NICOLAS CAGE AT SHIMO LA TEWA

NICOLAS CAGE AT SHIMO LA TEWA PRISON

American actor Nicolas Cage and Goodwill Ambassador for Global Justice for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), spoke of the anguish of victims, especially the young, of organized crimes around the world, urging States to join a UN pact designed to fight the scourge.

Cage recalled his mission with UNODC to Kenya, last year where he met a 15-year-old boy who is serving a 10-year jail term in the Kenyan city of Mombasa after he was captured as part of a group of marine pirates off the coast of Somalia.

“[Fifteen-year-old] Rashad is considered a criminal because he was a pirate. But it is important to recognize that he is also a victim of transnational organized crime. We must not forget there are many kinds of victims of organized crime, and that children are among the most vulnerable,” Cage said.

“Organized crime is a deadly infection that preys on human beings. It sows fear and violence in cities, towns and villages around the world. Its poison spreads quickly, damaging communities and institutions-sometimes to the point of failure. It targets vulnerable states and regions weakened by conflict, lawlessness, extreme poverty and corruption. It feeds off instability, and also makes instability worse,” he added.

The Convention was adopted in 2000 in Palermo, Italy, and is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime.