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Connect the World
Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect Father of Victim's Child; Exclusive: Ariel Castro's Adult Daughter Speaks Out; Another Castro Daughter Friends With Victim; Slavery Not Confined to History Books; Run for Love Finishes; Entertainment Preview; Sailing World Mourning Andrew Simpson; Nick Faldo Comeback
Aired May 10, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, HOST: I'm Fionnuala Sweeney and tonight, pulled alive from the rubble after 16 days -- a remarkable story of survival in Bangladesh.
Plus--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could never forgive him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: She says she has no tears for her father. We bring you an exclusive interview with Ariel Castro's daughter.
And a shocking report on modern-day slavery in the heart of Europe.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World.
SWEENEY: From the depths of crumbled bricks and concrete came the sound no one expected to hear: "I'm alive."
Against all odds, a young seamstress in Bangladesh is recovering in hospital tonight. Not only did she survive a horrific building collapse, but she was discovered long after rescuers had given up hope.
Sumnima Udas has her remarkable story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 16 days after the deadly collapse, 10 days since anyone has been found alive, crews make a miracle discovery in the ruins of this nine story building. Workers looking for bodies still trapped in the rubble were stunned to hear the voice of a young woman calling out for help.
MOHAMMED RUBEL RANA, RESCUE WORKER (through translator): I looked through a hole and I saw someone calling please, save me. Instantly, I called the army and firefighters. Then they saw her and confirmed that there was a woman.
UDAS: A crowd of hundreds quickly gathered watching and praying as workers used handsaws to try to free the trapped woman. After an agonizing hour, the woman identified only as Reshma was finally pulled from the wreckage, her rescue broadcast live on Bangladeshi television. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors say she was weak and hungry, but amazingly appears to have suffered no serious injuries.
Reshma is said to be a garment worker trapped in the April 24th collapse. Fire officials say she was able to find a gap in the building's rubble large enough for her to stand up in. And they say she survived by eating dried biscuits and drinking small amounts of water.
AYESHA, MOTHER-IN-LAW OF RESCUED WOMAN (through translator): I am very happy that she is alive. At least my grandchildren got their mother back. All my grandchildren are now overwhelmed. Her name is Reshma.
UDAS: Reshma's family overjoyed and overwhelmed by the news, rushed to be by her side. Her rescue comes on the same day the death toll in the disaster is now more than 1,000 victims. But Reshma's rescue represents a much needed good news after what's been a grim week.
Sumnima Udas, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: And doctors say 19-year-old Reshma is in remarkably good condition given the circumstances. CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta explains what may have helped her survive.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It was though that she was found in a pool of water. It may have come from rain, it may have come from some fire hoses from a fire that had been in the area recently. But that obviously was very important.
Also, she didn't have any significant injuries, surprising given the images that you see there, but no broken bones, no crushed limbs, no big gashes, all those things are obviously going to decrease survival as well as you're diverting resources in your body to try and heal those wounds.
But as you say, you know, she's 19-years-old. She has that going for her, but it's a remarkable, remarkable story of survival.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: It is indeed. And we'll be doing more on this remarkable story and also ask what is happening to the garment industry in Bangladesh. Will international companies come together and what will their efforts do to change the working conditions of people who work in that industry?
To that end, we hope to be talking to the UN ambassador from Bangladesh in just a moment.
You're watching Connect the World. Coming up, the campaigning is over, but on the eve of a landmark election in Pakistan the violence continues. The latest from Islamabad is next.
And on the second day of his U.S. tour, Prince Harry visits the graves of his U.S. compatriots and pays tribute to those lost in battle.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the (inaudible)
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SWEENEY: An epic journey across nine countries with one mission. All that and much more when Connect the World continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SWEENEY: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Fionnuala Sweeney. Welcome back.
There's been more violence in Pakistan on the eve of the country's landmark election. At least four people have been killed and some 20 injured in bomb attacks targeting party offices in remote areas of the country.
Reporting from Islamabad, Saima Mohsin has more now on the violence and efforts to prevent it.
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SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This election has been marred by violence. CNN has seen a letter written by the Pakistan Taliban's leader Hakimullah Mehsud to his spokesman discussing plans for attacks on polling stations across the country. And in it, it also says there's suicide attacks on a separate list. So very disturbing news there. He says that this is an attack against the evil ideology of infidels, which is democracy that he's referring to.
Well, Pakistan's caretaker government isn't taking any chances. It's deploying 600,000 security personnel up and down the country at polling stations and hotspots, that includes police, security guards and military personnel. 91,00 troops will be supporting that effort to keep these polls safe on Saturday.
