Ricky Martin Banks on Ending Child Trafficking

Unless you live in Puerto Rico, you probably don’t know much about Doral Bank. With 40 branches located throughout the island, and just one in the States (as far as we can tell), Doral doesn’t much cater to US customers. That doesn’t mean US banks can’t learn from Doral and its tremendous community outreach efforts, which now include a collaboration with Ricky Martin’s anti-child exploitation foundation The Ricky Martin Foundation.

Previously, Doral partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to send a mammogram-mobile throughout Puerto Rico. Called “Ruta Pink,” the program provided 2,813 free mammograms in 2008 and 2009, and educated scores more on the importance of early detection.

In 2008, Doral teamed with the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico to expose over 10,000 underprivileged Borinquen [Puerto Rico citizens] to the island’s rich artistic history.

In 2009, Doral kicked off “D-Parques,” an initiative that promotes environmental awareness and urban reforestation. Send in a few photos of an urban green space that’s not quite green enough, and your favorite Puerto Rican park could get an upgrade.

The community programs are more than just pretty websites. They've produced some real results. Doral hopes its most recent partnership with The Ricky Martin Foundation meets the same success.

Called “Se Trata,” the program will raise awareness on human trafficking during a seven-month print, TV, Internet and radio campaign. According to The Ricky Martin Foundation, 1.2 million kids are “trafficked worldwide every year for exploitation purposes such as forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation, prostitution and servitude.” To combat the threat in Puerto Rico, the foundation and Doral will hold workshops in San Juan to educate kids and parents on preventing and prosecuting human trafficking, which Doral calls “21st Century Slavery.”

It’s a cause that Ricky Martin, one of Puerto Rico’s favorite sons, feels strongly about. He took up the cause after rescuing three young Indian girls from human traffickers in 2002. His foundation has since become a cutting edge institution, partnering with the University of Puerto Rico and John Hopkins to compile the first comprehensive study on child exploitation. He’s accumulated numerous accolades for his efforts, including the International Humanitarian Award in 2005, but he’s not quitting until child trafficking is wiped off the face of the Earth.

Today, he’s one step closer to achieving that goal.

Photo by DingirXul via Wikimedia Commons.