Former Sex Slave Seeks Help As 4-year-old Found

[churchill]

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A former sex slave on Monday launched a global campaign against trafficking, saying the age of girls forced into prostitution keeps getting younger.

Cambodian Somaly Mam, whose eponymous foundation is dedicated to fighting the $12 billion a year sex-trafficking industry, said a four-year-old girl was found last month at a brothel in Cambodia after being reported by a male client.

The youngster had been sold to the brothel by her mother, who is also a prostitute.

She is now being cared for at one of the seven shelters run by the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam set up to protect and rehabilitate girls rescued from sex slavery. The group also has an office in Thailand dealing with repatriation.

"You just have to hold her and stay with her and show her that you love her. Children can become children again," Mam told Reuters as she launched a joint venture with cosmetics retailer The Body Shop to raise awareness of sex trafficking.

"There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls. In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger."

The United Nations estimates that two million women and children are trafficked every year, with 30 percent of these in Asia. Poor families sometimes sell a daughter to pay off debts.

PERSONAL TRAGEDY

Mam personally knows the horror of a life of slavery having been sold to a brothel at the age of 16 by an abusive elderly man whom she called "grandfather." She was sold to pay off his debts.

She managed to escape the brothel with the help of a Swiss patron who paid off the owner and has since campaigned tirelessly against forced prostitution, setting up the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007 to rescue and rehabilitate girls.

She was recently named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People."

Mam, who wrote about her journey from sex slave to crusader against prostitution in her memoir "The Road of Lost Innocence," has faced threats from pimps and organized crime syndicates over the years while her shelters have come under armed attack.

In 2006, Mam's teenage daughter was kidnapped. She was eventually rescued, but Mam still refuses to leave her work.

"All my family is safe now. We have bodyguards for my children," said Mam who refuses to give details about where her family lives.

She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.

She also hoped this would lead to an increase in funds available to set up shelters were former sex workers could be trained in other industries such as sewing, weaving and even micro-finance so that they could set up their own businesses.

Over the next three years The Body Shop will campaign for governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and to dedicate more resources to this cause.

"I need everyone to help our work, to open everyone's eyes to what is going on with trafficking children and what is going on in Cambodia, Asia and around the world," said Mam.

"It is not easy to get funding ... and the more people get involved the more we can stop trafficking."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by )

http://ow.ly/15JELi

-- Reuters 03/08/09

[churchill]

A very sad story - and here is the foundation http://www.somaly.org/

Perhaps this could be transfered to News Clippings ?

[garro]

There really are some sick fuc_kers out there.

[eek]

She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.

Hopefully something men will read and take note on (yes i say men, because its usually men who go to places like this..and I mean men of all nationalities). However, i imagine even if most really know this goes on, they prefer to have the rose tinted goggle practically welded on. I guess no one likes to think they are taking advantage of a persons economic status, even if it may teeter on human rights abuse. (and ok..yeh yeh..every situation is different and blah blah..but that is definitely a side to a scene that many like to enjoy in Asia. Those who indulge most likely just dont want to have their illusions shattered.).

As for those who use a child for sexual gratification they should have their balls lopped off and be force fed them. Then a stint in prison should give them a taste of what it is like to be forced against your own will. (Again, i realise women also can commit sexual offenses like this..but not really so common).

I know i sound like a hard b... but this kind of story turns my stomach. Its so very very sad.

[eek]

A very sad story - and here is the foundation http://www.somaly.org/

Perhaps this could be transfered to News Clippings ?

Thank you for that link churchill.

[carlosacao]

Humankind at it's worst, very sad story indeed.

[sibeymai]

She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.

Hopefully something men will read and take note on (yes i say men, because its usually men who go to places like this..and I mean men of all nationalities). However, i imagine even if most really know this goes on, they prefer to have the rose tinted goggle practically welded on. I guess no one likes to think they are taking advantage of a persons economic status, even if it may teeter on human rights abuse. (and ok..yeh yeh..every situation is different and blah blah..but that is definitely a side to a scene that many like to enjoy in Asia. Those who indulge most likely just don't want to have their illusions shattered.).

As for those who use a child for sexual gratification they should have their balls lopped off and be force fed them. Then a stint in prison should give them a taste of what it is like to be forced against your own will. (Again, i realise women also can commit sexual offenses like this..but not really so common).

I know i sound like a hard b... but this kind of story turns my stomach. Its so very very sad.