Well, people are determined to go out and exercise their right to vote. Of course, the Pakistanis haven't had much chance of that in this country's history. Just 66 years old, most of it has been spent under military dictators, so the people I speak to say, yes, there are terrorist attacks, yes, sometimes we're scared, but we do want to go out. We want to vote. And we want to have our voices heard.
So while this election is marred and overshadowed somewhat by violence, people are keen to have their voices heard to address the issues that are concerns to them, the energy crisis, the poor economy, jobs, corruption as well, of course.
Polls open early morning Saturday and everybody has a day off to encourage people to vote. In fact, there are 36 million new voters registered in Pakistan and more polling stations than ever. This is being dubbed the biggest and best election in Pakistan yet.
Saima Mohsin, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: And of course we are covering those elections live for you here on CNN as the results come in.
Across the border, though, in Afghanistan the country was recently ranked as the worst place in the world to be a woman. One person who knows that all too well is Isha Mohamedze (ph) whose nose and ears were hacked off by her husband and her in-laws.
The brutality was captured in this Time magazine cover in 2010, but since then her life and face have been transformed after she was flown to the United States for treatment.
Tonight on Amanpour, we'll discover how she's getting on.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a work in progress, 22-year-old Isha's (ph) face and her life imperfect and incomplete.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): People laugh at me here, too. But I don't care if they laugh of if they don't laugh. When people ask what happened to your nose, I told them, it is none of your business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: And you can hear much more of Isha's (ph) unforgettable story on Amanpour straight after this program at 10:00 in London, 11:00 in Berlin only on CNN.
Syria's government denies using chemical weapons against rebels, but now Turkey's prime minister says he has proof that it did.
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RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): It is clear that the regime has used chemical weapons in missiles. They used about 200 missiles according to our intelligence. And it can be even more, but not less.
ANN CURRY, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: What evidence do you have?
ERDOGAN (through translator): We have these remainders of these missiles that are pictures and then there are intelligence reports. And there are patients who are brought to our hospitals who were wounded by these chemical weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Well, Mr. Erdogan is expected to press the U.S. President Barack Obama for tougher action against Syria when he comes to the White House next week. Today, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about solutions to the conflict. Russia's foreign minister says his government doesn't plan any new deals to supply Syria with weapons, but will fulfill its current contracts.
Meantime, opposition activists in Syria released this dramatic video today said to show the aftermath of government aerial bombings. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen discussed the relentless violence with Syria's grand Mufti, the country's top Islamic authority who is closely allied with the regime.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How can this situation be solved? How can peace come back to Syria?
AHMAD BADR AL-DIN HASSOUN, GRAND MUFTI OF SYRIA (through translator): The first thing that needs to happen is that the borders must be closed so no weapons can be sent to Syria. Then, for sure, all Syrians will sit together to discuss everything.
Stop weapons coming in through our borders and stop Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon from letting foreign terrorists into our country. Four days after that, we will be sitting at the table and talking about peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Well, to the United States now where authorities in Texas are launching a criminal investigation into last month's deadly fertilizer plant explosion. The April 17 fire and blast killed 14 people and devastated the small town of West.
The announcement comes on the same day authorities arrested an emergency volunteer who was a first responder to the disaster. He's being held for possession of a destructive device. So far, authorities have not linked the arrest to the deadly blast.
Now staying in the United States, the blueprints for a 3D printed gun have been taken down from the investor's website. The U.S. State Department said Defense Distributed could have violated arms laws.
The first gun of its kind was successfully fired earlier this week apart from two pieces of metal it's made entirely from layers of plastic built via a 3D printer.
Before the plans were taken down, however, the group behind them said they'd been downloaded more than 1 million times.
The French president has attended a ceremony in Paris to mark the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. In a speech, Francois Hollande also paid tribute to the victims of the slave trade, but it's a crime which hasn't been completely eradicated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TINA OKPARA, SLAVERY VICTIM: I was like thinking about killing myself by then. But the only thing that makes me stay, that makes me keep on saying that maybe one I will -- somebody will rescue me...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Well, coming up in around 15 minutes the shocking story that is forcing many in France to wake up to the very real challenge of a modern-day scourge.
Now, returning to our top story, 19-year-old woman is recuperating after spending 17 days trapped in the rubble of a factory building that collapsed in Bangladesh. She reportedly survived on water and some little food during her ordeal. More than 1,000 bodies have been found, and even as people rejoice over her rescue they want assurances that a tragedy like this doesn't happen again.
Let's bring in the country's UN ambassador Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen. Thank you for joining us.
A.K. ABDUL MOMEN, BANGLADESHI AMBASSADOR TO UN: Thank you very much.
SWEENEY: First of all, can I ask you are operations still continuing at the site of this collapsed factory? Do you expect to find anyone else alive?
