Cage renews appointment as goodwill ambassador

Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage on Tuesday renewed his appointment as United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) Goodwill Ambassador for Global Justice. Cage called for greater attention to human trafficking at a ceremony held in Vienna, Xinhua news agency reported. "As a global society, we cannot tolerate people being bought and sold as commodities," he said. A highlight of the event was the auction of a specially designed 'Blue Heart' carpet, an international symbol increasingly being adopted in the fight against human trafficking. Proceeds from the event will go the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons which supports grass-roots organisations that rescue, shelter and reintegrate victims into society. UNODC executive director Yuri Fedotov said: "About 1.5 million dollars have been contributed to the Trust Fund since 2010. Thanks to this money, 11 grass-roots organisations around the world have been able to support victims and survivors of trafficking particularly women and children." Women and girls make up 75 percent of human trafficking victims with girls constituting two out of every three child victims.