On 16th July 2011, my sixteen-year-old friend M was kidnapped from Vietnam. She is believed to have been sold as a wife or prostitute in China, a victim of human trafficking. 

My name is Ben Randall, and I've come back to Asia to investigate M's disappearance. Together with Italian photographer Moreno, I'm using my skills as an award-winning film-maker to produce a feature-length documentary on the search for M, to raise awareness of human trafficking. 

It's called 'The Human, Earth Project'.

Moreno and I are being assisted by local and international organisations fighting human trafficking on the ground, and we'll be sharing their knowledge and experience through our documentary. 

M is a young Hmong girl with a quick smile and a sharp sense of humour. Her family is from northern Vietnam, very close to the Chinese border, and would send M from their village into town to sell handicrafts. 

In 2010, I was living in the area and came to know M well. In 2011, M was abducted by a local man. Her final contact with anyone in Vietnam was a frightened phone call from the back of his motorbike, en route to China. 

That was two and a half years ago. Searching for more information on what had happened to M, I soon realised her story is just one of many. 

The one-child policy and cultural preference for male children has resulted in a shortage of women in China. The Hmong people, considered second-class citizens in Vietnam, are easy prey for human traffickers who sell them as wives or prostitutes.

Human trafficking is a horrendous crime affecting every country on Earth - including yours. It involves depriving other human beings of their rights and freedoms by treating them as objects to be bought and sold, most commonly for the purposes of sexual and other forms of slavery. 

It is a vast and growing industry, and there are now estimated to be tens of millions of women, men and children working as slaves around the world - far more than at any other point in history. 

Far too many people don’t realise how enormous this issue is, and that’s why awareness is crucial. A beautifully-presented, well-informed documentary can be an incredibly powerful tool for spreading such an important message to a wide global audience.

Ben Randall studied Film and Television Production in Australia, where he spent three years working as an editor and cameraman. In 2007 Ben produced, filmed and edited ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, winner of the PNAN short film-making competition in Sydney, Australia. 

'The Human, Earth Project' has been featured on television and in print in North America, Europe and Asia, and Ben presented a TED talk on 'The Human, Earth Project' in the United States.

Just a few of the 100 portraits available as 18x12" (45x30cm) prints or desktop wallpapers. Click here to choose your favourites!

So far, I've paid for most of 'The Human, Earth Project' out of my own pocket, but my funds are not limitless. Moreno and I need your support to finish our search and documentary. Together we can raise awareness of the tragedy of human trafficking and help protect the future of children around the world. 

The documentary production costs include equipment, interpretation services, visas, and basic living and travelling expenses for our two-man crew (budgeted at $25 per person/day). Funding will allow us to purchase much-needed video and audio equipment, having already faced numerous costly technical issues with our cameras, laptops and accessories. 

Post-production will take a minimum of twelve months, requiring a more powerful editing system and additional storage media. Funds will be required for a sound engineer, musicians, and others contributing their creative and technical skills to the documentary. There are also the costs of providing physical rewards to campaign backers, and Indiegogo crowdfunding (4%) and transaction (3%) fees. 

If you're unable to contribute financially, you can still help by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter and Google+!

18x12" (45x30cm) portrait prints: Click here to choose your favourites!

Here are a few of the amazing messages 'The Human, Earth Project' has received from dozens of countries across the globe: 

'You are doing something amazing and you are an inspiration to the human race.' - Tim Campbell (New Zealand)

'Thank you for your courage, your tenacity, and your willingness to do something beyond just talk about the tragedy that is human trafficking - I applaud you.' - Donnie Featherston (United States)

'You're a good example for anyone who ever says they want to give their life more meaning.' - Clare McLennan (Australia)

'Thank you for being you.' - Rami Shaafi (England)

'If I can't do it myself, I should at least support a guy with the heart, guts and brains who can.' - Lucas Thacker (Canada)

'The world needs more people like you.' - Sarah Williams (United States)

Footage from 'The Human, Earth Project' human trafficking information evening in Chiang Mai, Thailand (27th December 2013)

Initial investigations indicate that M's traffickers are still active here in Vietnam, and there is a very real personal risk involved in our search for M and the production of this documentary. Our investigations and interviews are necessarily being conducted with extreme care, and in close consultation with local anti-trafficking organisations.

To minimise the risk to M, her name, image and the name of her hometown have been concealed from the public. Although our investigations are being conducted synchronously with this campaign, many details of our investigations will not be revealed until after our departure from the region.

We will endeavour to have all photographic prints delivered by April 2014, and the documentary completed and distributed digitally by September 2015, though there is a possibility our schedule will be disrupted by the course of our investigations. If we do succeed in finding and returning M to her family, or in identifying M's traffickers, we will remain in the region to follow the story to its completion, delaying the post-production of the film. 

Please give what you can. Human trafficking is a global problem - it’s our problem. Every day, children around the world are taken from their families and abused in horrifying ways. 

Human trafficking will continue to destroy countless millions of lives around the globe until we stand against it, and that stand begins with each of us here today. 

Please take a moment to choose a reward from the column on the right side of this page. You can make a difference.