MOMEN: You see, we are trying our best to see if there is any live or dead bodies. So the government is working very sensitively and diligently so that if there is a live one definitely it is welcome. My day started with the beautiful news that after 17 days we get a live individual Reshma.
And maybe there could be more dead bodies and the government is working very diligently and a lot of sensitivity so that not a single dead body could be mutilated.
SWEENEY: How many people are still missing, ambassador?
MOMEN: So far, the good news is we have rescued 2,438, including today's one. And to -- these are live, 2,438 lives. And then we have also got the dead bodies of around 1,036.
SWEENEY: And how many do you know still missing?
MOMEN: Excuse me?
SWEENEY: How many people do you believe are still missing?
MOMEN: I don't know. We don't know, because we have no record of how many were working on the day at that time in the building. So we don't know. But -- I don't think there would be too many more, because the majority has been taken care of.
SWEENEY: All right.
Let me ask you about the committee that your government established in the last -- in the days following this disaster to try and identify areas in Bangladesh and in Bangladeshi law to try and improve the situation for Bangladeshi workers. To what stage has that committee now reached? Where is it at in terms of its findings and its recommendations?
MOMEN: You see, the after the incident that accident the government has -- this has really basically the wakening call for the country. And government has taken a number of steps, some has been implemented--
SWEENEY: Let me ask about the committee specifically.
MOMEN: Pardon?
SWEENEY: Let me ask about the work of the committee specifically in terms of changing Bangladesh's laws to make it -- the safety program complied with by factory owners?
MOMEN: You see the four factory owners, the government has already closed down 18 factories with (inaudible) they are not very, you know, safe and secure. And the factory owners have come forward to improve their condition. So we have now a tri-part arrangement -- the factory owners, the government and international organizations working together to ensure that such bad things never happen again.
SWEENEY: Let me bring in my colleague Christiane Amanpour who spoke with the prime minister of Bangladesh last week. As you know, Sheikh Hasina defended your government's response to the disaster, but also said as you mentioned there about international companies coming to Bangladesh for cheap labor and her view of what she believes they must do. And I'll come back to you afterwards for a comment, please.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH HASINA, PRIME MINISTER OF BANGLADESH: Listen, if they want to do business this buyer, they also consider they should increase the price of the garments so that the business can run properly and the labor can get good salary. So they are also partly responsible for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: What progress, ambassador, has been made so far with international companies?
MOMEN: You see, this -- there's so many people have been responsible. We have our own (inaudible). And we did not do our part of the job, that's true. And this is an issue, you see. Now it's beyond -- I should not be worried about the blame game, because we shouldn't go into the blame game. But what we want to do is, we have to work all together and to find out that their position could be improved and there cannot be any more safety problems.
SWEENEY: And what assurances have you got from international companies? What assurances have you got so far for the 3.6 million workers?
MOMEN: You see -- we found there is a large number of international companies, because if they stay in Bangladesh it is a win-win situation for all. And naturally we have to improve our situation, but at the same time I believe that we can do a job together.
I would like to remind you in many years ago there was allegations of slave labor (ph) in Bangladesh in a garment factory. And then Bangladesh government, the BGMA, the U.S. State Department -- U.S. Commerce Department, the ILO (ph) we worked together. And in the process we resolved that issue in a very beautiful way.
Maybe here we have to work together to resolve this problem and in an ideal way.
SWEENEY: Obviously.
Finally, where do you expect to see the garment industry in your country in a year form now?
MOMEN: I think it will continue to grow. And we'll continue to improve the situation. And we'll retain the confidence of the global community. And it would be a win-win situation for all -- both the buyers and the sellers and for particularly for the laborers.
SWEENEY: Dr. Momen, we must leave it there. Thank you for joining us from New York.
Coming up next on Connect the World, we'll have the latest developments from Cleveland as the father of Amanda Berry's six-year-old daughter is confirmed as Ariel Castro, the man accused of her kidnap and rape.
And an Olympic sailor drowns while training for a race. Why some are saying more than catamarans were to blame.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SWEENEY: Welcome back. I'm Fionnuala Sweeney.
Now Britain's Prince Harry is on the second day of a weeklong tour of the United States. And yesterday he visited the White House and met the First Lady. Earlier today he joined Senator John McCain earlier in that day yesterday he joined Senator McCain to view a photography exhibition raising awareness about landmines. The display was set up by the Halo Trust. And his mother Diana, of course, was a patron of that charity.
Well, today the prince visited the cemetery for fallen soldiers in Arlington. An Max Foster was there.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, if the first day of the tour was defined by Harrymania, today had a completely different tone to it. Prince Harry wandering through section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. This is where all the freshest graves are. And it's described as the saddest acre in America.
You saw him wandering through, a very poignant walk through these gravesites. And he is a serving officer. He served in Afghanistan earlier this year. And in the back of his mind would have been the thought that it could have been him.
