Congratulations to our five artisans for graduating from the Freedom Stones and CHO joint project! We had artisan graduation on November 7, 2011. The graduation was held in the worship room at the top floor of the CHO office, during the time of normal morning devotions at CHO. The day before, Leng and I decorated the room with wide, silk strips of red fabric. We fashioned bows on the pillars, the podium, and the door, and around the projector screen. The artisans were a bit awestruck and shy when they entered the room and as we explained to them the schedule of the ceremony.

Pastor Jeff Heneforth began with a 15 minute devotion, and then introduced the graduation ceremony. We had short, heartfelt speeches from Syvorn (CHO social worker), Leng, Reatrey (CHO Assistant Director), and myself. Both Syvorn and Leng had a hard time finishing their speeches, and we were all hard-pressed not to cry during the 16 minute video that Leng and I made for the artisans. The video talked about our program and work with the artisans, and included a music video of our time together. It ended with enthusiastic applause, and then certificates were presented to the artisans by Assistant Director Reatry and myself. Reatrey closed the ceremony and expressed his thanks to Freedom Stones and all the staff involved with the project.

Afterwards, many Khmer staff approached Leng, congratulated him on the project and expressed how touched they were. One staff member in particular said that he was deeply moved, as he knew the backgrounds of some of our artisans and could see the change in them. A visiting team from the States expressed to me how impressed they were and inquired about our jewelry at Safe Haven. The team also gave each artisan a small graduation present after the ceremony (which the teens were overjoyed to receive).

The artisans were thrilled to see the video, and they laughed through some of the pictures (though afterwards they told us that at some points they really wanted to cry). This was the first time for them to see themselves in a video and see their pictures presented to them as recognition of their hard work and development. It will be a memorable day for them in the years to come, and I’m so happy we could be a part of that.

Afterwards, Leng and I took the artisans out for lunch along with Wayne, a member of Freedom Stones’ Board of Directors. The restaurant we went to was quite classy, and they went to the washroom many times to delight in the automatic taps and hand dryers, which was their first time to see. We also watched the video again on their request. Finally, we sent them off via taxi back to Safe Haven (after much objection – they wanted to spend more time together but Leng was needed by a visiting team).

When I think back to these past months and all of our time together, I think of the level of trust and rapport we were able to establish with the artisans. I think of the connection deeper and more meaningful than language that we made, and how they grew to respect Leng and I more than just because we were their teachers. As I write this now I realize the change – they started looking at us with real love.

We always tried to do what we said we would, and we never made promises that we didn’t keep. We tried to encourage them to look at the world and themselves in a different way – we wanted them to see the opportunities. We made ourselves available to them consistently and dedicated our time to them. We made an honest and sincere effort to get to know them and help them feel loved. In return, we asked them to get back up again, and again, and again.

I noticed that receiving a wage made a big impact on their self esteem. Each month they were able to immediately receive a portion of their wage in-hand that they could spend as they saw fit. This gave them a sense of financial autonomy – and it provided them a way to give back to their families. It gave them an opportunity to feel good about themselves, and it treated them like people of productivity. I felt that the wage was an excellent empowerment tool – it motivated them to work, put a time value to money, provided them a practical opportunity to learn about finances, and enabled them to dream.

In my spare time, I always watch the graduation video. It blesses me to see their smiling faces.

It seems that every time I cross the border in the evening, something unfortunate happens. I have to cross the border from Cambodia to Thailand almost every month to pick up raw materials and supplies from Bangkok for our jewelry production. Sometimes my schedule is tight so I do errands in the morning in Bangkok, and leave back for the border mid-day. The Thai-Khmer border crossing at Aranyaprathet closes at 8pm.

On one occasion, I had bags and supplies hanging off both arms and was rushing to make it across the border on time. A group of small children approached and surrounded me, holding out their hands and saying, “One baht, one baht”. The first odd thing that struck me was the request for one baht – I’ve never heard anyone ask for that small of an amount before (at that rate it would take 7 donations to buy one bottle of water). In any case I was rushing, so I tried to break through the miniature crowd that was pressed against me. They dispersed in muffled giggles as I left them, and it was then that I noticed that my purse was half-open with no wallet to be found. To the kids who took all of my money and identification – I hope you had a very nice dinner that night. Please don’t waste my savings on alcohol.

