tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31898129775177328902024-03-05T14:03:17.702-08:00Chab Dai Blog | Along the paths of justiceLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-67613918898119371542015-11-07T11:14:00.000-08:002015-11-07T11:18:23.228-08:00Our blog has moved!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We are pleased to announce that "Along the Paths of Justice" has now been incorporated into a new Chab Dai International <a href="http://chabdai.org/" target="_blank">website</a>!<br />
<br />
New blog posts, news and reflections from the Chab Dai team will now be posted at <a href="http://chabdai.org/blog/">chabdai.org/blog/</a><br />
<br />
Take a look and we hope you keep following along!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://chabdai.org/blog" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C94YRHKOd_A/Vj5NQ0rvvRI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/iwY1wp6ViFc/s320/Website.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://chabdai.org/blog" target="_blank">Our new blog, located at chabdai.org</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-11529288094405178622015-11-02T06:30:00.001-08:002015-11-02T06:34:37.216-08:00Cultivating Community Heroes<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i>We’ve been selecting
and training Community Heroes from all over Cambodia since 2011, watching as
they go on to train other members of their community on how to protect their
family from traffickers, raise awareness about abuse and educate on human
rights. As part of our anniversary </i><a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/05/world-hope-esther-pastores.html"><i>series celebrating Chab Dai’s achievements</i></a><i>, we talked to Nop Sen, Project Manager for
the Community Heroes team…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeKrfAEPu4dIbA1ADtBO6pwWezKdWhp-Y6kS_zmYwhY95cGa4jxy5ZHSJn4uJhwCxREcTrf7Xj1QCQe3Qczep9J9mbwob5rCU8-vQO8Pn_8IIthq2WWMly783CVnMU7Ln9pkIMU4zUfkW/s1600/IMG_9573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeKrfAEPu4dIbA1ADtBO6pwWezKdWhp-Y6kS_zmYwhY95cGa4jxy5ZHSJn4uJhwCxREcTrf7Xj1QCQe3Qczep9J9mbwob5rCU8-vQO8Pn_8IIthq2WWMly783CVnMU7Ln9pkIMU4zUfkW/s320/IMG_9573.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sen won a scholarship to study an ABA in English Literature with
Asia HRDC before working in administration and human resources. He came to the
Chab Dai via the then-called Doorsteps Project (now Charter-Doorsteps) and now
decides budgets, coordinates activities and prepares crucial reports for the
Community Heroes Team.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A few years ago, I worked with a company but I think that
they can only find support appropriate for their staff, they don't have time or
opportunity to help the Cambodian people. I applied to Chab Dai as a Christian
organisation but also I think that Chab Dai has a vision to help the Cambodian
people without getting any profit or benefit from it. So I appreciate working
here, because when I have experience or knowledge that I can share, I can get
it out to the communities, the other people who lack information about this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>Who are the Community
Heroes?</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For every province the CH Project works in, 10 heroes are
chosen from existing trainer volunteers from the other two prevention projects (Safe
Community and Ethnic Community projects) and, as Sen says, “often our heroes
are on or know the local authorities so it’s easier for us to collaborate with
them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“After we have worked with the villagers and heroes/heroines
I think that most of the villagers in our target areas <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html#.VXfdkc-qqko">have more
knowledge about how to deal with brokers</a>, how to report from the helpcard
that we [use to] provide the hotline, they know to call when they have a
problem with a rape case in the community. We also do refresher training with
the heroes, so they have more knowledge to get their point across, and are more
confident when teaching the villagers.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJR_lQ9jy7h51m4NgRXxtDqiQWcea225JU4LAAFqhhbFgj2cv9M8n6VrLCy56EkziRsLaYrv4P235VBUhDF4FAHswtQsWFFAuysxwb12CmDASm_yVvoid-dkSPYADUjfLy3SM7woDfLwL/s1600/heroes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJR_lQ9jy7h51m4NgRXxtDqiQWcea225JU4LAAFqhhbFgj2cv9M8n6VrLCy56EkziRsLaYrv4P235VBUhDF4FAHswtQsWFFAuysxwb12CmDASm_yVvoid-dkSPYADUjfLy3SM7woDfLwL/s320/heroes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sen (centre) & the Community Heroes team</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<br /><b>Human trafficking prevention in the
nick of time</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This kind of community work can be really effective not only
in <a href="http://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/" target="_blank">preventing potential human trafficking cases</a>, but in quickly dealing with
them when they arise:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One boy in the North-eastern provinces stuck the helpcard
on the wall in his house as our hero explained to his school that they might
need it for the future…When one of his sisters was taken to China and forced
into marriage, she managed to call her father and tell him to call the number
on the helpcard – she remembered seeing it on the wall. Her father called to the
Case Support Team; they are now dealing with this case and the broker has been
arrested.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ask Sen what he hopes to see in Cambodia in the next ten
years in regards to this issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“According to our work with them, most local authorities
have high commitment to help the villagers in their own community - I hope that
for the next 10 years, NGOs, the government and local authorities are going to
build strong relationships and continue to network together to help to abolish
all forms of trafficking and abuse. This will be great for Chab Dai’s vision.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-86391567558200559432015-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:002015-09-11T01:42:47.159-07:0010 years of Chab Dai: Making a coalition work<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Learning Community
project is a definitive part of the Chab Dai programme, being the core of all
our coalition-building events, key member trainings and collaboration
activities. But since #10yearsofChabDai is <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/04/10-years-of-chab-dai-from-facilitator.html" target="_blank">all about highlighting the projects and people</a> who have been
fundamental to our vision, it seemed like a
good opportunity to check in with the LC and its current Project Manager, Um
Sam Ol.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBPezz-sZbUeh_ZMx9xxCRTxqDaqzvXM4fN6_cqq4igh57gSCrX6KTiSMeuLvvVp5IanuyDbA8m3O0G5VZB4rGh2LVP_eB4vqspFtxnf-tuvcx5WemNusCmwKL3qbqmAkpgF0fG0vkihV/s1600/Sam+Ol+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBPezz-sZbUeh_ZMx9xxCRTxqDaqzvXM4fN6_cqq4igh57gSCrX6KTiSMeuLvvVp5IanuyDbA8m3O0G5VZB4rGh2LVP_eB4vqspFtxnf-tuvcx5WemNusCmwKL3qbqmAkpgF0fG0vkihV/s320/Sam+Ol+pic.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sam Ol started at Chab Dai as a Media and Communications
intern in 2010 and, five years later, oversees the member application process, the resource library and <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/05/celebrating-10-years-of-collaboration.html" target="_blank">our bi-annual member meetings</a>, as well as key trainings for our member NGOs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
“Part of my time is dedicated to screening organisations who apply to be Chab Dai members but we also run the bi-annual member meetings and different types of member forums: directorship, business, caregiver and HR. We invite participants who work in the same area of focus and face similar things and often one of them may have a success or a lesson to share or a tool or resource that can help the others to be successful.”<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Managing a diverse and dynamic coalition</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being the glue that holds the coalition together is not
always straightforward, it seems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Our 53 organisations are so diverse and dynamic and have
their own focus and as we are the central body, it can be challenging to link
up with all of them.” Nevertheless, Sam Ol has seen some great results of
capacity-building in action:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A project coordinator at an NGO based in Banteay Meanchey
gave us some really positive feedback about our Child Protection Policy
training. The organisation was trying to promote child rights in the community,
but they often saw violence, or parents forcing their children to go to work to
bring income for the family. After some staff attended our training, they got
the knowledge and skills to go back to their staff and pass on the training.
Then their staff could train the community and they saw a noticeable
improvement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: large;">"The
community character has changed in the way they react to the children.
They know how to protect children and know what to do when the children are
being abused or exploited. We see that they are now respecting their
children’s rights more and we saw a reduction of violence happening."<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Participant,
Child Protection Training</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<h3>
<span style="color: #2f2b20;">Changing attitudes</span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #2f2b20;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvybHI65ziHjwCpCEZIlerU2xmgaPGrwPGK8l70gnoA0PO2eJ0ZoraTJrGJ4wfwZ3w9ZbTzH6iHUNV7YrvnoWcInS8WQldehz6X73SzfMsuEmArLHgtdt8_9sosC1H6e2b2ynnMFT5CgDe/s1600/panorama+meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvybHI65ziHjwCpCEZIlerU2xmgaPGrwPGK8l70gnoA0PO2eJ0ZoraTJrGJ4wfwZ3w9ZbTzH6iHUNV7YrvnoWcInS8WQldehz6X73SzfMsuEmArLHgtdt8_9sosC1H6e2b2ynnMFT5CgDe/s400/panorama+meeting.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I ask Sam Ol <a href="http://www.no-trafficking.org/cambodia.html" target="_blank">how the human trafficking situation has changed inthe last decade</a>, he talks about a shift in attitudes, from focusing just on
aftercare to taking a more holistic approach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“In the early days, there were a lot of brothels and trafficking was
really crazy and that’s why the shelters were needed. But later, the government
realized that the best interest of the client is not living in the shelter but
with their family. That is why now there is a shift to focus on family and
community – a lot of organisations still offer care to the client but more
community-based.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“And from the NGO perspective now, they’re not just focused on their
own job, as before – they try to cooperate more because they believe that,
working together, we can end this issue.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The crucial contribution that the Learning Community team
offers is support for services on the frontline, as Sam Ol says:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Even though I work in the LC which is not directly
benefitting the client, I serve in an indirect way, I can still be a part of
it. With members who are working directly with survivors. This really inspires
me to keep on going.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Want to read more
about the work of our different teams here at Chab Dai? Catch our interview
with the </i><a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/07/cambodian-social-workers.html"><i>Jeut Nung Dai team here</i></a><i>, or take a look at </i><i><a href="http://www.chabdai.org/">our main
website</a> for more information</i><i>.</i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #2f2b20; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-40536953578290773382015-08-24T01:32:00.003-07:002015-08-24T01:32:50.849-07:00How will the ASEAN Economic Community impact Cambodia?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The end of 2015 is set to be the launch of the new single
market in Southeast Asia, otherwise known as the ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC). Ten countries in the region, including Cambodia, are expected to benefit
from “the free flow of goods, services, investments, and skilled labor, and the
freer movement of capital across the region.” (Nay Pyi Taw Declaration, May
2014)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But with the construction of the Greater Mekong Sub-Region’s
special economic zones also coming to a close in the next twelve months, what
are the implications for migration in the area, and how will this affect Cambodia?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0x2UAeU3jaBVWHNSyG5E_pdgCyQoj3TgKN1DwBtvf0K3C3L-ND_0QD6IP3tr5_NHxu81og8v0DD1u6RxRHfPewGW9gWNcNT3-8SjlTpwB_cby5J-_VZ9GGa8aT2pLJJWWY7SwWoJmaA5/s1600/map+of+GMS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0x2UAeU3jaBVWHNSyG5E_pdgCyQoj3TgKN1DwBtvf0K3C3L-ND_0QD6IP3tr5_NHxu81og8v0DD1u6RxRHfPewGW9gWNcNT3-8SjlTpwB_cby5J-_VZ9GGa8aT2pLJJWWY7SwWoJmaA5/s320/map+of+GMS.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="248" /></a><b>Is Cambodia ready for
the AEC?</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/policybrief/drf/SynthesisReport7.pdf">The
AEC is predicted to</a> increase Cambodia’s real GDP by 4.4 %, its exports by
5.3 % and private investment by 24.8 %. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, poor infrastructure in road, rail, ports, as well
as the limitations of the local electricity supply and telecommunications pose
practical problems, according to <a href="http://www.cdri.org.kh/webdata/policybrief/drf/SynthesisReport7.pdf">Hing
Vutha’s report</a> ‘Cambodia’s Preparedness for ASEAN Economic Community 2015
and Beyond.’ Bureaucratic and logistical costs currently make the export
procedure in Cambodia lengthy and expensive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cambodia may also lag behind others in terms of education and
skill, due to the low literacy rate (73.9% 2012) and the majority of workers
still educated only to primary school level. Many may not be able to compete
with other countries like Singapore and Malaysia in a single jobs market.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>Movement of skilled
and unskilled workers</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the <a href="http://artnet.unescap.org/pub/polbrief40.pdf">ARTNeT policy brief</a> on
‘Moving Freely? Labour Mobility in ASEAN’, Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs)
will ensure standard qualifications are recognised in professions like
accountancy and medicine across ASEAN, alongside the development of the ASEAN
Qualification Framework. However, there is nothing in place for unskilled
workers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“By limiting substantial co-operation on labour market access
to high-skilled labour, ASEAN members are missing out on the opportunities and
positive developmental impacts from facilitating well-managed migration.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
AEC’s agreements The Movement of Natural Persons (2012) and
the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) are inherently selective,
the first created with businesses sending personnel overseas temporarily in
mind, and the second applying only to those who are employed with a registered
company. These do not include unskilled labour or people simply seeking
employment or citizenship elsewhere, one of several points where the AEC
differs from <a href="http://europa.eu/index_en.htm">the Europe Union.</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1auahr8jzcAYalZ33hccwYkK37re-CxqAELcJ7DfVmdsYenBNknSEyx-A_dztEPNNcQbTDXIYX9FSPfCbwqjRT0BpMgsCBE_kPrM4ihM7kYpsESp8ihURTLxRDI9IDyvBj234AbK6l7_k/s1600/IMG_2647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1auahr8jzcAYalZ33hccwYkK37re-CxqAELcJ7DfVmdsYenBNknSEyx-A_dztEPNNcQbTDXIYX9FSPfCbwqjRT0BpMgsCBE_kPrM4ihM7kYpsESp8ihURTLxRDI9IDyvBj234AbK6l7_k/s320/IMG_2647.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helen Sworn on <br />'Preventing Slavery & Trafficking in Persons in ASEAN', Bali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<b>Increased migration;
