Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, a native of Spain, has worked for over 13 years exposing stories of human trafficking as a reporter, documentary filmmaker and new media producer. During the four years she lived in Japan, she co founded and was managing editor for International Press En Espaol, the first Spanish weekly in the country and became Tokyos El Mundo daily correspondent. She also worked for NHK Enterprises in the development of documentary films about Spains greatest museums.
In 1995 she moved to Los Angeles and continued to travel the world reporting on social issues. Her writings on trafficking have been published in El Mundo daily, magazines such as Geo and Planeta Humano, and turned by Canal+ into TIN GIRLS documentary film about child trafficking in the Himalayas. After production, Chelo co-founded The Masala Project an income generation initiative for survivors.
Based in California, she produced/directed SOLD IN AMERICA short documentary now running the festival circuit, and is currently producing/directing the transmedia project featured here. The transmedia project includes the documentary project SANDS OF SILENCE: A Personal Journey into the Trafficking of Women and the SOS_SLAVES: Changing the Trafficking Game digital platform targeting teenagers via a social impact game, a micro-documentary series and digital tools to fight modern-day slavery.