He left a note. It was specifically for American comrades. "To my comrades in arms of the United States of America," it read, "who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of freedom."
You continued to see the serious Prince Harry of the Tomb of the Unknowns, paying tribute there. And after that, the Walter Reed medical facility where wounded war veterans are experiencing this amazing care and new technology to get them moving once again. He's fascinated by that and he's fascinated to talk to those wounded servicemen and women as well. A positive story there, but still very serious.
So that will wrap up this part of the tour to the American capital. After this, it's on to Denver and another reception hosted by the British government to promote UK interests here in the United States.
Max Foster, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: All right
And we will have the latest world news headlines just ahead.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREGG: I could never forgive him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Discuss seeking the death penalty for the alleged kidnapper Ariel Castro. His daughter speaks exclusively to CNN.
And.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first time ever you know that in your sightlines (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: And challenge that's not for the faint hearted, raising money for a cause that impacts all of us.
And the French revolution in dance music as Daft Punk goes disco. We'll take a look at the iconic group's new album.
All that and much more to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SWEENEY: This is Connect the World. The top stories this hour.
A woman trapped for 16 days under rubble said she survived by rationing just two bottles of water. She spoke to reporters from her hospital bed in Savar (ph), Bangladesh. Rescuers say they found her in an air pocket in a collapsed garment factory explaining her relatively good condition.
British prime minister David Cameron and Russian president Vladimir Putin have been discussing possible solutions to the Syrian civil war. Today, Russia's foreign minister said his government doesn't plan any new deals to supply Syria with weapons, but will fulfill its current contracts.
Preliminary DNA tests have confirmed that alleged kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro is the father of Amanda Berry's six-year-old daughter. Castro is charged with four counts of kidnap and three of rape relating to three women who went missing around a decade ago. We'll have more on that story in just a moment.
At least four people have been killed and some 20 injured on the even of Pakistan's election. Bomb attacks targeted party offices in remote areas of the country. Saturday's vote marks Pakistan's first entirely democratic transition of power.
Ariel Castro, the man charged with the kidnap and rape of three women in Cleveland has been confirmed as the father of the six-year-old also found captive in his home. CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Cleveland with the very latest on this development -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fionnuala. The news is what everyone had expected that Ariel Castro, through a DNA match, is the father of the child born, the six-year-old little girl, born by Amanda Berry, one of the three young women kidnapped, allegedly, by Ariel Castro.
Now this comes after authorities here ran his DNA sample into a database in the state of Ohio and it proved that he was the father, definitely of this little girl, rather matched it up against Amanda Berry's DNA and the child's DNA.
They also ran his DNA in a database to see whether his matched any other unsolved crime in the state of Ohio. It did not. But they didn't stop there. Authorities are also running his DNA in a United States database run by the FBI, it's called CODIS, and they're seeing whether it matches any other unsolved crime in the United States.
We don't have those results yet. But we do know now that that six- year-old little girl's father is, in fact, Ariel Castro.
SWEENEY: As we suspected. Susan Candiotti, thank you for joining us, there, from Cleveland Ohio. Well, Ariel Castro's family members have been quick to distance themselves from the alleged kidnapper. One of his daughters, Angie Gregg, spoke exclusively to CNN's Laurie Segall. She says the man she considered a loving father is now dead to her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANGIE GREGG, ARIEL CASTRO'S DAUGHTER: My husband and I are in complete disbelief that the friendly, caring, doting man I knew as my daddy was, in fact, the most evil, vile, demonic criminal that I have met or heard of over the past ten years.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is part of a letter that Angie Gregg wrote after learning her father was allegedly behind the brutal kidnappings in Cleveland, Ohio. Now, she's speaking out.
GREGG: And to go to the visuals, to show these girls the footage of their parents pleas for their return, to rape, starve, and beat innocent human beings, I am disgusted.
SEGALL (on camera): You have learned that your father wasn't the guy you thought he was.
GREGG: No.
SEGALL: What is that like?
GREGG: It's like a horror movie. It's like watching a bad movie.
SEGALL: Only you're in it.
GREGG: It's -- only we're in it, we're the main characters, and -- I never suspected anything was going on, but the more I sit and dwell on it, I think of things that make a whole lot of sense, now.
SEGALL: You look back and you say, OK, you can piece together -- you're beginning to piece together a puzzle. Where were the signs?
GREGG: Well, he never wanted to leave the house more than a day at a time. He was adamant in the fact that he wanted to leave home early morning and he had to be back by evening.
SEGALL: Were there certain areas in the home that were just off limits?
GREGG: Ever since my mom lived in that house, the basement was always kept locked. I've never been upstairs in the house, and I never had reason to be. I asked him if I could see my room for old time's sake, and he says, "Oh, honey, there's so much junk up there, you don't want to go up there."
