Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora Supports Mexican Athlete in Fighting Human Trafficking
Yesterday Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora welcomed Norma Bastidas to the Mexican Embassy to recognize and celebrate her completion of race across Mexico and the United States as part of the campaign and documentary “Be Relentless” to combat human trafficking. Ambassador Medina Mora was joined by U.S. Ambassador–At-Large to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Luis CdeBaca, Brad Riley, Producer of Be Relentless and his production team.
Norma Bastidas is a Mexican single mother, survivor and athlete, who on Sunday May 4th 2014 set the world record for longest triathlon of more than 3,500 miles from Cancun, Mexico to Washington D.C. in a two month period. Her mission is to raise awareness and empower survivors of trafficking in persons and sexual violence around the world, as well as proving that ordinary people are capable of making extraordinary actions in the fight against today’s global challenges.
Bastidas was accompanied along the triathlon by a documentary crew from the non-profit organization iEmpathize. Its documentary, Be Relentless, is a binational and bilingual film featuring Norma’s route, her story as well as other stories of human trafficking victims and their advocates in both the United States and Mexico. The documentary will be released in late 2014 or early 2015.
Ambassador Medina Mora acknowledged Ms. Bastidas and her determination and inspiration to tackle a world-wide that affects all countries, particularly women and girls. “She made it. Her inner will, courage and persistence helped her overcome all obstacles, in order to give the voice to millions of women like her. She is inspiring them as well as all of us who watch her feat, to break the silence and walk the talk –or run the talk- on an issue that involves us all and has no borders”, expressed Ambassador Medina Mora.
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Images free for publication are available at the following link and should be credited as: Courtesy of the Embassy of Mexico in the United States. In picture 4 from left: Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora, Brad Riley, Norma Bastidas and Ambassador Luis CdeBaca.