Nicholas Kristof features Somaly Mam in two New York Times columns
Somaly Mam with Srey Pov by Nicholas Kristof
After raiding a brothel in northern Cambodia with Somaly Mam, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof directed his attention to a scourge of modern society: human trafficking.
Kristof's first column, "Fighting Back, One Brothel Raid at a Time," describes his experience accompanying Somaly on a brothel raid in northern Cambodia. He describes the chaos of a raid, the deplorable conditions in which underage victims of trafficking were enslaved, and the confrontation between police forces and the owners of the brothel. The brothel owners has military ties, which led to a stand-off. Kristof wrote, "Against my better judgment, I found myself the other day charging into a well-armed brothel in a police raid. But I was comforted to be with one of my heroes, Somaly Mam." To read his entire account of Somaly's fearless actions, visit The New York Times here.
While the brothel raid article focuses on Kristof's experience and the brave acts of those parties working to free slaves and rescue women and children from situations of slavery, his next column focuses on the other side of trafficking, an aspect too often forgotten: the victims. In his most recent column, "The Face of Modern Slavery," Kristof recounts the story of Srey Pov, a brave member of Voices For Change who was first sold at the age of 6. Now 19, Srey Pov has joined Somaly's "army of young women ... who have been rescued from the brothels: well-educated and determined to defeat human trafficking." Kristof's column reminds us that slavery affects real people across the globe, and that human trafficking must stop. To read the entire article, please click here.
"So for those of you doubtful that “modern slavery” really is an issue for the new international agenda, think of Srey Pov — and multiply her by millions. If what such girls experience isn’t slavery, that word has no meaning. It’s time for a 21st-century abolitionist movement in the U.S. and around the world." - Nicholas Kristof
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