Because of the consistent travel to Bangkok, my passport has been quickly filled with departure stamps and entry visas. I planned to courier my passport to Bangkok, but after exiting/entering Cambodia so that I could have 30 days to have my passport processed and sent back. As it was, I had one page left in my passport by the time all of my required documents were sent out from Canada (the pick-pocketing had left me bereft of identification). I went to Immigration on the Cambodian side and asked the official there if they could use the last page of my passport (this was the “Observations” page). He told me very clearly that yes, it was fine and I had no need to worry. I came back through the border in the evening again, after a supplies run to Bangkok. After seeing the same kids who had pick-pocketed me before (and wishing I knew enough Khmer to tell them I forgave them but to scold them for stealing) I arrived at the Immigration Office and spoke to the same official – who told me no, they could not use that last page in my passport. He said I would have to speak to his boss.

So I went into the immigration boss’ office and talked with him face to face. The man was red-eyed and smelled like alcohol. His beige immigration uniform was rumpled and unbuttoned at the collar, his hair unkempt and his expression listless. He tossed a paper and pen down on the desk in front of me and in broken English told me to write down my request. Request? I wrote down in flowery language, that I requested them to issue me the entry visa that had been promised to me when I left the country. The official (who didn’t seem to be able to read English anyways) pretended to read and then immediately dismissed the paper, barking out that he wouldn’t give me the visa. He started to ask me questions such as do I have a boyfriend? Where do I live? Do I live alone? Do I have a boyfriend in Cambodia? Do I have a husband? Am I living in Poipet? And then the loaded question – he wouldn’t give me the visa. But if he did something for me, would I do something for him?

It felt a bit surreal, as if my mind wasn’t sure if the scene was a throwback to some cheesy Alias episode or if yes, he did just ask me that. On the other hand, I felt that the stakes were high and the pressure was on. If I couldn’t get into Cambodia, what could I do? Where could I go and where would I stay? How could I get back? I have no contacts in Aranyaprathet. Thai Immigration just stamped me out with limited space on my passport. It was dark outside and people were deserting the streets, no doubt to be replaced by shady characters on the prowl. The border was going to close in 10 minutes.

He stared at me. I stared at him. Now what?

As I reflected on the situation later, I realized how he made a point to try and present my options to me as very limited. He caught me in a vulnerable position and used his relative power to intentionally exploit the opportunity presented. He tried to funnel my thought-process in a way that made me feel like I had to do something to change the situation – and that the only thing I could do was acquiesce to his request. He wanted me to squirm in his extended periods of silence.

I like to think of myself as a reasonably educated woman who has a decent understanding of the different manifestations of exploitation. My education helped to keep my wits about me, my “foreigner” status helped to raise the value of my safekeeping, and my prayers helped to issue a visa after an extended period of time (praise God). But how would a young, impoverished, uneducated girl feel if similar questions of pressure were posed to her? What if she didn’t know about the broader picture – that what he was insinuating was a ridiculous request and that he had no right to try and intimidate her? He could feed her any information he wanted and she would have no knowledge with which to counter him. She wouldn’t feel like she could say no. Maybe he wouldn’t even care if she said no.

The reality is, it’s so easy for those of relative power to exploit the vulnerable – and they’re intentional about looking for their chance. The whole rule of law here is a minor technicality – what really determines the consequences of your actions is the people you know, the power you hold, and how much money you can throw down. People like this immigration office exacerbate a corrupted system – they obstruct justice and feed off the vulnerable.

A part of me wishes I could have karate-chopped the man and in a series of flashy kung-fu moves, take the whole crooked place down in smoke. I wish I could have cleverly flung down insults and fitfully condemned him for being the gluttonous chauvinist that he seemed to be – if not for his benefit, then to feel like some degree of consequence was being meted out.