Eek, I've lived, worked and traveled extensively throughout southeast and south Asia for over 10 years. I've been to many places and seen many things. BUT, I've never seen a single child prostitute in any establishment I've been to (whether catering to Thais or foreigners) or had any contact with someone who could claim to be a sex slave. Nor have I ever been offered a child prostitute. AND I certainly don't walk around with rose tinted goggles.

You are correct that men are aware that this goes on, but if I can honestly say that I've never witnessed it then I think it's very unfair and presumptive of you to accuse the majority of men of ignoring the problem because just as likely they've never seen it either and I haven't been wearing rose tinted goggles for the last 10 years, as most men and women have not.

It's unfair of you to imply through your "rose coloured goggles" reference that men tacitly condone what is happening.

The only time I have been offered the sexual services of children was openly on the street by the children themselves at the Aranyaprathet border crossing. How it is that these children can openly offer their services in an area full of officials is deplorable and a prime example of how the trade survives, especially when officials take no action when reports are made to them.

Edited August 3, 2009 by sibeymai

[PastEgo]

our maths teacher was a known pedo at our school and would regularly "seduce" 11/12 year olds

she was finally sacked as the school could not hide it any more

from the OP:

"There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls. In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger."

from eek: "Hopefully something men will read and take note on (yes i say men, because its usually men who go to places like this"

if you read the OPs line it sounds very much that this is a local brothel and not one of those beer bar type places.

yes there are some sick f*ckers out there i am not disputing that at all but sex as a trade where it is freely traded between consenting adults has been going on for thousands of years and is much a part of society as politics religion etc

thanks for the OP post

[PaddyThai]

I'm living in europe now and whenever I hear people basting about their sexual exploits in Thailand I talk to them about the exploitative side of the sex industry. Most guys, bragging about the go go bars etc., don't expect this. My intention is to get them to see the other side of the story.

On another point. How can Farang's living in Thailand help to end the sexual exploitation of kids. In europe you might contact your local politician or call the police. In Thailand these people must know what's going on and possibly even profit from it. Complaining might just bring attnetion and problems to yourself.

[Boo]

As this is a very important issue for all people & as there is a link to Thailand as mentioned in below section admin has approved this to be moved to the main news clippings section.

She is now being cared for at one of the seven shelters run by the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam set up to protect and rehabilitate girls rescued from sex slavery. The group also has an office in Thailand dealing with repatriation.

[jackdanielsesq]

Its posts like this that make me sick to my core.

The only remedy I can visualize is 30 minutes in a rubber room, plus 10 guys from Raw with baseball bats and no rules.

We know there is no rehab, so why go thru all the mental pushups.

I simply wish there was more we could do to stamp it on the conscience of mankind.

BR>Jack

[babykyo]

Thailand is no more a sex industry. What kind of girls can you find in Thailand?? Go to Singapore. Geylang, it had it all. Thailand, vietnam, indonesia,burmese, malaysia, korea, japan, russian, falang and TONS OF CHINA GIRLS. You name it, they have it. As long as you are willing to pay.

[rolypie]

She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.

Hopefully something men will read and take note on (yes i say men, because its usually men who go to places like this..and I mean men of all nationalities). However, i imagine even if most really know this goes on, they prefer to have the rose tinted goggle practically welded on. I guess no one likes to think they are taking advantage of a persons economic status, even if it may teeter on human rights abuse. (and ok..yeh yeh..every situation is different and blah blah..but that is definitely a side to a scene that many like to enjoy in Asia. Those who indulge most likely just dont want to have their illusions shattered.).

As for those who use a child for sexual gratification they should have their balls lopped off and be force fed them. Then a stint in prison should give them a taste of what it is like to be forced against your own will. (Again, i realise women also can commit sexual offenses like this..but not really so common).

I know i sound like a hard b... but this kind of story turns my stomach. Its so very very sad.

I think you need to have a word with your self How dare you single out a gender to abuse anyone regardless of age or sex. Walk down a few shady streets almost anywhere in Thailand and watch THE WOMEN who should have there tits chopped off and ''force fed them'' for taking children away for there sexual gratification you are living in cloud cuckoo la la land!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sort your facts out before you comment on something you clearly no absolutely nothing about.

[babykyo]

What I mention above are paid sex. Oops I did not incude Singapore girls, they are free, they don need any money for sex. (if you can sweet talk them)

[rolypie]

What I mention above are paid sex. Oops I did not incude Singapore girls, they are free, they don need any money for sex. (if you can sweet talk them)

Good grief!

[jackdanielsesq]

The lady/men doth protest too much, methinks

BR>Jack

[sanmiguellight]

There really are some sick fuc_kers out there.

Agreed truly shocking, but the mother who sold her 4 yo kid is worse then the pervert!

