BET Presents STOLEN INNOCENCE: YOUR DAUGHTERS ARE OUR DAUGHTERS Tonight

The sexual exploitation of children has become the third largest money generator for organized crimes, exceeding the sale of illegal firearms and drugs.* BET Networks in association with Arise TV will address this global issue in the BET News Special "STOLEN INNOCENCE: YOUR DAUGHTERS ARE OUR DAUGHTERS" premiering tonight, May 23 at 7PM ET/PT on BET and Saturday, May 24 at 10 PM ET/ 7 PM PT on CENTRIC. Moderated by Lola Ogunnaike and Marc Lamont Hill, the one-hour community town hall forum will focus on the recent kidnappings of nearly 300 Nigerian school girls, the global response to this Crisis and the rising exploitation of children around the world.

Taped Saturday, May 17, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia at Turner Studios, the town hall special will expand the conversation past the current headlines of the Nigerian kidnappings and explore how the human trafficking Crisis is affecting our communities on a global scale and its ties to many cities in the United States, including Atlanta. Panelists include Nicole Ari Parker (Actress and Activist), Tasha Smith (Actress and Activist), Ony Nwaohuocha (Attorney and Journalist), Emelia Orubele (President/CEO American Nigerian International Chamber of Commerce), Omoyele Sowore (Journalist), Temeka Weatherly (Director at Wellspring Living), Leah Albright-Byrd (Survivor and Founder of Bridget's Dream). Additional participants in the town hall include Dr. Bernice King (Minister) and India.Arie (Singer, Activist). Arise TV reporter Charles Aniagolu will be on the ground in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, to provide an update on the recent kidnappings.

For more information go to BET.com/OurDaughters. Join the conversation on twitter by using the hashtag #OurDaughters.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (VIA, VIAB), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

* The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Human Trafficking 2011, by Amanda Walker Rodriquez and Rodney Hill.

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