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Nobody chooses to be a slave. People are forced into slavery, sometimes by those they love most. Imagine your boyfriend slowly persuading you into becoming a prostitute, promising that it'll only be for a little while. Imagine your mother beating you because you didn't make enough money.

It's hard to believe, right? Yet this is a reality for hundreds of thousands of people in Latin America. It's easy to fall into slavery and go unnoticed. Slave masters promise their workers things like: money, homes and even freedom to keep them working. These promises almost always turn out to be lies.

In MTV and UNICEF's documentary, "Esclavos Invisibles", Calle 13 introduces four former victims of slavery: María, Laura, Marcela, and José.

María lived in a house where she was forced to do everything from cooking to laundry. Her living conditions were so bad, she was forced to sleep on the floor without even a blanket to keep her warm.

Forced into prostitution by their boyfriends,  Laura and Marcela were fooled by love and betrayed by the one person they thought they could trust. Their boyfriends would collect all their money and would leave the girls empty-handed.

José ran away from home in El Salvador when he was eight because of his abusive mother. He lived as a drug mule until he ran away from home, hoping to escape the violence he had witnessed so many times.

To view the documentary, please visit adc.tr3s.com.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Calle 13, Esclavos invisibles, MTV Exit, slavery, UNICEF

By Michael Lopez

Throughout his 30-year movie career, Danny Glover has gotten worldwide recognition for his humanitarian work. In fact, he currently holds the title of goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). So it's actually not surprising to hear that the Dominican Republic will be honoring the Lethal Weapon star when he attends the country's D.R. Global Film Festival.

The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo will be giving Danny a special PhD this month in recognition for his work with human rights and AIDS-related causes. According to Hispanically Speaking, a lavish ceremony will take place when Glover arrives, for him and the 475th anniversary of the school.

After that, Danny will visit the Film Festival and serve as a guest speaker. Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine will also be in attendance, presumably to discuss her career and her father's legacy of films.

Another honoree will be the late Maria Montez. A true Dominican legend, she broke down several racial barriers with her 1940's movie career.

You can find out more about the Festival (and the honorees) by visiting the official DRGFF website.

Have you ever been to the Dominican Republic? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Agentes De Cambio, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Charlie Chaplin, D.R. Global Film Festival, Danny Glover, Dominican Republic, DRGFF, Geraldine Chaplin, Maria Montez, Movies & CineMás, UNICEF

By Michael Lopez

Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti right now, in more ways than one. Not only is the country still struggling to rebuild after that devastating earthquake, but they are now facing a deadly cholera epidemic that has led to over 1,000 deaths! And with cases now being spread to the Dominican Republic, both nations are on high alert.

Classified as a bacterium, cholera is an intestinal infection that is usually transmitted from unsanitary foods or contaminated drinking water. Common symptoms include vomiting and severe stomach pains, which (if untreated) can be fatal.

Image: Getty Images

Sadly, medical care is hard to come by in some of Haiti’s most impacted regions. Death tolls are continuing to rise and so is the frustration of many of its citizens. The lack of proper aid has led to riots and protests from survivors of lost family members.

Though groups like Doctors Without Borders and the U.N. have sent teams to help, complete containment of the virus is still a ways off. When speaking of the severity of the situation, a rep from Medecins Sans Frontieres said,

"If the number of cases continues to increase at the same rate, then we are going to have to adopt some drastic measures to be able to treat people,"

The Dominican Republic is also prepared for drastic action, as they got their first recorded cholera case on Tuesday (November 16) from a visiting Haitian tourist. Since then, the country has set up stop points on its borders, thoroughly cleaned its rivers, and chlorinated its water supply.

Another way the Dominican government is hoping to battle the outbreak is by urging tourists and locals to stay away from street-based food vendors. Reps from the Center for Disease Control agree with the decision, stating,

“Food vendors often work in urban environments with unhygienic practices – they have food sitting in warm temperatures for many hours which can permit rapid bacterial multiplication.”

Thankfully, global organizations like UNICEF are continuing to send medical response teams to the areas that need it most.

Do you have relatives in Haiti or the Dominican Republic? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Cholera, Cultura, Dominican Republic, Epidemic, Haiti, Health, UNICEF

By Michael Lopez

Hmm…will she be “California Gurls” Candyland Katy Perry or Sesame Street Elmo Katy Perry? Either way, we expect Selena Gomez to look awesome when she dresses up as her musical idol for Halloween.

Image: Getty Images

Ryan Seacrest got the scoop on Selena’s costume plans on his radio show this week when she said,

"I went to Katy Perry's concert last night so I got my costume idea; I'm going to be Katy Perry! She wore this really pretty pink dress and sparkling shoes. My friend was wearing a pink wig so I think I'll wear that; it's kind of piecing together. I'm pretty excited!"

And we’re sure Katy will be pretty excited too. The two seem to have become fast friends since working together on a track for Selena’s A Year Without Rain album. Though Gomez did not make an appearance at Katy’s Vegas bachelorette party, there’s a good chance she’ll wind up on the wedding guest list.

As far as Selena’s other Halloween plans go, she told Seacrest that she’s planning to perform at a Trick-Or-Treat UNICEF benefit in L.A. on October 26. As one of their leading young spokeswomen, Gomez has raised a lot of awareness for the charity and should bring out tons of fans with her live acoustic set.

Source: [Digital Spy]

Who celeb would you want to dress as for Halloween? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags A Day Without Rain, Halloween, Hot Stuff, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, UNICEF

Colombian Pop star Shakira was presented with the United Nation's Social Justice for Peace award at a ceremony in Switzerland Wednesday for her organization, the Barefoot Foundation, which provides nutrition and education for as many as 6,000 children in Colombia.

Shaki had this to say, after receiving the award:

"It's not too late to keep our promise to our children, but we must act now. Together, we can make education and decent work for all a reality. [Witnessing sub par conditions] shaped my dream and my vision of social justice: to see a world where every child can live a dignified life with the opportunity to reap the benefits of a good education and a chance to pursue their dreams."

Shakira is also a founding member of the ALAS Foundation which promotes public policies for children in Latin American and the Caribbean,  as well as being a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Felicidades a Shakira on her humanitarian efforts! She and Juanes definitely hold down their homeland!  (PerezHilton)

Photo via Getty Images

Tags Agentes De Cambio, fundacion, Juanes, Shakira, UNICEF

Relief has been pouring in for the impoverished island of Haiti in wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the nation's capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. And while we've heard dozens of stories on the 2 million and counting that Wyclef, one of the country's most famous exports, has raised through his organization Yele Haiti, we've heard very little on what some of our favorite artistas Latinos are doing to help.  Here's the scoop!

Wisin y Yandel have reached deep in their pockets to donate to the victims of Haiti. The duo have given $100,000 to a Haitian orphanage, and another $100K towards the purchase of generators to help restore electricity to the devastated nation.

The boys of Aventura are also donating big bills! A whopping $25, 000 to their relief organization of choice, the American Red Cross. The Bachata quartet will also have Red Cross volunteers accepting donations on-site at their 4 Madison Square Garden concerts over the next two weeks.

Ricky Martin isn’t just writing a check; he's heading to Haiti! Our favorite humanitarian boarded a plane to Port-au-Prince today, and plans on providing as much on the ground assistance as possible.

Belinda is doing her part as well, and has taped a special PSA for the Red Cross. The segment is meant to motivate and inspire the Mexican public and others to donate and give to the relief fund in Haiti. (LatinGossip)

Are you doing your part? To find out how you can do more, head on over to Think.MTV.com. And make sure you watch Hope For Haiti, an MTV Telethon broadcast LIVE and hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef, and CNN's Anderson Cooper, on MTV Tr3s Friday, January 22nd at 8pm EST/PST.  All donations will directly benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Wyclef's Yele Haiti Foundation.