But that only happens in the movies.

The truth is I was painfully aware of the need to obtain an entry visa. I sat and answered his questions honestly but firmly. I told him that I wouldn’t do anything for him. I waited in silence as he stared at me and sized me up, and I prayed. I thanked him politely after receiving the visa and left with no flash, no show, and no backward glance of contempt.

It makes for a point of reflection. Ultimately, what can change these systems and people of corruption when they are so deeply rooted that we cannot dismiss them away with indignation? Could it be witty insults or physical aggression? Is it possible to shame someone out of corruption or force them to treat women with respect? How can we convince people to change so that the system can change? Or does the system need to change so that the people can change?

I am a believer that violence begets violence. There needs to be a line drawn, a stand taken, but it doesn’t always need to be through aggression or insult. Politely but firmly, we can refuse to acquiesce, refuse to comply, or refuse to answer. We can refuse to participate. This plays a huge role in promoting or opposing a culture of acceptance – and ultimately, we will be helping not only ourselves but serving the members of our communities as well.

Freedom Stones does not intend for each artisan to make jewelry for the rest of their life. We want to support each artisan in recognizing the goals and dreams they want to pursue, and use the program as a platform to help encourage and support the artisans in planning for the next step in their life, in order to work towards what they want to do for a living. We don’t only teach the artisans jewelry production as a segue to their future goals, but life skills as well.

Our holistic skills training is aimed to reduce the artisans’ vulnerability to trafficking by equipping them with appropriate knowledge and know-how. We have one module each month, to train the artisans in mental/social health, physical health, finance, and human rights knowledge. Before and after each lesson we have a pre- and post-test to measure their comprehension and knowledge retention. We also have a practical group test at the end of each month, which is a pro-social trip to the community. In this trip, they have to demonstrate the knowledge they learned that month by sharing it with the community. We do this in order to support and encourage them in becoming proactive, positive members in the community.

The month of July was dedicated to mental and social health. The artisans made a trip to a local village to teach the children there about social issues and development, such as goal-setting, teamwork, depression and coping. Afterwards, they applied fluoride on the children’s teeth (which a dentist from the States had left with us) and handed out books and pens that they had purchased with the budget we had given them.

In collaboration with Leng and I, the artisans helped to prepare a budget, a schedule and the lesson plan. They practiced the lesson together, with coaching from Leng and I. We were proud of the work they did – and given that it was the first time for them to lead a group, they did quite well. We sat at the back of the class and were always at-hand to help the artisans if they felt stuck, or if they forgot to make a point they had practiced.

September was the month of our Finance module. The artisans were taught how to make their own personal budget and the difference between needs, wants, and desires. We had different field trips to the market and to the bank. At the bank, we taught the artisans how to deposit their wage and how to withdraw money from the ATM. Withdrawing money from the ATM was a particularly thrilling experience for them as they had never seen a machine that gives out money before. They all jumped when we took them through the steps of withdrawing and the machine suddenly offered money with a jolt through the slot (“Why, teacher??” “What is this?”). We explained to them thoroughly that they could not withdraw any amount they desired – it was not a free money machine and the appropriate funds had to be in their bank account first. We taught them about saving their money in the bank, and how it was much safer to do it this way than save at home (which the majority of villagers do).

What really encouraged me was that Srey Keo liked the Finance module the best, even though she can’t do math. It’s a good sign to see that she is interested in it rather than fearful, and that furthermore she enjoyed learning about it. Other artisans like Charmran and Srey Neang liked the HIV/AIDS lesson we had (despite being incredibly shy about the talk of condoms), and Navy liked the nutrition lesson the best during our Physical Health module. In our nutrition lesson, we took the artisans out to the market and talked about the different types of food groups, and what is healthy to eat (and how much is recommended). After discussing, we bought some supplies and they made us a nutritious meal which we all enjoyed together. They were proud to show their cooking skills to us and it really was a delicious meal.

This was written by Brianne Labute – one of Freedom Stones’ wonderful interns.

Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog posting. I came to Freedom Stones last summer after an interesting line of opportunities was presented to me. In a nutshell, I had the chance to be a part of a field school to Ghana with my University, but opted out because I couldn’t afford it. A couple of months later after some close friends had decided to seize the opportunity; I sat back and realized I regretted my decision. A few weeks past and one of the participants dropped out and I thought, here is my chance! But…I still couldn’t afford it. I made the decision to sign up anyways and figure my finances out later.

The professor I was going on the field school mentioned the possibility of staying after the field school to do an internship and I was instantly intrigued. She briefly spoke of her friend (and an alumnus of my program) who was contemplating hosting an intern. She also mentioned a grant that I could apply for if I was to stay for a minimum 3 months. Naturally, I expressed interest and I was connected with Amanda Moore, the consultant for Freedom Stones based in Ghana. I had a week to write a big grant application for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and before I knew it I was being fully funded to go to Ghana (amazing!) to attend a one-month field school followed by an internship with an organization fighting a cause I was passionate about. Some things in life are just meant to be, I guess.

Traveling fuels my soul. Any discretionary income I’ve had since high school has taken me to some interesting parts of the world to see some interesting things. Tourism is a complex industry and has many sides – good and bad. Sometimes when you witness ‘the bad’ it is difficult to forget. Three years ago I went backpacking around Southeast Asia. While I loved the beaches, the people, the culture, and the endless sunshine – the human trafficking I witnessed will leave an everlasting imprint in my mind. In Thailand, everywhere you looked there were older Western men with young Thai girls. There was an ENTIRE district catered to sex tourism with hotels, restaurants, nightclubs- you name it. It was absolutely heartbreaking and when the opportunity arose to work with an organization addressing the global issue of human trafficking in Ghana, Thailand, and Cambodia I wanted to do my part to make a difference.

I really believe in the Freedom Stones model. It’s different. Using social entrepreneurship to empower victims of human trafficking, while providing them with holistic skills training allows them to move from a place of brokenness beyond dependency on an organization. I also really believe in Freedom Stones’ focus on the prevention side of human trafficking. One of the main root causes of trafficking is poverty; providing economic opportunities and skills for vulnerable populations has the potential to stop the cycle of injustice and oppression before it begins. International Development work often receives criticism for using ‘band-aid’ solutions; FS’ rebuttal is being prevention and victim focused with a long-term commitment to their artisans.
By now you are probably wondering what I had to contribute to Freedom Stones. My role with Freedom Stones was to design two different assessment tools. The first focused on the process of selecting partner organizations and monitoring the success of those partnerships over time. The second tool focused on evaluating the level of transformation (financially, socially, psychologically, etc) that is occurring in the lives of our artisans. The assessment tools that I developed will enable Freedom Stones to evaluate its model and continually strengthen its efforts to reduce instances of human trafficking. Reason # 3,873 I believe in Freedom Stones – they are committed to constantly learning and improving the way they operate, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to help create tools to ensure we are meeting the needs of the partner organizations and artisans that we work with.

While in Ghana not only did I fall in love with the entire country (food, people, culture, & organized chaos!) but I also deepened my understanding of global issues and opened my eyes further to a future in international development. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I was presented and will continue to volunteer for Freedom Stones throughout my final year of University . I felt although my impact was small, it provided FS with additional resources to grow as an organization and it allowed me to engage in the fight against this international crime. You can also do your part simply through creating awareness or spreading the word about Freedom Stones. The more jewelry FS sells the more artisans they can empower. The more people who advocate against the exploitation of undeserving victims perhaps less people will continue to create the demand. Supply exists because the demand is high.

It would be great to hear other stories about witnessing evidence of human trafficking or to hear from other interns out there who have worked in with a social cause. I encourage any/all comments, questions, and feedback. Look forward to hearing from you, until next time…

We’ve reported on the backgrounds of the artisans we work with at the Cambodian Hope Organization; teenagers at risk of trafficking in the local area, at risk from their own families and communities.