SEGALL: When you think about what might have been, what was behind those doors, how do you -- how do you cope with that?
GREGG: It all makes sense now. Now I know. It's hard. But I have - - I have no sympathy for the man. I have no sympathy. He was just another -- another person who's lied and deceived and manipulated people and I could never forgive him. I could never forgive him. If you were to ask me this last week, I would've told you he's the best dad and the best grandpa.
SEGALL (voice-over): One thing she did suspect is that her father might have had another child, a child we now know is her half sister, conceived with one of the women he allegedly held captive.
GREGG: He showed me a picture that was in his cell phone randomly and he said, "Look at this cute little girl." It was a face shot.
And I said, "She's cute, who is that?"
And he said, "This is my girlfriend's child."
And I said, "Dad, that girl looks like Emily." Emily is my younger sister.
And he said, "No, that's not my child. That's my girlfriend's child by somebody else."
SEGALL: Angie says she was always close with her father, but she says she witnessed abuse in their home.
GREGG: He was pretty jealous. He was always saying that my mom was messing with certain neighbors, things like that. And I've seen him basically stomp on her like she was a man, like -- he's beat her pretty bad several times.
SEGALL: Her mother passed away from cancer-related complications in 2012.
GREGG: I've lost my mother, now I've lost a father. But I don't cry for him.
SEGALL (on camera): If you had a message for him, what would it be?
GREGG: All this time, why? That -- why? I don't even know what to say. Why after all this time? Why did you do it in the first place? Why did you take these girls, and why did you never leave? And why did you never -- why did you never feel guilty enough to let them go?
SEGALL: What message do you have for these women and their families?
GREGG: I feel so much -- so much sorrow that you had to endure this. I'm glad that you're back home with your family, finally, because they never stopped thinking about you. They never stopped -- they never forgot you. Right now, these girls need to heal.
SEGALL: Do you feel that you're going to need to heal, too?
GREGG: I'll be fine. I wasn't submitted to the horror that they were.
SEGALL: In a day, you've lost the man that raised you. That must be hard.
GREGG: He's nothing but a memory anymore. He can never be daddy again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: Well, that interview came after one of her sisters gave an interview to ABC. In a painful twist, Arlene Castro may have been the last person to see Gina DeJesus before she was abducted. The two girls were said to be best friends at the time, and you can see the two of them together in this photograph.
Arlene Castro told ABC News she hadn't spoken to her father since last month and had no idea Ariel Castro could have kidnapped her friend and two other women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARLENE CASTRO, ARIEL CASTRO'S DAUGHTER: I would like to say I'm absolutely so -- so sorry.
(CRYING)
CASTRO: I really want to see you, Gina. And I want you to meet my kids. I'm so sorry for everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Live from London, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. And coming up, find out what UK tweets kept these runners going on an epic journey to raise money for trafficked children.
And as we countdown to the Eurovision song contest, we reveal the bizarre connection between heavy rock and euro pop.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SWEENEY: Modern-day slavery. Sadly, it is closer to all of us than we might think. According to the International Labour Organization, three in every one thousand people worldwide are in some form of forced labor, trapped and unable to escape.
It needs to stop, and here at CNN, we are committed to the global fight, bringing you the facts, the victims' voices, and the success stories.
France officially abolished slavery 150 years ago. President Francois Hollande and other dignitaries marked the anniversary earlier today. But as Jim Bittermann reports, it's a horror which isn't confined to the history books.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TINA OKPARA, SLAVERY VICTIM: I was like in prison and a slave.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tina Okpara has been back before, but it's an emotional experience each time she returns to the house where she was held captive for five years.
OKPARA: I was thinking about killing myself by then. But the only thing that makes me stay, that makes me keep on, saying that maybe one day I will -- somebody will rescue me.
BITTERMANN: At age 12 in her native Nigeria, Tina was legally adopted and brought to France by football star Godwin Okpara, and his wife. Her birth family agreed to the adoption, thinking she was heading off to a better life, but once here, she was kept out of school and made to work as a domestic, sexually abused and mutilated.
She tried to escape but failed to convince police at the local commissariat that she was not just a runaway. A second time, though, she succeeded, and the Okparas were convicted and sent to jail.
OKPARA: They tried to destroy me once.
(CRYING)
OKPARA: They are not -- house -- after all I went through, I'm still alive. I'm lucky to be alive.
BITTERMANN: If Tina's case is unusual, modern slavery in France is not. The association here which tries to rescue the enslaved help free 122 people from bondage last year, and its president says it's only the tip of the iceberg.
