(watch the film in full at http://edition.cnn.com/ASIA/the-fighters/)
One woman fighting a never-ending battle against sex slavery enlists a warrior ally to her corner. Both find inspiration in each other and the children they saved as they take on the most challenging fight of their lives. CNN spent two years with exclusive access to activist Cecila Flores-Oebanda, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and anti-trafficking police in the Philippines.
Following a two-year CNN investigation, the two-hour documentaryThe Fighters chronicles Philippine human rights pioneer Cecilia Flores-Oebanda in her journey to protect children from the sex trade and convince the Philippines’ biggest star, Manny Pacquiao, to join her as a fighter in the battle against modern-day slavery.
It’s estimated more than 100,000 children work in the sex trade in the Philippines. Since founding her anti-trafficking organization, Visayan Forum, in 1991, Cecilia Flores-Oebanda has helped more than 70,000 victims or potential victims of human trafficking. She believes if Pacquiao, an elected congressman in the Philippines and the country’s biggest star, champions her cause, it could mean a turning point.
But just when it begins to look like she’s winning, allegations of fraud and missing funds threaten to ruin her life’s work as she is forced to change her focus from saving children to saving the organization she set up to help them.
“The Fighters is a remarkable film that represents the very core of the CNN Freedom Project, namely a desire to shine a spotlight into the darkness of human trafficking and to champion those who have dedicated their lives to ending it,” said Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director for CNN International.
“This documentary also represents a formidable journalistic achievement, the culmination of more than two years of tenacious, tireless reporting. I salute those who have brought it to our screens and, with it, discussion on this critical issue into millions of homes around the world,” he added.
Airing on CNN International on two consecutive nights beginning in May, The Fighters provides a unique glimpse into the world of combating human trafficking through the eyes of those risking their lives so that others may live theirs in freedom. It explores themes of social justice and globalization, as well as offering insight into both the benefits and drawbacks inherent in governmental-charity-celebrity partnerships.
The Fighters is produced and narrated by Leif Coorlim, executive editor of the CNN Freedom Project.
This article is CNN’s Media Release on The Fighters