A seed is like a little girl: it can look small
and worthless, but if you treat it well then it will grow beautiful. -Somaly Mam
The tragedy of human trafficking is one that is
continually in focus when serving on the World Race. The issue comes up
everywhere we go, because it is one of the enemy’s biggest tools to steal,
kill, and destroy [John 10:10]. We are all called as believers to get involved
with the war effort, and I believe that one of the reasons God wanted me to
come on this journey was to help raise awareness of this very thing.
Earlier this month
at debrief I read a book called “The Road of Lost Innocence” by Somaly
Mam (who is like the Mother Theresa of Cambodia). She was born in a
village deep in the Cambodian forest, where she was sold into sexual slavery by
her grandfather at the age of 12. For the next decade she was shuttled through
the brothels that make up the sprawling sex trade of Southeast Asia. Trapped in
this dangerous and desperate world, she suffered the brutality and horrors of
human trafficking-rape, torture, and deprivation-until she managed to escape
with the help of a French aid worker. Inspired by her newfound freedom,
education, and security, Somaly blossomed but remained haunted by the girls in
the brothels she left behind. She knew she had to help them. Here are some
portions from her book that struck me the most which I would like to share:
“One third of the prostitutes in Phnom Penh are young
children. These girls are sold and beaten and abused for some kind of pleasure.
In the end I don’t think there is any way you can explain or justify that, or
the homeless children scrounging through garbage, inhaling glue from little
cans you can buy for five hundred riels in every hardware stall, or the stolen
children trucked into Thailand for the modern slave trade. Trying to explain it
is not what I do. I keep my head down and try to help one girl after another.
That is a big enough task.
…How do you become somebody who can be so careless about
other people? Cambodians have been traumatized by the years of war and
suffering, and it has made people completely self-centered, especially in the
cities. If there’s an accident on the road, they won’t stop and help. The idea
is, if you stop, someone may accuse you of having caused the accident, and
you’ll be stuck with the bill. And it’s true-people do that.
…And it’s not just Cambodia, by any means. Every day fresh
girls are trucked from Cambodia across the Thai border. Cambodia is a
destination country, a transit zone, a place of export; Cambodian girls go to
Thailand, Vietnamese girls come to Cambodia. It’s an industry whose product is
young human flesh. With fake passports, the girls are sent to Taiwan, Malaysia,
Canada (and then trafficked in to the U.S. at the Canadian border). Mafias
traffic women around the world. It’s a huge global business, as lucrative as
drugs, and Southeast Asia is one of its epicenters”.
Just as I finished reading this tragic story, our squad was
introduced to a wonderful ministry called Daughters, right
here in the heart of the Phnom Penh brothels, which reaches out to girls
working as sex workers and offers them a way out. The girls are not kept by
force in a shelter, but learn to be responsible for their own lives and provide
for their staple needs out of their salaries. They have a shop which sells
jewelry, clothing, and accessories as well as a spa and cafe. Our team was able
to visit on our day off and see this ministry in action. They not only provide
jobs with free daycare but a medical clinic, therapeutic and counseling
services, and a range of creative classes to build self-esteem. These include
dance, photography, music, art, etc. This equips girls with inner resources to
sustain life-style changes and enable holistic recovery.
This week I had the privilege of having dinner with a
beautiful group of girls from the States who have just arrived and committed to
work here for the next two years. Most of them have just graduated from college
and God put it on their heart to come to this far away land of Cambodia. It is
such a joy to see that despite all the evil, there are good things and good
people that God chooses to use us to help Him make beauty out of ashes.
“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil
of gladness for mourning, and the garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the
display of His splendor”. -Isaiah 61:3
To sponsor a girl, buy
products, or hear stories, go to http://www.daughtersofcambodia.org/ .
