Martin launches human rights hotline

Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin hit the streets of Washington DC earlier this week to raise awareness for his anti-trafficking hotline.

Through his own Ricky Martin Foundation, the UNICEF goodwill ambassador has launched the Llama y Vive campaign, or Call and Live, a toll-free hotline that provides services for victims of trafficking and exploitation.

The initiative aims to reach 100,000 Latinos in the US capital with prevention messages, and give legal advice to victims through the Spanish-language telephone line.

Call and Live has already been implemented in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Nicaragua, where it has received more than 55,000 calls, triggered 60 police investigations and the rescue of at least a dozen victims. It is now set to expand to five more Latin countries.

Martin, 36, says: "Once you have all this information, if you do nothing, it's like allowing it to happen."