The Somaly Mam foundation is a great organization that seeks to end human trafficking with a special emphasis on women and children in Southeast Asia. Their goals are Rescue & Recovery of victims, education, reintegration of victims into society, giving a voice to survivors, advocacy, and global awareness of the issues.
The foundation is named for Somaly Mam, a survivor of human trafficking and forced sexual slavery from Cambodia. She was sold to a brothel at the age of 14 and regularly serviced 5-7 clients per day. After seeing her best friend shot by a pimp she escaped with the help of an aid worker and went to Paris. After learning that there were so many other women forced into the same sexual slavery she had been, she returned to Cambodia and worked as a nurse with Doctors Without Borders. In her spare time, she handed out soap, condoms, and information to prostitutes. In 2007 she officially launched the Somaly Mam Foundation, which supports anti-trafficking groups and helps survivors of trafficking reintegrate with the world. To date, she has helped over 4,000 women and has sanctuaries in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
On the Somaly Mam website, they list ways you can help their cause. Tell 10 of your friends on Facebook and raise awareness within your own circle of friends and family. They point to a student organization in Connecticut that organized a 5K race in their community to raise funds. Somaly Mam also has a store with items made by survivors that support survivors. Just within this year Somaly Mam created a program called PROJECT FUTURES which will be a global platform for students, professionals, and activists to join the fight against human trafficking. They will have packets of information and ideas for how to raise awareness and help within your own community.
Somaly Mam Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please take a minute or two to let me know if this post was useful to you, or if you have any suggestions! Please be respectful and courteous in your comments.