The fight to end child trafficking 07:04
The CNN Freedom Project
wants to amplify the voices of the victims of modern-day slavery,
highlight success stories and help unravel the tangle of criminal
enterprises trading in human life.
(CNN)When
Kieu was 12, her mother asked her to take a job. But not just any job.
Kieu was first examined by a doctor, who issued her a “certificate of
virginity.” She was then delivered to a hotel, where a man raped her for
two days.
Kieu was 12, her mother asked her to take a job. But not just any job.
Kieu was first examined by a doctor, who issued her a “certificate of
virginity.” She was then delivered to a hotel, where a man raped her for
two days.
In 2013, the Freedom
Project went to Cambodia with Oscar-winning actress and UNODC Goodwill
Ambassador against Human Trafficking, Mira Sorvino.
The result was “Every Day in Cambodia: A CNN Freedom Project
Documentary,” which looked at child sex trafficking in the country.
Project went to Cambodia with Oscar-winning actress and UNODC Goodwill
Ambassador against Human Trafficking, Mira Sorvino.
The result was “Every Day in Cambodia: A CNN Freedom Project
Documentary,” which looked at child sex trafficking in the country.
In
Svay Pak, a notorious child sex trafficking hub in Phnom Penh, Sorvino
met Kieu, who was then around 14 years old. She had been rescued from
sex trafficking by Agape International Missions (AIM), a non-profit for trafficked and at risk children and teenagers.
Svay Pak, a notorious child sex trafficking hub in Phnom Penh, Sorvino
met Kieu, who was then around 14 years old. She had been rescued from
sex trafficking by Agape International Missions (AIM), a non-profit for trafficked and at risk children and teenagers.
Kieu
told of how she had been sold aged 12 by her mother to a Khmer man of
“maybe more than 50” who had three children of his own, Sorvino
explained in her Cambodia journal:
“The price set in advance for her virginity: $1,500, though she was
ultimately only given $1,000, of which she had to give $400 to the woman
who brought her to the man. Her mother used the money to pay down a
debt and for food for the fish they raise under their floating house —
their primary income source.
told of how she had been sold aged 12 by her mother to a Khmer man of
“maybe more than 50” who had three children of his own, Sorvino
explained in her Cambodia journal:
“The price set in advance for her virginity: $1,500, though she was
ultimately only given $1,000, of which she had to give $400 to the woman
who brought her to the man. Her mother used the money to pay down a
debt and for food for the fish they raise under their floating house —
their primary income source.
“Beforehand,
Kieu said, ‘I did not know what the job was and whether it was good for
me. I had no idea what to expect. But now I know the job was not good
for me.’ After she lost her virginity to the man, she felt ‘very
heartbroken.’ Her mother supposedly felt bad too, but still sent her to
work in a brothel. Kieu said she did not want to go, but had to. She
said, ‘They held me like I was in prison.'”
Kieu said, ‘I did not know what the job was and whether it was good for
me. I had no idea what to expect. But now I know the job was not good
for me.’ After she lost her virginity to the man, she felt ‘very
heartbroken.’ Her mother supposedly felt bad too, but still sent her to
work in a brothel. Kieu said she did not want to go, but had to. She
said, ‘They held me like I was in prison.'”
She
was kept there for three days, raped by three to six men a day. When
she returned home, her mother sent her away for stints in two other
brothels, including one 400 kilometers away on the Thai border. When she
learned her mother was planning to sell her again, this time for a
six-month stretch, she realized she needed to flee her home.
was kept there for three days, raped by three to six men a day. When
she returned home, her mother sent her away for stints in two other
brothels, including one 400 kilometers away on the Thai border. When she
learned her mother was planning to sell her again, this time for a
six-month stretch, she realized she needed to flee her home.
Her
story is all too common in Svay Pak; she was just one of the girls
whose stories were told in the film. Fast forward to 2015 and “Everyday
in Cambodia” was named “outstanding documentary” by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, winning a Gracie Allen award.
story is all too common in Svay Pak; she was just one of the girls
whose stories were told in the film. Fast forward to 2015 and “Everyday
in Cambodia” was named “outstanding documentary” by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, winning a Gracie Allen award.
Sorvino
says the film has raised awareness of the issue of child sex
trafficking in Svay Pak and Cambodia, helping to raise funds for AIM to
build a school that, when completed, will offer hope for more than 1,000
children in the region.
says the film has raised awareness of the issue of child sex
trafficking in Svay Pak and Cambodia, helping to raise funds for AIM to
build a school that, when completed, will offer hope for more than 1,000
children in the region.
“Primary and
especially secondary education is extremely important in preventing
trafficking,” she says. “It allows children to develop critical thinking
skills to be able to defend themselves from traffickers and to have the
skills that will enable them to have gainful employment to be able to
support their families in other ways than being sexually exploited.”
especially secondary education is extremely important in preventing
trafficking,” she says. “It allows children to develop critical thinking
skills to be able to defend themselves from traffickers and to have the
skills that will enable them to have gainful employment to be able to
support their families in other ways than being sexually exploited.”
AIM also now works with an “incorruptible” police SWAT team to raid brothels where children are working.
But
Sorvino adds that it’s not just about helping the victims. “The demand
side really needs to be addressed,” she says. “If people weren’t trying
to buy child sex it wouldn’t be being sold.”
Sorvino adds that it’s not just about helping the victims. “The demand
side really needs to be addressed,” she says. “If people weren’t trying
to buy child sex it wouldn’t be being sold.”
Watch the video above to find out more.
source: cnn.com
source: cnn.com
