*reader discretion: some violent and graphic descriptions of mass genocide used in this blog.
Cambodia has opened my eyes and broken my heart more than any other place so far. i’ve witnessed people in situations no one should have to go through. i’ve heard stories that make me sick to my stomach. as painful as it is to hear and see the things i have, i know it is just all the more reason i should be be here to offer my prayers, help and support.
Cambodia withstood a horrific genocide just thirty years ago in the mid 70’s. 25% of the Cambodian population was entirely wiped out. think about every four people you know being physically and psychologically tortured, then ruthlessly murdered. that’s exactly what happened here. my team and i went to the genocide museum, where they kept the victims for barbaric torturing purposes before taking them to the killing fields (where we also took a tour) to be murdered. i saw the mass graves, pockets in the earth where hundreds of bodies were thrown into just a fifteen years before i was born. its hard for me to think that this barbaric incident happened in such recent history. that people, forced under threat and order, were brainwashed into murdering people in the most cruel of ways. there is a tree called “the killing tree”, where babies and children were swung by their feet against, their skulls cracked against the bark as they were beaten to death. a mass grave stood just feet from the tree, where hundreds of women’s naked and beaten bodies were found along their children. when the tree was found, there were blood stains against the tree along with pieces of brain.
the killing tree** (visitors leave bracelets amongst the site as a sign of respect)
the mass graves are shallow these days, but when they were being used, they were around 20 feet deep.every couple of months, staff will collect new pieces that have come up from the graves; pieces of cloth from the buried, bones, teeth. even as we walked amongst the graves, i saw pieces of cloth coming from the earth. at one point i knelt down and brushed off the dirt of a bone that was sticking out from the ground.
mass graves*
a bone of a victim, risen up from the ground.**
victim’s clothing, kept in a glass case at the killing fields. some are children’s clothes.
the Khmer Rouge, lead by Pol Pot believed that “all Cambodians must be made to work as laborer in one huge federation of collective farms; anyone in opposition to this system must be eliminated.” Pol Pot went specifically after those he considered the enemy. their families too,from infants to the elderly were also victims of the genocide. Pol Pot’s logic was: “To kill the grass you must also remove the root”. he wanted to wipe out an entire people group. essentially, all of the intellectuals–anyone educated–were wiped out from society. doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, educators, etc. hardly existed after the genocide. because of this, they are literally re-building and entire society from the ground up. it’s not an easy or quick process by any means.
portraits of the victims, taken while they were prisoners. victims included anyone educated or religious, people with soft hands, entertainers and their families. (genocide museum)
Cambodia was already a third-world country. the genocide added on top of that made it so Cambodia is 500 years behind western civilization, and they are trying to catch up. i spoke with a woman who was literally the first to tell a group of university students that the world is round. much of the country is not educated, as most of the educated were killed off. as a result, there are not many doctors, psychologists, lawyers, etc. those who do practice oftentimes don’t have the proper recourses on how to treat the sick. we took a woman who was having heart problems to a hospital. it was jam packed with patients, and they had her on a stretcher in the hallway with dozens of others. there wasn’t enough space for all of the patients to have a room, so they treated them right there in the sea of sick people. they drained fluid from one man’s stomach right there in the hallway.
the lack of education is a primary cause of Cambodia’s social injustices. lack of education= lack of job= lack of money= poverty. families will sell their children (some as young as newborns) to sex traffickers for money. due to the lack of medical knowledge, people here are oftentimes improperly treated or not treated at all. young people who are lucky enough to go to university oftentimes cannot afford housing so they sleep in the temples, where it is free. it’s also almost guaranteed that they will be raped, inside the temples, and/or trafficked for sex, as the traffickers know that the temples are packed with young at-risk students.
ONE in 40 Cambodian girls will be sold into sex slavery. Let that sit for a moment. of all the women you know, think of every 40th one being forced to have sex with strangers. this is the reality here.
90% of these girls are sold by their own families.
girls are not the only victims in the sex industry. “known as ‘ladyboys’, male transsexual sex workers are males who dress as women and sell their bodies to male customers…often shunned by their own families yet expected to provide for them. 74% of ladyboys are subject to severe physical harassment, with assault and gang rape also common. ostracized by the community, they are refused employment, making sex work feel like their only option (DOC).”