Photos via Getty Images

Tags Agentes De Cambio, American Red Cross, Aventura, Belinda, George Clooney, Hope For Haiti, Ricky Martin, UNICEF, Wisin y Yandel, Wyclef, Yele Haiti

In the days since a deadly 7.0-magnitude earthquake leveled Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, on Tuesday evening, millions of dollars have been pledged to help the search and rescue and relief efforts on the impoverished Caribbean nation.

But where is that aid going?

The most desperate immediate needs of the more than 3 million Haitians who've been impacted by the disaster are food, water, shelter and medical supplies.

Like Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti which is urging people to text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to the cause — which has raised more than $2 million so far — many other relief organizations have used mobile messaging to quickly gather funds.

But experts have been warning those wishing to donate to Haitian relief to be wary of organizations that claim 100 percent of their funds will go to victim relief because all charities have overhead and administrative costs and rarely use all the funds raised strictly for relief. They've also suggested that you go with well-known, big organizations such as the American Red Cross and UNICEF, who have a long track record with these types of efforts and who typically channel 90 percent of funds into programming/relief.

Other tips from Charity Navigator: avoid telemarketers and anonymous e-mail/text requests for would-be scammers looking to capitalize on the situation, don't be afraid to be suspicious and ask questions, never give your personal or financial information, ask if the charity is registered with an organization like the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, never donate cash and while the immediacy of the social-networking giving that has become the go-to method of donation is inspiring, make sure you do your homework before texting that donation in.

CNN reported that the FBI has already issued a warning about unscrupulous scammers who might be looking to take advantage of the situation in Haiti to solicit bogus appeals. So be WARY!

For our part, MTV is teaming up with Oscar-winning actor George Clooney for a Haitian Relief Telethon next Friday (January 22). Here are some other ways you can take part in Haitian relief efforts. (MTV News)

Photo via Getty Images

Tags American Red Cross, George Clooney, UNICEF, Wyclef, Yele Haiti

Selena Gomez and her 'Wizards of Waverly Place' co-star, David Henrie, hit up LA's Knotts Scary Farm on Saturday where they took pics and hit up the rides with a few ghosts, goblins, and costumed cowboys.  On Sunday, Selena visited Disneyland where she signed autographs and took pics with a few fans. She didn't wear a costume, but we're sure she'll wear something pretty spectacular on Halloween night for her Trick or Treat for UNICEF event!

What do you think Selena should dress up as?  Lady Gaga?  Balloon Girl?  Michael Jackson? Let us know below in the comments section!

Photos via Getty Images

Tags David Henrie, Disneyland, Halloween, Selena Gomez, UNICEF, wizards of waverly place

Chicas: Wouldn't you love to know what boys were thinking about, at any given moment? Would you be scared? Or would you take advantage of the knowledge? The latter seems like soo much fun! Well, Selena Gomez is set to star in una nueva película called 'What Boys Want,' in which she will play a teenage girl who can hear what men are thinking. Selena will be working con su mami, Mandy Teefey, on the feautre who's just been hired as executive producer.  New film, new album, new clothing line -- what can't our favorite Wizard do?!

And when she's not wearing all those creative hats, Selena Gomez spends her time fulfilling her duties as  Goodwill Ambassador.  This month, Selena is helping to promote UNICEF's Trick or Treat campaign, for which kids and adults alike are encouraged to Trick or Treat for change and collect money for children in need. If you want to get involved or need more information on the project, check out the Trick or Treat for UNICEF page here! [Variety]

Photo Via Getty Images

Tags Mandy Teefey, New Movies, Pelicula, Selena Gomez, trick-or-treat, UNICEF, What Boys Want

Selena Gomez gave a bunch of L.A. elementary school kids something to smile about  when she showed up at Charnock Road Elementary to honor a teacher with over $1,000 in school supplies during OfficeMax's A Day Made Better Event. In addition to her good deeds, Selena is also a UNICEF ambassador who recently went to Ghana.

Sprinkling joy everywhere...we're so proud of our lil wizarding Latina!

For more on Selena's Unicef trip, click[MTV Buzzworthy]

Photos via MTV Buzzworthy

Tags Charnock Road Elementary, Selena Gomez, UNICEF