing only on victim rescue or post-exploitation support. The campaign combines public education, legislative advocacy, legal-policy proposals, investigative storytelling, and grassroots outreach. The organization was created by Guy Jacobson, a New York lawyer and president of the film company Priority Films, and Israeli actress Adi Ezroni. Jacobson has described the campaign as emerging from an encounter during a 2002 trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where very young girls solicited him for prostitution and explained that they could face violence from brothel operators if they returned without money. The experience prompted him to use filmmaking and public communication as tools for social intervention. Jacobson and Ezroni subsequently worked with filmmakers and investigators in Cambodia, including through undercover research in brothels, to document the conditions faced by children in the sex trade. The campaign's principal media initiative was the K11 Project, developed with Priority Films. It comprised three Cambodia-based films: Holly, a feature narrative inspired by accounts of abducted children; The Virgin Harvest, an undercover documentary about children sold into brothels and later rescued; and The K11 Journey, a documentary following the production process and the risks faced by the filmmakers. The projects were designed not only as films but also as advocacy instruments capable of bringing the issue to audiences, policymakers, and international institutions. Holly was presented at the United Nations in New York and later shown in connection with the United States State Department. Its wider United States release in 2007 generated press and broadcast attention. Redlight Children Campaign's policy program is expressed through a legal manifesto addressing internet chat rooms, child sexual-abuse imagery, sex tourism, and extraterritorial enforcement. The campaign argues that governments should make abuse more difficult and costly, improve the likelihood of identifying offenders, and make prosecution more rapid and effective. It has also described work with LexisNexis on an international trafficking case-law database and an offenders database intended to support legislators and prosecutors. The organization's work has involved substantial operational risks. According to the campaign's account, its Cambodia-based team faced threats, extortion, a hostage incident involving one producer, and the need for personal security after an Interpol warning concerning alleged threats from organized criminal groups. These claims are part of the campaign's description of the investigative environment surrounding the K11 Project and should not be treated as independently verified findings without additional sourcing. Redlight Children has also worked with local and international anti-trafficking groups. The film Holly featured AFISEP as a shelter, while the Somaly Mam Foundation was presented in connection with the campaign's United Nations activities. Jacobson and Ezroni were recognized as Global Heroes in the United States Department of State's 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report. Robert Rigby-Hall is identified in reference material as a board member and as a recipient of a 2010 United Nations-related business leadership award against human trafficking. Public information supplied for this entry does not establish the campaign's current operating status, current leadership, financial structure, or continuing program activity. It is therefore best characterized as an advocacy campaign with an active or defunct status that requires verification.

Redlight Children Campaign began in 2002 after Guy Jacobson reported an encounter in Phnom Penh with very young girls involved in prostitution solicitation. The experience led Jacobson, a New York lawyer and film executive, to pursue a public campaign against the exploitation of children. He joined with Israeli actress Adi Ezroni, and the pair used Priority Films as a vehicle for combining documentary investigation, narrative cinema, media outreach, and policy advocacy. The early work took place in Cambodia, where Jacobson, Ezroni, and a production team conducted undercover research in brothels using concealed recording equipment. Their stated purpose was to understand and expose the conditions affecting children in the commercial sex trade. The campaign has described the investigation as dangerous: it reported threats attributed to organized criminal groups, extortion, the temporary detention of a producer, and the use of bodyguards. Interpol was also said to have warned Jacobson to leave the country. These accounts are presented in the campaign's published narrative and require independent corroboration for historical verification. The research became the basis for the K11 Project, a three-film initiative produced with Priority Films. Holly is a feature-length drama written by Jacobson and inspired by real accounts of abducted children. The Virgin Harvest is an undercover documentary following the exploitation and rescue of three Cambodian girls. The K11 Journey documents the filmmaking expedition and its encounters with alleged corruption and obstruction. Together, the films were intended to reach audiences beyond conventional advocacy circles and to turn individual stories into pressure for institutional action. Holly was launched at the United Nations in New York and subsequently shown in connection with the United States State Department. Its United States theatrical release on November 9, 2007, was accompanied by interviews and coverage in television, radio, magazine, and print media. The campaign also organized United Nations activities involving the Somaly Mam Foundation and connected its film work with local shelters and anti-trafficking organizations, including AFISEP. Beyond media production, Redlight Children formulated a legal manifesto aimed at reducing demand for child sexual exploitation. Its areas of concern included online chat rooms, child sexual-abuse imagery, sex tourism, and the ability of countries to prosecute offenses committed abroad. The campaign's theory of change was to increase the costs and risks for perpetrators, improve detection, and make prosecution more efficient. It also reported cooperation with LexisNexis on international case-law and offender databases for use by legislators and prosecutors. The campaign's founders received Global Hero recognition in the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report issued by the United States Department of State. Reference material also identifies Robert Rigby-Hall as a board member and links him to a 2010 United Nations-related business award against human trafficking. Publicly available information in the supplied references does not provide a reliable account of later operations, current officers, finances, or whether the organization remains active. Its present status therefore remains uncertain.

• 2010

  Board-linked anti-trafficking recognition

  [1]Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identifies board member Robert Rigby-Hall as a recipient of a United Nations-related business leadership award against human trafficking.

• 2008

  Founders receive Global Hero recognition

  [1]Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org

  Guy Jacobson and Adi Ezroni were recognized as Global Heroes in the United States Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report.

• 2007

  Holly released in the United States

  [1]Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org

  The feature film Holly received United Nations and State Department exposure and was released nationally in the United States on November 9.

• 2002

  Campaign founded

  [1]Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org

  Guy Jacobson and Adi Ezroni established Redlight Children Campaign to combat child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

• 2002

  Cambodia investigation begins

  [1]Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org

  The founders and their production team conducted undercover research in Cambodian brothels as the foundation for later advocacy and film projects.

A media-led, policy-oriented anti-trafficking campaign seeking to reduce demand for the sexual exploitation of children through public awareness, legislative reform, stronger enforcement, and international legal cooperation.

• Feature film · 2007

  Holly

  A feature-length narrative written by Guy Jacobson and filmed in Cambodia. The story draws on accounts of children abducted into sexual exploitation and was designed to bring the campaign's subject to a broad cinema and policy audience. The film stars Ron Livingston, Virginie Ledoyen, Udo Kier, Chris Penn, and Thuy Nguyen. It was presented at the United Nations, shown in connection with the United States State Department, and released nationally in the United States in 2007.

• Undercover documentary

  The Virgin Harvest

  An undercover documentary directed by Charles Kiselyak and filmed in Cambodia. It follows the experiences of three girls identified as Reena, Sokha, and Sereum, portraying their sale into brothels, abuse, and eventual rescue. The film formed one part of the K11 Project and served the campaign's objective of documenting the conditions underlying child sexual exploitation.

• Documentary

  The K11 Journey

  A documentary about the hazardous production journey behind Holly. It focuses on the filmmakers' experiences in Cambodia and presents allegations involving corruption and police or government obstruction. The film was intended to show both the trafficking problem and the risks involved in investigating it.

• Policy program

  Redlight Children Campaign Manifesto

  A legal-policy framework advocating stronger measures against child sexual exploitation. Its stated areas include online chat rooms, child sexual-abuse imagery, sex tourism, and extraterritorial enforcement. The manifesto emphasizes deterrence, improved offender detection, and faster and more effective prosecution.

• 2007K11 Project

  Cambodia · United States · International

  A three-film advocacy initiative consisting of Holly, The Virgin Harvest, and The K11 Journey. The project combined narrative storytelling, undercover documentary, and an account of investigative filmmaking risks.

  Outcome. The films received institutional exposure, including United Nations and State Department events, and generated United States media attention.

  Source
• 2002Cambodia investigation and awareness campaign

  Cambodia · International

  The campaign used on-the-ground investigation and later mass-media advocacy to document and publicize the exploitation of children in Cambodia's commercial sex trade.

  Outcome. The investigation supplied material and rationale for the K11 Project and the campaign's broader policy program.

  Source
• Legislative and enforcement manifesto

  International

  An international advocacy effort calling for laws and enforcement resources targeting demand for child sexual exploitation, internet-facilitated abuse, sex tourism, and cross-border offending.

  Outcome. The campaign reported developing legal and information resources with international legal experts and LexisNexis.

  Source

• 2002

  Adopt mass media as a vehicle for social changeStrategy

  Background

  After Jacobson's reported encounter with child prostitution in Cambodia, the founders sought a way to address the issue beyond individual rescue efforts.

  Action taken

  They used Priority Films and the K11 Project to combine investigative research, narrative film, documentary, and public advocacy.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced a series of films and gave the campaign visibility at United Nations, State Department, and media events.

  Source

• Focus policy advocacy on reducing demandStrategy

  Background

  The campaign identified demand for commercial sexual exploitation of children as a central driver of trafficking.

  Action taken

  It developed a manifesto calling for stronger legislation, enforcement, extraterritorial tools, and more effective prosecution.

  Aftermath

  The manifesto became the stated policy foundation of the campaign, although the supplied material does not document specific legislative changes attributable to it.

  Source

• Pursue trafficking information databasesOther

  Background

  Lawmakers and prosecutors need accessible comparative information about trafficking cases and offenders.

  Action taken

  Redlight Children reported a partnership with LexisNexis to create an international case-law database and a trafficking-offender database.

  Aftermath

  The completion, scale, and continuing availability of these resources are not established in the supplied references.

  Source

1. 1Redlight Children Campaignen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Redlight Children Campaign websiteredlightchildren.org