But is this seemingly ‘safe’ scenario of teenagers living at home with their families a typical picture of someone at risk of trafficking? Unfortunately the answer is yes. A recent report from ECPAT and other NGO’s working in Cambodia tracked the lives of people who had been trafficked and found a very similar picture. It showed that most trafficking victims are children- most were 13-17 years old. Most disturbingly the majority of victims were related to their traffickers, no doubt someone they trusted to take care of them.

Many people assume that most traffickers are men, but in fact this report showed that most were families in their 30’s, again a figure many children would trust. The numbers are high. The UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) estimated that Thai authorities deport over 23,000 Cambodian trafficking victims a year.
The report also looked at what victims were doing before they were trafficked. Most of the victims were students and the vast majority went with their trafficker for financial reasons. This highlights poverty as a key risk factor for trafficking.

This is distressing information, but it does help us to determine who we need to work with, where we should be working and what we need to do. This year we will target young people vulnerable to trafficking and work with them to find a sustainable livelihood for them so they are not vulnerable in the future for either themselves or their children.
We will keep you updated!

____
ECPAT Cambodia, NGOCRC, COSECAM and Cambodia ACTS. 2010. NGO Joint Statistics Report: Database Report on Sexual Trafficking, Exploitation and Rape in Cambodia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ecpatcambodia.org/index.php?menuid=1&rp=116. [Accessed 28 November 11].
US Department of State. 2011. Trafficking in Persons Report 2011. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/. [Accessed 28 November 11].

In May (2011) we planned to have 8 artisans in our Aoi Chat project – 2 boys and 6 girls. However, two girls and one boy left before our project started. One boy named Sok Pat (*the names of all of the artisans have been changed in the interest of maintaining confidentiality) left within the first two weeks to study at a local vocational college. Another girl, Nita, had to leave Safe Haven as her guardians engaged her to marry. Finally, one girl named Sophally left suddenly to work in Thailand with no prior notice to staff or her family. Leng and I tried to follow-up with her family, but they did not have any contact information in order to reach her, and did not know the nature (or location) of her work in Thailand. Please pray for her and her work, as we cannot find any information on her wellbeing.

Our project began with 5 participants (4 girls and 1 boy). This group ranges between the ages of 14 to 17. Houn (our one boy) and Navy have been at Safe Haven for the longest – almost 2 years. Charmran arrived at Safe Haven about 1 year ago. Srey Neang and Srey Keo are the newer additions, having lived at Safe Haven for about 5 months.

All of the artisans are at-risk of being trafficked. They have grown up in poverty in the slums and villages surrounding Poipet City. Their houses consist mainly of a platform of bamboo, with a slanted roof to provide shelter from the rain and sun. In most cases, 5-8 family members share this living space. Only one of our artisans has both of her parents living – the others either have one biological parent or are orphans.

In the beginning of May, Leng and I were at Safe Haven, visiting with the artisans and talking to them about the upcoming project plan and schedule. We were standing outside of the sewing room when two motos pulled in through the front gate. We saw Nita (one of our artisans who had visited home for the past week) and her mother, stepfather and uncle. Leng and I watched as they approached the sewing office. The artisans also came out to welcome Nita back. She greeted them and came to stand next to me, slipping her hand into mine and hugging me from behind. I squeezed her hand back and smiled.

As we talked with Nita’s parents, it became apparent that they did not plan to have her back at Safe Haven. On the contrary, they had found a man for her to marry and wanted her to come home to prepare for married life. She is 16 years old. Leng pulled out three chairs from the sewing room and they sat down. Nita’s mother was drunk and she spoke incoherently while the stepfather kept coughing up flem that he spat onto the grass. Her uncle, the village chief, said he had accompanied the two to make sure that they didn’t cause trouble at Safe Haven. Both of Nita’s mother and stepfather are alcoholics. I stood silently, hugging Nita back as she wrapped her arms around my middle and listened to Leng talk with them. They said that they were firm that Nita should marry.