[monoli87]

There really are some sick fuc_kers out there.

Agreed truly shocking, but the mother who sold her 4 yo kid is worse then the pervert!

Agreed .... then i think the government should seriously fight again human trafficking, maybe the method that used much like war on terrorism......

[mca]

Without trying to come across as all macho I could safely say I could put a bullet through the head of a child sex trafficker and have the best night's sleep of my life.

If somebody touched a hair on my daughter's head and I find them they're dead and <deleted> the consequences.

[sanmiguellight]

Thing is these cases make the headlines as theyre truly extraordinary, the truth is most kids who get abused are going to be preyed upon by a family member or close friend of the family.

This will never be stopped, from what i can make of this if it werent for the mother this kid would have been ok.

Edited August 3, 2009 by sanmiguellight

[brahmburgers]

I'm in a bit of a predicament right now. Yesterday a younger sister of my g.f. (only distantly related, actually), showed up and is looking for work. She's 19, v. attractive, but no marketable skills as far as I can fathom at this early stage. She was born and raised in a Thai hill tribe village, but has no prospect for Thai ID card (actually, that's a BIIIIG factor which facilitates exploitation, namely: Thailand continuing to disenfranchise hill tribers).

I can offer the kid a place to stay and ask her to assist around the homestead (laundry, cooking, gardening, etc) but she's ripe for bolting - already talking of karaoke bars, which, as we know, is just a kiss away from more hard core venues.

She's also ripe for exploitation. A Thai man or woman could readily come along, see the attractive shapely vulnerable girl, and make an offer of gainful employment in (Bkk, Pattaya, Phuket, ......fill in the blanks). Once the girl agrees, she's essentially the property of whomever dupes her, and she can be sold to servitude.

Am not sure what to do.

[losworld]

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A former sex slave on Monday launched a global campaign against trafficking, saying the age of girls forced into prostitution keeps getting younger.

Cambodian Somaly Mam, whose eponymous foundation is dedicated to fighting the $12 billion a year sex-trafficking industry, said a four-year-old girl was found last month at a brothel in Cambodia after being reported by a male client.

The youngster had been sold to the brothel by her mother, who is also a prostitute.

She is now being cared for at one of the seven shelters run by the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam set up to protect and rehabilitate girls rescued from sex slavery. The group also has an office in Thailand dealing with repatriation.

"You just have to hold her and stay with her and show her that you love her. Children can become children again," Mam told Reuters as she launched a joint venture with cosmetics retailer The Body Shop to raise awareness of sex trafficking.

"There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls. In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger."

The United Nations estimates that two million women and children are trafficked every year, with 30 percent of these in Asia. Poor families sometimes sell a daughter to pay off debts.

PERSONAL TRAGEDY

Mam personally knows the horror of a life of slavery having been sold to a brothel at the age of 16 by an abusive elderly man whom she called "grandfather." She was sold to pay off his debts.

She managed to escape the brothel with the help of a Swiss patron who paid off the owner and has since campaigned tirelessly against forced prostitution, setting up the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007 to rescue and rehabilitate girls.

She was recently named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People."

Mam, who wrote about her journey from sex slave to crusader against prostitution in her memoir "The Road of Lost Innocence," has faced threats from pimps and organized crime syndicates over the years while her shelters have come under armed attack.

In 2006, Mam's teenage daughter was kidnapped. She was eventually rescued, but Mam still refuses to leave her work.

"All my family is safe now. We have bodyguards for my children," said Mam who refuses to give details about where her family lives.

She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.

She also hoped this would lead to an increase in funds available to set up shelters were former sex workers could be trained in other industries such as sewing, weaving and even micro-finance so that they could set up their own businesses.

Over the next three years The Body Shop will campaign for governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and to dedicate more resources to this cause.

"I need everyone to help our work, to open everyone's eyes to what is going on with trafficking children and what is going on in Cambodia, Asia and around the world," said Mam.

"It is not easy to get funding ... and the more people get involved the more we can stop trafficking."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by )

http://ow.ly/15JELi

-- Reuters 03/08/09

Absolutely disgusting. Life in prison for anyone selling someone into prostitution. Life in prison for anyone in possession of a minor involved in prostitution. Life in prison for anyone engaging in sexual acts with a child. Reward for anyone reporting the situation. Game over.

[RKASA]

When it comes to the abuse of women and children Thailand is not worse then many EU countries, or any other for that matter.  Enforcement is about the same and the protection from those we thought to protect us, goes into protecting their own profits.  Happens everywhere.