SYLVIE O'DY, COMMITTEE AGAINST MODERN SLAVERY: People don't believe it when we tell that to people, they say, no, it's not true. Slavery has been abolished 150 years ago, so you don't have slavery in France. And we say, yes, you have slavery by the metro, next to your house, you can have slavery.
BITTERMANN: Typical, says the association, are cases like that of this Filipino woman who, out of fear, prefers we call her Jean (ph). She was hired to work as domestic help by a family from the Middle East. They took away her passport and papers and threatened her if she did not work for them day and night.
When they came to France for a visit, she managed to escape by climbing out of a sixth-floor window and sliding to the ground on a rope.
BITTERMANN (on camera): Jean was held in forced servitude in this building in one of the most chic areas of Paris. In fact, so many cases of modern-day slavery take place in unexpected neighborhoods like this one that recently the anti-slavery committee published this booklet, which shows pictures of places around the city where slaves have been held.
BITTERMANN (voice-over): And it's not just foreigners who are responsible for the modern slavery in France. According to his lawyer, a Cambodian refugee named Sok (ph) was held in cruel conditions and forced to work by a French mother and daughter who took advantage of his mental incapacity for more than ten years.
Denied medical treatment, he pulled out his own teeth with pliers and eventually, the French women were taken to court. Sok is now a ward of the state.
And so, more than a century and a half after slavery was definitively abolished in France, modern-day instances of it still come up even in the leafy suburbs of Paris, and sometimes to the disbelief of authorities here, who according to anti-slavery groups, are gradually beginning to take the problem seriously.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Chateau, France.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: Well, stories like Tina's have inspired many people around the world to take a stand, including three young guys from the UK who've just finished an epic journey: 39 marathons -- across 9 Eastern European countries in just 33 days, all to raise money for the young victims of human trafficking.
We first spoke to Rob, Tom, and Guy before they left and caught up with them during their adventure. They've raised over $256,000. Now, back, I spoke to them a little earlier and began by asking Tom what inspired them to take on such a huge challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM STANCLIFFE, RUN FOR LOVE 1000: We'd heard so much in the press early this year about human trafficking, and we really just were so inspired by the charity Love146, who we've met. They're providing an amazing amount of care and love to trafficked children.
And we wanted to sort of bring together as many people as possible to do something to help and go on an amazing adventure, but also do something to provide a new center for trafficked children in the UK.
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ROB MARTINEAU RUN FOR LOVE 10000: It all becomes a lot more real when you're meeting these people who are fighting and have been to Dubai.
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SWEENEY: Now, has there been a traffic center already in the UK? This is the first of its kind, a trauma center?
GUY HACKING, RUN FOR LOVE 1000: No, there have -- there are various responses to trafficking, and this is a very specific model that Love146 has developed in the Philippines, which is both a home for children where they can find a loving environment, but also psychological rehabilitation for the most damaged children.
So, certainly this is a pilot project and it'll be -- assuming it's successful and hoping it is successful, this'll be rolled out across the UK and Europe.
SWEENEY: Let me ask you, was there anything that you hadn't prepared for on this trip as much as you'd envisioned what it might like be?
HACKING: Well, a couple of things. First, it was rather rocky on day one. We were all like, God, these backpacks are a lot heavier than we ever imagined them to be. So, I think the backpacks certainly.
Also, food was difficult on the trip. We'd go with sometimes be hoping, expecting to find a town where we would buy food. Nothing. So, we survived a lot on sort of Snickers. So thanks to the UK confectionery for keeping us going.
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HACKING: Absolutely killer, basically going up from about 500 meters to 2,000 meters.
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SWEENEY: So, with backpacks going up uphill roads and mountains, I mean, did you just choose to stop for rest when you felt like it? Take a break?
MARTINEAU: I think we tried just to press on, and we did rest sometimes.
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MARTINEAU: So, we made it to the top of the mountain. Men, left to their own devices, will will out.
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MARTINEAU: It did get -- it really does affect your body. I've just been to the doctor today, and he says he thinks I have a stress fracture in my left tibia, a stress fracture in my right tibia, and a torn cartilage in my right knee.
And you just -- I think the amount of time on the hill is the amount of time on the tarmac, and with the backpack, it does put real strain on your body. But I think it's just -- it was keeping going. It was so important to us to keep going and keep making the daily distances so we'd complete the project.
SWEENEY: And Rob, what went through your mind when you saw the finish line approaching?
MARTINEAU: It really was euphoric. I can't really describe it. We came over our final hill, and I think we all had that feeling, just seeing Dubrovnik, it's such a beautiful sight, jutting out into the sea.
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MARTINEAU: (inaudible)
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MARTINEAU: And actually, running in, at this stage, we had 40 runners with us, 35 runners with us, so we were --
SWEENEY: You picked up people along the way.