70-80% of the Cambodian sex industry is supported by locals as customers. it is completely normal for men here to regularly participate in paying for sex. 20% of men here admit to having had raped a woman, and this doesn’t even include going out and buying a prostitute. about 4% of customers are foreigners, some of whom i’ve seen strolling the streets or out in bars with the women they payed for.
the other night we went on an outreach in the red light district. the parks are so different at night. every 50 feet or so, we saw another girl under a street light, waiting. for a stranger to pick her up and do unthinkable things to her. we had a translator who did most of the talking, but we got to pray for the girls. i met a girl who was selling herself on the street. she was younger than me, 22 years old and she was gorgeous with dark round eyes. she grew up an orphan as both of her parents had passed. she had two children, one of them who was just a month old. this means that this girl was out on the streets selling herself less than two months after having had given birth. this is just one girl’s story, out of millions of children, men and women who are trafficked every day.
. . .
BUT HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS:
God is at work in this country. we’ve gotten to meet so many amazing organizations who go out into slums, red light districts, on the streets and more to help Cambodians. i fell in love with an organization called Daughters of Cambodia. they take trafficked girls off of the streets and give them a fair-paying, fair trade job where they learn to sew and make (adorable) merchandise that they sell in their own boutique. the girls can also work at one of their small businesses; cafes, a spa, a guesthouse, etc. DOC provides a free daycare for the women’s children while they work, in addition to medical services. Sons of Cambodia does the same for ladyboys, who learn woodwork and screen printing. it helps them with confidence, and gives them an alternative to making money besides selling themselves and putting themselves in danger.
***How You Can Help***
–Volunteer. research different organizations on the issue of your choice. they can always use help. ( Volunteer Cambodia or Australia with SHE Rescue Home )
–Spread the word about Cambodia needing doctors and educators! look into internships or missions work that can help educate the population on modern medicinal practices.
–Educate others about the genocide that took place recently here in Cambodia and the effect it had on the country. raise awareness about the current social issues and injustices so that more will be likely to do something to help. Read more about the genocide here.
–Pray. for traffickers, for the trafficked, for the sick, for the temples, for the families of victims who were murdered in the genocide, for the political leaders, for practical medical aid and help from those around the world.
–Sponsor. help provide tangible, practical help to victims in Cambodia:
–>Daughters of Cambodia or Sons of Cambodia. your sponsorships go towards their monthly salary, which literally enables them to walk free from slavery by human trafficking.
–>Agape International Missions. provide housing and supplies for child victims of trafficking:
–Donate financially to an organization of your choice such as:
–>Donate to Daughters of Cambodia: you can choose to help pay for art therapy, counseling sessions, daycare, newborns, and much more.
–>Donate to SHE Rescue Home: SHE is another amazing organization that saves victims of human trafficking, particularly children or young girls.
**photo credit: Christina Callegari
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How this all affected me and my ministry this month:
as some of you know, my team and i were pulled out of our ministry this month due to safety concerns. while we only spent six days there, i met people that i will never forget and that will forever be in my heart. they all have heartbreaking pasts, not uncommon for many in Cambodia. here are just some of their stories:
David
David is one year old. his mother passed away at only fourteen years old. she was thirteen when she got pregnant, and passed away from a terrible parasite in her ear. David is such a sweet baby, so full of joy and very loving.
these are two of five siblings that are directly from the street, where they’ve lived most of their lives. they all had blonde highlights in their dark hair, a clear indication of severe malnourishment. their mother would only let our ministry take in her two older boys. she kept the youngest ones (pictured) to keep begging on the streets as they could make more money. recently these two and the oldest girl (14 years old) came to live at ministry, but the next day the mother came to get the youngest ones back again.
Moam
Moam is nineteen, though she looked much older due to drug use. she’s been through so much, and has come directly from the streets where she was repeatedly raped and abused. she also has some form of mental illness/PTSD judging by her behavior. our ministry unfortunately did not have the proper knowledge/medical care/supplies to treat her. as far as i know she still has yet to be checked out by a medical professional that she so desperately needs. when we first saw her she was going through withdrawals and mental distress. they had her chained by the ankle to a barred window in a completely bare room for safety (this is what they use instead of for example a straight jacket, because they don’t have any other way of detaining her). please keep her in your prayers
Makra and baby Esther
i love these two girls! makra is nineteen years old with a 6 month old baby, Esther. Makra and her husband were both involved in drugs but are now each seeking help, living separately at the men and women’s centers. Esther is adorable and easily lovable. she does, however have heart problems so please keep her in your prayers! while with her, she had to go to the hospital after she had trouble breathing with blue lips (very scary).
other kids at our ministry, who were total sweethearts! they all wanted to hold my hand and play 24/7.
my team and i on our last day at ministry
. . .
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[Isaiah 61]