Education that leads to work and not an education industry for its own sake, and Jobs that provide a living wage, will do more for then any crackdown, which will only lead to new payoffs from the mafia.  

Thailand has how many people in the hills without an ID card.  For God sakes they are people.  Stop the anal racist crap and give them a life.  Issue the stupid cards.  How Saintly Buddhist would that be. Who cares if they may be from over some fake line in the sand called a border.  In fact most where born in Thailand to begin with.  They just don't live in Bangkok, so they don't matter.

The sex industry in Thailand was here and going strong before the Viet Nam era, it was never the story book land of the text books.  I know this because I v been around here that long   Still today in Thailand most sex for money is between Thai man and Thai women and no small number of Thai man and Thai man which is one reason HIV spread as much as it did in Thailand, not the tourist.

Some visitors to Thailand do think its nothing more then a sexual watering hole, but Thailand itself and the Thai people have to take responsibility for that,  Those visitors won't wake up tomorrow as changed persons. They will just move on to the next watering hole if this one runs dry.

Kids that get caught up in this are as much a victim of the above as they are the perverts that abuse them.  Every time it happens we all get to share some of the blame.

End of RANT  Thank you for not listening and the Brainwashed Nationalist may now post the normal, go home and shut up, its not our fault posts.  Which always happens. 

[TheLaughingMan]

Hopefully something men will read and take note on (yes i say men, because its usually men who go to places like this..and I mean men of all nationalities). However, i imagine even if most really know this goes on, they prefer to have the rose tinted goggle practically welded on. I guess no one likes to think they are taking advantage of a persons economic status, even if it may teeter on human rights abuse. (and ok..yeh yeh..every situation is different and blah blah..but that is definitely a side to a scene that many like to enjoy in Asia. Those who indulge most likely just dont want to have their illusions shattered.).

As for those who use a child for sexual gratification they should have their balls lopped off and be force fed them. Then a stint in prison should give them a taste of what it is like to be forced against your own will. (Again, i realise women also can commit sexual offenses like this..but not really so common).

I know i sound like a hard b... but this kind of story turns my stomach. Its so very very sad.

You are highly offensive. You are under the impression we are all or mostly taking part in pedophilia? You are completely delusional. Or are you comparing older men that have ADULT girlfriends that are poor to pedophilia? Is that what you are doing? Try to stay in reality.

[dale8]

Hello, thank God for the shelters and the people that help free others.

[garyh]

There is a group called Greyman that I can find no mention of on Thai Visa. This is from the link

This program is about a former commando who's made it his mission to save children from the sex trade in Thailand.

Posing as a paedophile and using the pseudonym 'John Curtis', he works undercover to infiltrate trafficking rings and rescue children.

It's shadowy work seemingly at odds with his full time desk job as a Brisbane public servant.

But Curtis has established a registered charity in Queensland and his work has been endorsed by several international aid groups and the Thai authorities.

The documentory from ABC TV Australia (Highly ethical public TV) is essential viewing for all who are disgusted by this subject.

http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/sha...rey/default.htm

Edited August 4, 2009 by garyh

[garyh]

Here is the the link for Greyman http://www.thegreyman.org/

[animatic]

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A former sex slave on Monday launched a global campaign against trafficking, saying the age of girls forced into prostitution keeps getting younger.

.....a four-year-old girl was found last month at a brothel in Cambodia after being reported by a male client.

The youngster had been sold to the brothel by her mother, who is also a prostitute......

..."There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV

so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls.

In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger." ...

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith; Editing by )

http://ow.ly/15JELi

-- Reuters 03/08/09

This is the by far sickest part of this story... nauseating.

That there are stump stupid people that think this 'Cure' is true is not surprising.

But that there are morally degenerated scum that PANDER to this reprehensible market is

A level of sickening beyond redemption. Only exceeded by the MOTHER

who it would appear sold her 4 year old for this purpose...

The evil punishments of old seem worth renewing in some cases like this.

Drawn and quartered, The rack, Judas chair, Iron maiden, Defenestration.... no,

no, no, we have become civilized...

weld them in a too small box, eating gruel, till their time comes.

Edited August 4, 2009 by animatic

[gburns57au]

eek,

Nearly all of the sex slave incidents in Oz involving Thai girls have had a female in the hierarchy of the organisers.

I would assume that it is because a woman will trust another woman more than a man.

[TAWP]

There is less chances of kids being sold into servitude if the business was fully legalized and the women had all protection of normal workers, as has happened in some locations in the west finally.

We have to realize it isn't going away and focus on helping those involved to be properly protected as in any other job. Or more, during a transition period.