MARTINEAU: Yes. So there was that sort of Forest Gump feel, and it was a fantastic reception of friends, family, and people from Dubrovnik, and we finished on the strad in the main drag.
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MARTINEAU: It really is overwhelming. I've never felt anything like it, never experienced anything like it.
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SWEENEY: Let me ask you, have you come down at all from that kind of athletes marathon-type high in the last few days? Have you been -- have you had time to come to grips with it all?
HACKING: I'm not sure. I have to say, it's still -- you come back feeling slightly flat. This is really took up a huge amount of our lives and certainly a lot of our brain power and energy. And I'm still buzzing, and actually, we were discussing it afterwards, would you -- if we could press rewind and start from the beginning, would you do it? And absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SWEENEY: An incredible journey. Tom Stancliffe, Guy Hacking, and Rob Martineau speaking earlier. And today, to donate, go to -- if you want to donate, go to Runforlove1000.com.
And join us a week from today for the premier of a new CNN Freedom Project documentary, "The Fighters," follows a Philippine human rights activist working to protect children from the sex trade and her efforts to convince the nation's biggest star, boxer Manny Pacquiao, to join her.
Viewers in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East can see part one next Friday night at 9:00 in London, 10:00 in Berlin, midnight in Abu Dhabi. And there's more online, including an exclusive gallery from Manny Pacquiao's personal photographer. Go to cnn.com/thefighters.
And coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD --
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SWEENEY: You thought disco was dead. The robots of dance change their tune. CNN Preview, up next.
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SWEENEY: Time now to fill you in on what is new in the world of entertainment. Becky Anderson has the highlights.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to this week's edition of CNN Preview, our weekly entertainment segment focusing on music and movies.
And we kick off with a French revolution in dance music, with the long-awaited return of Daft Punk.
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NEIL CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In their first true album for eight years, Daft Punk channel a disaffection with modern electronic dance music to go back to the future, combining the distinctive disco funk guitar of Nile Rogers and the vocals of Paul Williams to provide a more human face to their robotic sound.
The robots don't talk, but CNN Preview tracked down the camera-shy French duo behind the band for a rare audio interview.
THOMAS BANGALTER, DAFT PUNK: Punk music in 2013 has become very formatted. You hear the same synthesizer sounds on many different records, and I guess we wanted to record an album that breaks this formatted formula.
GUY-MANUEL DE HOMEM-CHRISTO, DAFT PUNK: We have always been fascinated by the relationships of technology and humanity. The idea of this album was to make our robotic and electronic music more human than before at a time when human music is becoming gradually more computerized and more robotic.
We wanted all the robot voices on the album to feel more human and more expressive than our previous recordings.
CURRY: Led by the infectious, hip single "Get Lucky," Daft Punk's album, Random Access Memories, will be released worldwide from May the 20th.
ANDERSON: Mohsin Hamid's novel "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," has been turned into a movie by director Mira Nair, and audiences in the UK, the US, and India get their first chance to see it this month.
RIZ AHMED AS CHANGEZ, "THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST": Yes, I'm Pakistani. Yes, I'm Muslim. But that's not all I am.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The story follows a young Pakistani man named Changez, played by British actor Riz Ahmed, who becomes successful in business and love in New York City.
KIEFER SUTHERLAND AS JIM CROSS, "THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST": You have 20 minutes to convince me that you belong at Underwood Simpson."
AHMED AS CHANGEZ: In America, I get an equal chance to win, and whether or not you hire me, Jim, I am going to win.
ANDERSON: But the 9/11 attacks change his world and the way he's regarded.
AHMED AS CHANGEZ: You picked a side after 9/11? I didn't have to. It was picked for me.
ANDERSON: He returns home to Pakistan, disaffected by capitalism.
MIA NAIR, DIRECTOR, "THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST": What's the most interesting part of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" is that the fundamentalism is not religious, it's economic. It's understanding that the parallels between the market and terror are actually very close.
AHMED AS CHANGEZ: So, tell me, Bobby, what exactly is the article about?
LIEV SCHREIBER AS BOBBY LINCOLN, "THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST": The kidnapping of an American citizen.
AHMED AS CHANGEZ: You think I have something to do with this kidnapping?
SCHREIBER AS LINCOLN: I'm not the one you have to convince.
ANDERSON (on camera): Now, here's a question for you: what's the most-watched annual music event? Well, the organizers will tell you it's the Eurovision song contest, and this year, their traditional penchant for pop is being perked up somewhat with a dash of heavy metal.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): In a bizarre twist, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi has written the Armenian entry, a rock ballad called "Lonely Planet," to be performed by the Armenian band, Dorians.
They'll be up against close to 40 other countries, with early frontrunners Emelie de Forest from Denmark --
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ANDERSON: And Zlata Ognevich from the Ukraine.
