New York City. Baume & Mercier, in association with charitable organization LOVE146, proudly presented INTO THE LIGHT: Sexually Exploited Children On The Path To Restoration.

Hosted by Actor/Author Stephen Baldwin, the exhibition was a concept created by Baume & Mercier, who sent Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Carolyn Cole to Southeast Asia to take photos in support of LOVE146.

Founded in 2002, LOVE146 (www.love146.org) is a charity that works toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. LOVE146 trains aftercare workers, multiplies safe homes, aids socioeconomic development programs in high risk communities and provides a way to restore the lives of these victims of modern-day slavery.

In an interview done with CBS News, Carolyn Cole stated, “As a photojournalist, I have always been drawn to the plight of children. Their pained faces are the first I see in places like Liberia, Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan where they fall victim to wars they cannot comprehend. They pull at my heart during natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, and in impoverished lands like Haiti. But there is one group of children whose lives are hidden from us all until it is often too late, and those are the victims of sexual exploitation.”

According to the U.S. State Department, human trafficking has surpassed the illegal sale of arms and will surpass the illegal sale of drugs. Aware of these facts, Baume & Mercier has taken a stand to try and be a voice to the voiceless alongside Love146 in hopes that more people in the world will become aware of what is happening around them and help it stop.