I was thrilled last Tuesday that we were given the privilege of visiting the Somaly Mam Foundation in Phnom Penh and am very grateful to Chair of the Somaly Mam Foundation in NY for making the visit possible. As you may recall from my post about Three Books, Somaly Mam's memoir, The Road of Lost Innocence, was a primary inspiration for my planning this trip. I highly recommend this book in which Somaly Mam shares her story of being sold into sex slavery at age 16, surviving the associated brutalities, escaping, and eventually starting AFESIP ( Agir Pour Les Femmes en Situation Precair). AFESIP now has 3 centers in Cambodia and one in Laos to provide support and training for women who have been rescued from the brothels. The Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF) was founded a few years ago in NY and exists largely to raise awareness and to raise funds for addressing sex trafficking.
At the SMF, we met with two remarkable young women, Sreypou and Chhaiveun, who are part of a program called Voices for Change. This is a new program designed to empower victims to be part of the solution. A couple of years ago, 6 girls were chosen from the AFESIP Centers to join the program. Six more have been added, and soon six more will join to create a three-year program with 18 girls. Sreypou and Chhaiveun deeply inspired me. They were cheerful, and they spoke about their experiences courageously and without bitterness. During the three-year program, the participants receive training to improve literacy, computer skills, and English, and they learn about other life skills, including stress management. They also spend time at the AFESIP Centers to counsel with newly arrived victims, and they provide encouragement to the girls leaving the Centers as they seek reintegration into society. In the third year of the program, the participants work as interns at SMF to prepare them for finding jobs at the end of the program.
We asked Sreypou and Chhaiveun about their activities to increase awareness among potential victims. They presently host a one-hour radio talk show 5 days a week. During this time, they share their experiences of being a victim and they warn girls about the "tricks" of the traffickers. They explained to us that the traffickers often arrive very well dressed in remote villages. They lure the girls with promises of nice clothes. When we asked about parents selling their children, they acknowledged that this is a real problem and they added that husbands will sometimes sell their wives. They also indicated that, although many men who go to the brothels are foreign (both Asian and Western), most of the customers are Cambodian. SMF is exploring creating a TV show to reach an even larger number of girls and young women.
We asked Sreypou and Chhaiveun how we could help in addition, of course, to making financial contributions. They said that these girls and young women in the AFESIP centers want to be loved, affirmed and accepted. (Our team later wondered about sending cards as expressions of our support.) They added that increasing awareness and telling the stories is extremely important. In response to our question about support from the Cambodian government, we were told that the government is making some progress, and Dec. 12 has been declared National Human Trafficking Day in Cambodia. We also asked about providing scholarships for persons in the Voices for Change program to study in the U.S., but a practical challenge in that regard is that most victims have, at most, completed only the 7th or 8th grade.
After graciously spending about an hour with us, Sreypou and Chhaiveun, along with a SMF Volunteer, took us to the Tomdy Center, located about a half hour outside of Phnom Penh. We were understandably asked not to make photographs there but you can see some on the AFESIP website. The setting is in the countryside, and the grounds are encylosed for privacy and security. The landscaping is lovely and serene, creating a peaceful environment for healing. In addition to the 75 regular residents, there are 9 small childen who live at the Center with their mothers. One girl who was only 14 had just recently given birth and shyly showed us her beautiful baby. This Center offers training in sewing, weaving and hairdressing. I was particularly impressed by the achievements of the sewing class, who shyly showed us their projects. There is no set amount of time a resident remains at the Center; each decides when she is ready to take the next step of reintegrating into society.
I left the Center with the deepest respect for these brave young women and girls who have survived many horrors, including sometimes torture, and yet have the fortitude to move forward with hope. They know from Sreypou, Chhariveun, and other participants in Voices for Change that a new life is indeed possible. My heart goes out to these young women. This day alone made my entire trip worthwhile.
In the 3 photos above, the first shows our team at the entrance to the Tomdy AFESIP Center, along with some of the staff and our Voices for Change guides. The second shows Karen Scheib giving a quick knitting lesson to Sreypou (white shirt) and Chhaiveun (purple shirt) while we were waiting for our ride from SFF to the Tomdy Center. The third shows our team at SFM along with Sreypou, Chhaiveun, and another volunteer.
If you think you may like to volunteer at AFESIP, information is available on the webite.
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