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ANDERSON: The Eurovision grand final takes place in the Swedish city of Malmo next weekend and is expected to attract a global audience of 120 million.
ANDERSON (on camera): That's all for this edition of CNN Preview. Join us, though, next week --
JOEL EDGERTON AS TOM BUCHANAN, "THE GREAT GATSBY": Mr. Gatsby, I'd like to know, exactly who are you, anyhow?
ANDERSON (voice-over): -- when we'll be joining the cast of "The Great Gatsby" for a special edition from Cannes, the greatest film festival in the world.
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SWEENEY: To sports news, now, and the sailing world is mourning the loss of one of its best-known and most-respected competitors. Patrick Snell joins us from CNN Center with more on Andrew Simpson. Andrew.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, thanks, Fionnuala. It's a tragic passing of Andrew Simpson, Fionnuala, it really was. Basically drowning in the San Francisco Bay and basically a case of a community -- a whole worldwide community -- now in mourning.
The latest is an investigation, of course, is underway to try and find out exactly what happened, what played a part in this tragic accident. Eleven of his crew members were found safe and well, mercifully. Tragically for he and his family, that was not the case.
Now, I've been speaking with CNN "MainSail" host Shirley Robertson earlier to speak about the safety implications and, indeed, what impact this many now have on other sailors out there.
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SHIRLEY ROBERTSON, HOST, CNN "MAINSALE": For the Artemis team, how difficult is it going to be to get back on the boat? His -- his boss, there, Iain Percy, was a man he won a gold and silver medal with, and can you imagine -- can you imagine looking for your best friend and your teammate among that wreckage? It's unthinkable.
And every sailor can put themselves in that situation, whether you sail a tiny dingy -- in the lakes in Canada or whether you're a Grand Prix America's Cup sailor, it touches everyone who has an association with the water, and I think -- I think we will see the ramifications of this accident for a long time to come.
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SNELL: Truly tragic, just 36 years of age as well, a 2008 Beijing Olympic champion. Really, words, I think, at a loss here to describe this one, Fionnuala.
SWEENEY: Yes, indeed. Going to golf, now. I see earlier in this day, CNN's "Living Golf's" Shane O'Donoghue broke some news. What's this about, Patrick?
SNELL: He really did, yes. A real --
(AUDIO GAP)
SNELL: -- really, because Britain's Nick Faldo -- or should I say Sir Nick Faldo now? -- he's a six-time Major winner. He played his last British Open in 2010, and we all thought he was done as far as the Majors were concerned.
Not so, seemingly. He's been telling Shane that he wants another crack at it. He's going to play at this year's British Open at Muirfield in Scotland, where he won two of his coveted three Claret Jugs. Let's listen and explain here just exactly how he spoke to Shane about it. You can really sense the emotions, Fionnuala, coming out in his voice. Take a listen.
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NICK FALDO, SIX-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: I made that decision, and I called my son, Matthew, who's been on the bag before, and he goes -- typical Matthew -- goes, "Cor blimey, you sure?"
(LAUGHTER)
FALDO: "Bloody hell, Dad, what made you think of that?" And I'm thinking, oh, come on, Matt. So, I think it -- obviously, it's for him, it's for my kids, it's the -- we can go and have a real -- have an enjoyable week of it. That's the most important -- and soak up the old memories.
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SNELL: "What are you doing, Dad?"
(LAUGHTER)
SNELL: Son Matthew to Nick, Sir Nick, there. I think that's great to see, taking advice -- or not really taking advice from his son. It's wonderful to see Nick Faldo. I know there's a lot of golf fans worldwide, Fionnuala, itching to see Nick Faldo back on the hallowed turf there at Muirfield in Scotland. Fionnuala?
SWEENEY: I'm sure they are. Very quickly, let's go back to Andrew Simpson. What did these championships he was sailing in mean to him?
SNELL: Well, for he -- his preparations were all about trying to be focused for this year's America's Cup. He'd moved his family, relocated the family out west, out to California, to the San Francisco area just to be as prepared as possible.
This is a highly-demanding sport. You can see the sacrifices that were made, all kinds of safety concerns ongoing in and out of the news when it comes to these catamarans. This is tragic, shock, I think, are the emotions here.
And just a case, now, of what can be learned from this. First of all, what went on and what is going to be improved. Because I think instruction and safety issues have to be looked at very closely. You've got the Louis Vuitton trophy -- the Louis Vuitton Cup as well, and America's Cup.
This is a big, big year for sailing, Fionnuala, and certain issues have to be addressed as quickly as possible to try and find out exactly what went on here off the coast of San Francisco.
SWEENEY: Yes, exactly. Thank you very much, indeed. Patrick Snell, there, joining us from CNN Center. I'm Fionnuala Sweeney, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.
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