In My Pain, I Am Stronger Than I Ever Was

http://globalgrind.com/

Posted by: Somaly Mam

Source: globalgrind.com

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Human slavery is real, and it’s going to take everybody’s help to break the cycle!

I’m here to tell you that sex trafficking is getting worse. It’s difficult to believe this can be happening in 2009. In my country of Cambodia and around the world, sex traffickers live off of the desperate lives of the poor and vulnerable. With the world economic crisis, poverty and crime have skyrocketed and protections that barely existed before the crisis have yet to make a difference. To make matters worse, my country is still in a daze from the days of the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields. Criminals put 5-year old girls outside brothels, and little is done. Girls who get saved have three other girls take their place. It’s these realities that I’m facing every day as I struggle to make a difference with the programs that we’ve established to fight back and save young victims.

Even when it feels like we’re swimming against the tide, every life that we save makes it all worth it for me. I’m living my life to do everything that I can to see sexual slavery stopped for good. As a survivor I feel like I have a duty to protect and rescue other girls from the horrors that I faced.

In my pain, I am stronger than I ever was. In my pain, I am here to break the cycle of silence that in my country and around the world allows these crimes to go on and a criminal industry to thrive from the misery of young women and children. A culture of silence and shame is the life that I left behind when I escaped from the brothels.

Survivors are part of the solution. When I established the Somaly Mam Foundation, I wanted to make sure that our programs recognize the critical role that survivors can play in eradicating human slavery. Voices for Change is a program that we launched to identify and train survivors who want to join me in getting our stories and anti-trafficking messages out to communities and the world.

These survivors realize, as I did, that if they had known about what was going on, their lives could have been very different. It’s their stories that are helping poor families recognize that a con for a better life is really the empty promise of an unscrupulous sex trafficker looking for a new victim. It’s their voices that are helping bring attention to the crimes of modern day slavery and forcing governments to take meaningful action. It’s their stories that are educating people about these harsh realities and motivating them to spread the word and help raise the money to rescue and heal survivors. It’s the voices and courage of survivors that are helping other young victims see that they can stand up and reclaim their lives, not in shame but with self confidence and self determination.

You’ve probably heard people say that it takes a village to make a difference. It’s going to take the actions of the villagers, the voices and the strength of survivors, and the involvement and outcry from citizens of the world to end human trafficking and sexual slavery.

Please visit somaly.org to learn more about my efforts and how you can help us end modern day slavery.

-Somaly Mam

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Somaly Mam Foundation to be featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" this Thursday, October 1st. In the New York Times best-selling book "Half the Sky," Pulitzer Prize winners Nicolas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl Wudunn feature Long Pross, one of AFESIP's leaders who survived horrific atrocities and now serves as a role model for other girls at the shelters. This powerful book inspired Oprah to deliver a compelling call to action for all women.

In an eye-opening hour this Thursday, Oprah will feature several stories of women overcoming adversity to realize a better life for themselves, one of which she calls "the most incredible story of manifesting a dream I have ever heard." In conjunction with the show, Oprah will launch a new registry online at www.oprah.com/forallwomen, where the Foundation will be featured. Tune-in to the "Oprah" show this Thursday to hear Oprah's call to action and to see how we can actually change the course of history in our lifetime. Check local listings for time and channel.