VISION:
A world where women and children are safe from slavery.
MISSION:
To give victims and survivors a voice in their lives, liberate victims, end slavery, and empower survivors as they create and sustain lives of dignity.
The Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the eradication of sex slavery and the empowerment of its survivors, led by the vision and life's work of Cambodian survivor and activist Somaly Mam. Founded in 2007, the organization's multilateral approach helps victims to escape their plight, empowers survivors with economic independence and as part of the solution, and engages governments, corporations, and individuals in the fight.
We work closely with partners in Southeast Asia, where the trafficking of women and children is widespread and where, for nearly two decades, Somaly and her team has rescued women and children from exploitation and abuse and assisted them on a journey to health, hope, and economic independence. Thanks to SMF, the outreach team and shelters have international support, and our Voices For Change survivor-leaders work as advocates, activists, and catalysts of next-generation change.
On a deeper level, we see the impact of this work in subtle shifts in cultural norms, in a proud network of entrepreneurial female survivors starting businesses and social enterprises, in open conversations on human trafficking in mass media, in strategic government and police partnerships, and in a growing trust in the rule of law, which is critical to combating corruption and protecting the victims. All of these are steps down a road to end sex slavery for good.