Voices for Change
Through the Voices for Change program, several young women who have experienced human trafficking first-hand are becoming leaders in the fight against it. Each one of these women have lived through horrific conditions, and have emerged as young leaders, or Voices for Change. These are their stories:
Vann Sina
Voices for Change Team Leader
Sina was tricked into immigrating to Cambodia when she was only 13 years old. She was then locked in a room without food for days, with only a sink to drink from. Sina was often drugged in order to force her to forget her homesickness and sadness. Despite this, she began to make friends with other girls in the brothel. During her first year, she was sexually abused many times, forced to perform sexual acts for patrons, most of whom were white. If the patrons were displeased with her performance, they would kick, slap, and otherwise abuse Sina. Eventually, the brothel owner was arrested by the police. Whereas Sina thought that she would be finally freed, the police had other plans. Sina was sold once again to another brothel by a police officer for an under-the-table bribe. In her new setting, Sina lived in a tiny room just barely big enough to fit in a bed, and was only allowed outside for meal times. She lived in these conditions for almost two years, forced to service clients without speaking to anyone.
Every day, Sina was savagely beaten by brothel Pimps. One day, Sina asked for a day off because she was sick. Instead of giving her the day off, the brothel-keepers beat her with a metal flashlight, and left her to lie in her own blood. Sometimes, she would be force to eat a handful of spicy chili peppers and pretend that they were not spicy. If she gave any indication that the chilis were unpleasantly spicy, cried, or made any other gestures, she would be beaten. This routine was part of Sina's everyday life before AFESIP rescued her from the brother. Now, Sina is trained to investigate and rescue victims who are forced into sexual slavery, and serves as the team leader for the Somaly Mam Foundation's Voices for Change.
Srey Sokphanha
Sokphanha left her home for a job as a domestic worker in Phnom Penh when she was only ten years old. However, she was not very good at doing housework, and was in turn regularly beaten by her employer. Sokphana worked many more jobs in Phnom Penh, until the age of 23. At this time, her aunt brought her back home to work at a restaurant owned by her cousin. They soon fell in love, and planned to marry. Sokphana trained to be a cook in Phnom Penh for two months before the planned wedding. When she returned, she found herself abandoned by her family. Sokphana resorted to sleeping under a balcony until she met some girls who worked in a restaurant that offered sex services to patrons. She took a job there until she met with social outreach workers from AFESIP, who convinced her to leave for vocational training.
Ly Emey
Srey Sokphanha
Srey divorced her huspand and moved to Phnom Penh to work in a garment factory when she was 21. After a few months, a friend lured her into quitting her job for a better oppurtunity, where she would earn much more money. Her "friend" sold her to a brothel, where Srey had to work to pay a fabricated debt to the brothel owner. She worked there for a year, until her debt was paid off. When she returned home, she was rejected by her friends and family. Without any means of support, Srey was forced to work as a prostitute in a public park for a year, until she was rescued by AFESIP. Now, as a member of Voices for Change, she works with the Somaly Mam Foundation to fight human trafficking.
Hok Sokleang
Beauty Salon Trainer