Leng and I took Nita aside and talked with her in private. We asked her to think over the idea of getting married – did she really want to get married or were her parents pressuring her into it? Did she know the man? How old was he? We asked her to please tell us the truth, and we would do all we could to convince her parents not to force the issue. Each time we asked, she shook her head and said that it was okay, she wanted to get married.

Nita’s mother and stepfather also wanted Srey Keo to return home, and said that they had come to collect her. Leng and I automatically felt strongly against this, as we knew she had been a target of abuse back home in her village. If she were to return, it would be undoubtedly returning to abuse. I am particularly concerned about Srey Keo because she rarely makes eye contact. She always has her shoulders hunched and her face down. She rarely smiles and she rarely talks. Leng immediately began explaining to them about the programme we were setting up at Safe Haven, and about providing the girls a wage for making jewelry. He told them about the bank accounts that would be set up in their name and the financial burden that would be lifted from the mother and stepfather if they left Srey Keo at Safe Haven (provided with food, shelter, clothes, a vocational skill from Freedom Stones and a wage). In the end, they agreed to let Srey Keo stay at Safe Haven until the end of the project. Leng translated for me afterwards that Srey Keo’s mother wanted to use the wage from jewelry production to buy herself more alcohol. I focused on remaining thankful that she was within our care for the time being – and it would give us a chance to figure out what could be a safe next step for her after the programme.

I am concerned about Nita’s upcoming marriage and the character of her husband, as neither Leng nor I (nor Nita) have met him or know any details about him. Leng and I tried every angle to convince Nita to wait, to join the Freedom Stones programme and consider being married after – but with no success. I’m not sure to what degree she feels pressured by her parents and wants to make them happy or how genuinely she wants to get married. Please pray for her.

And the randomly drawn winner is…#17!! Amy!

Amy said: I love green and so my eyes are drawn to the Global Green Diversity necklace or the Pure Green Planet. They both are so beautiful. But I would also love to get the Freedom Stones clasp earrings. I love the message of the broken handcuffs.

Amy, if you will e-mail Kara at kara@freedomstones.ws, she will send you the gift certificate! Congratulations!

We really appreciate all of the entries and the support you have given this past week. Keep checking the Facebook page for future contests and blog posts!

I’m now living in Poipet, near the offices of Cambodia Hope Organization. This past week I have met the group at Safe Haven that we will be working with – they are a shy but sweet group of 14 to 17 year olds. They are excited about learning a new skill in their free time after class.

I’m working closely with CHO staff member Sok Leng to determine the right product for both Freedom Stones and CHO. A couple of factors affect our potential conclusions. First, we want the skill taught to be a sustainable one that the artisans can use for income generation after they leave Safe Haven and return to their villages. Second, we need the product to be able to sell overseas in order to fund this project and pay the artisans their wages. In other words, we need to determine what product would be best for Freedom Stones and CHO to invest in, because the item will need to have an export market.

We are currently looking into two types of products in particular: coconut shell jewelry and silk products (scarves, wallets, bags). Please see below images for some sample ideas.

Coconut necklace 1

Coconut necklace 2

Silk scarf 1

Silk scarf 2

Silk Bag 1 (Red)

Silk Bag 2 (Blue)

We would very much appreciate your help in determining what type of product to focus on. Please complete a short, 10-question market survey on these images.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/59B972J

Your input would be greatly appreciated, and will bring new insights to this research.

If you would like to donate directly to help start up this project please click here and donate to Cambodian Hope Organisation- Local Handicraft Projects

Thank you!

Blog from Allison, our new intern, on her visit to Camboida

Posted January 04, 2011

Poipet is a dusty Khmer town on the Cambodia-Thailand border, spliced by a long, main road with honking cars and mopeds speeding by. Earlier this month I travelled to Poipet with Lucy Watkins, the Southeast Asia Regional Director of Freedom Stones, and Sara Wilson, an anti-trafficking colleague providing creative advice. Since my arrival to Thailand in late November, Lucy and her husband James have kindly put me up in their home as I learn first-hand from Lucy about the project Freedom Stones is managing in Pattaya along with Pattaya Slums Ministries. As there is a possibility of Freedom Stones partnering with Cambodia Hope Organization (CHO), Lucy and I and have since travelled to Poipet to meet with Director Chomno and his CHO staff.

