Mallika Sherawat locks herself in a cage as a part of the Lock-Me-Up campaign at Cannes 2018

By Aayushi Sharma

on May 15, 2018

Actress Mallika Sherawat marked her attendance at the ongoing 71st Cannes Film Festival recently. The Haryana girl made a stunning entry in a lilac gown by Tony Ward, and she looked no less than a princess of her own dreamland at the red carpet. Mallika, who is the ambassador for international NGO ‘Free A Girl India’, that is fighting human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children took it upon herself to raise awareness on the horrifying crime of forced child prostitution at the event.

As part of Free a Girl’s Lock-Me-Up Campaign, the Murder starlet locked herself in a 12x8 feet small cage at Cannes to bring global attention on the issue. Mallika who has been known for her strong association with ‘Free A Girl’ NGO had represented them last year too at Cannes. Mallika has always been known for her active involvement in philanthropic activities over the years. As an actor and activist, she intends to highlight the issue of child prostitution and trafficking at an international level in order to spread awareness and help eradicate it completely from the society.

Says Mallika, “It is my ninth year at Cannes and the festival is one of the most cogent platforms to raise the issue of child prostitution not just in India but across the world. Being locked in a cage, I wanted to drive home the imagery of how young girls who are being trafficked are trapped in a small 12x8 foot room. These innocent victims have to live and survive without any aid. There is a woman suffering abuse every minute with no hope of any change. So I thought of doing my bit and raising awareness about an issue which needs to become extinct at the earliest.”

The actress is also the brand ambassador of the ‘School for Justice’ and shares a firm viewpoint on women’s rights. Having been involved with the UN and an NGO ‘Urja’, Mallika had addressed the problems faced by women in India at the 65th United Nations DPI/NGO Conference in 2014. With this campaign, Mallika intends to support the School for Justice in India and initiate a change to bring about the extermination of the problem of forced child prostitution in India and internationally.