My first impression of Poipet was its nature as a go-through town as opposed to a go-to town. Poipet may see many tourists as they exit the Thai border, but only as they quickly board buses to frequent more popular locations such as Siem Reap (home of Angkor Wat) and Phnom Penh. What may be considered the main attraction for foreigners (including Thais) in Poipet is the group of large casinos edging the border: gambling is illegal in Thailand, so this location serves as a convenient and nearby solution. These casinos often employ bar girls as prostitutes.

Poipet is a porous border crossing, and as such is unfortunately a hub for illegal activities such as human trafficking. Cambodia Hope Organization operates in this community as a grassroots response to at-risk as well as formerly trafficked individuals.

The children at CHO’s safehouse smiled shyly at us and conversed in whispered giggles when we popped our heads into their classrooms during school. At first glance, one would not know that the lives of these children have been touched with tragedy. And yet, the stories that they have walked already in their young lives seemed beyond human resilience. Some of the children were as young as 3, and had been trafficked into street gangs to beg for money in Thailand. Others had been injected with diseases, which had physically and mentally disabled them. This was done to enable their employers to make more money from begging. Putting it into perspective: someone along the trafficking line had sacrificed a child’s limb capacity for a few more dollars.

And yet still the children smile, and they’re full of life and amazing in their own way. It gave me hope and a stronger conviction that these children are to be valued, cherished, protected and empowered.

CHO also runs a community foster care program, and is currently constructing a home for women exiting the sex industry. Additionally, it administers a variety of projects such as “School on a Mat”, vocational skills training (wood-work, metal-work, and motorcycle repair), sewing, micro-enterprise, agriculture and animal husbandry, and community trafficking awareness presentations. After consulting with CHO on their needs and the ways in which Freedom Stones could fill in the gaps, development manager Rothana took us around to visit CHO’s different project sites.

One of the concerns that CHO expressed to us was the lack of jobs in the community and thus the financial insecurity that individuals face each day. Poverty puts people at great risk of being trafficked. Traffickers posing as prospective employers may offer work in Thailand when none can be found in economically stagnant towns such as Poipet. Once in a foreign land and cut off from family and friends, these individuals may be put into forced labour, shuffled into the sex industry, or physically incapacitated and made to beg on the streets for street gangs. If Thai authorities find trafficked Cambodian nationals, they may send them back to Cambodia to be repatriated; however, the process can be lengthy and the exploited individual may very well spend time in a Thai jail before coming full circle back to Cambodia. Even upon return, the individual will still face the same poverty-affected community with little economic opportunity and is again vulnerable to being exploited. Human trafficking does not operate under age constraints; on the contrary, children are often targeted because of the ease with which they can be manipulated and moved. By providing jobs with CHO, Freedom Stones would be contributing to both the prevention of human trafficking and the sustainable reintegration of those formerly trafficked.

Lucy and I conducted local consultations (in addition to our meetings with CHO) as part of our research into finding out what an appropriate product to make would be, not only in terms of making a marketable product overseas but also making a product that would give individuals useful, transferrable skills to use in the future.

To get a larger picture of the anti-trafficking work in Cambodia and the current gaps in terms of services along the at-risk, in-crisis, in-care, and reintegration progression, we also visited and consulted with various NGOs in Phnom Penh. Chab Dai is one such organization based in Phnom Penh. It is a network of over fifty Christian organizations engaged in anti-trafficking work in Cambodia and particularly involves itself in the awareness of what services are being provided by different organizations. The take-home message: a viable economic alternative is crucial to preventing and combating human trafficking.

My journey continues as I will be returning to Poipet in the New Year and living there until November to help set up the new project with CHO. Watch this space!