increased vulnerability</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) plans to facilitate trade
between the six GMS countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Laos, Malaysia and
Thailand) are also gathering steam this year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking on the subject earlier this month at the<a href="http://hrrca.org/content/human-rights-resource-centre-host-summer-institute-slavery-and-trafficking-persons" target="_blank"> 8th Summer Institute in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights</a> in Bali, Indonesia, Chab Dai’s Helen
Sworn has warned on the implications of Cambodia’s position in the midst of two new
economic corridors that will essentially link China and India via Southeast
Asia. ADB
estimated back in 2004 that half a million trucks will travel through the
region per day, which will increase the spread of diseases like HIV/AIDs as
well as the risk of unsafe migration. Source communities will have fewer
prospects and access to education as people move to economically stronger
countries, with children left behind as parents migrate for work.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Human rights NGOs like Adhoc and NGOCRC have also warned
that the ASEAN integration will lead to greater numbers of children in
particular being trafficked or abused. <a href="http://www.voacambodia.com/content/cambodian-children-more-vulnerable-under-asean-integration-report-warns/2489920.html">Reported
in Voice of America</a>, Ya Navuth, head of the NGO Caram said:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Children could also face more risk from economic pulls,
experts warn. That includes families sending their children to work in other
countries, where they will be vulnerable to abuse.”<br />
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<h3>
<b>How can Cambodia respond
to the ASEAN and GMS changes?</b></h3>
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<b></b><br /><b></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBiepVG7oNCl3vgfpQm9mZtScYkfg_LPGsxhuu6StcyAf7rmxQEXybD0ncLUPRflU6NMXcRHj2MDpDdMbzkSc6GrFMeGMRJpdkLZ6tXfCLcpgk7nbQ10MIkHyTmx9dWp8EKcYP825N_ee/s1600/IMG_3936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBiepVG7oNCl3vgfpQm9mZtScYkfg_LPGsxhuu6StcyAf7rmxQEXybD0ncLUPRflU6NMXcRHj2MDpDdMbzkSc6GrFMeGMRJpdkLZ6tXfCLcpgk7nbQ10MIkHyTmx9dWp8EKcYP825N_ee/s320/IMG_3936.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hing Vutha, speaking at the Chab Dai member meeting in May</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Migration Policy Institute report on ‘A ‘Freer’ Flow of
Skilled Labour within ASEAN: Aspirations, Opportunities, and Challenges in 2015
and Beyond’ recommends ‘temporary schemes’ to expand the market access for low-skilled
labours, creating legal channels to reduce irregular migration and ensuring
sending countries be involved in monitoring the candidates before they
emigrate.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Hing Vutha meanwhile, brings the emphasis back to education:
<o:p></o:p><br />
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“Improving the education system should be the prime policy
focus…Cambodia can benefit from the AEC since it can continue to import skilled
labour from other ASEAN countries to tide it over this period of skills
shortage. But over the longer term, the country should also focus on developing
the skills of domestic labour so that it can reduce its dependence on foreign
skilled labour.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Though the ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons and the ASEAN Plan of Action are expected to make positive steps on this issue before the end of the year, it’s clear that we and other organisations fighting to
stop human trafficking in the region will need to maintain <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/08/18/asean-joins-forces-combat-human-trafficking.html" target="_blank">a coordinated effort</a>to work across border lines, not just within one country.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-77592847877652740042015-08-05T18:00:00.000-07:002015-08-06T03:41:16.786-07:00Coordinating our efforts against forced marriage in China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year, many Cambodian women are being sold a dream.
It’s a dream of a better life in China: a rich husband, a comfortable office
job, a world away from their provincial, and often poor, villages. In reality,
brokers are working on both sides of the border to sell these women into
marriages they find are far below their expectations, and into a life in rural
China strikingly similar to the one they were trying to escape.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jinamoore/cambodia-is-chinas-newest-market-for-foreign-brides#.hnDYo0mKB">This
issue is now being reported</a> in the mainstream and international news, but
Chab Dai have been dealing with cases such as these since early 2014. So how can
we respond effectively to this growing problem?</div>
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<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOo5j5YQcBPZYYKkgD0zyc9kd1B-usMWtR6GSSwcqGgzUiOFP-rcXfWkQTE7BatTbLDI0LlZZR4Hfa7Gd9Uaw9WWunVh_vS6rqMM6bTRe-ubuZgyYpTqoCT1jGf9k4xDNqaGvZqJ-qu_c/s1600/Engagement+ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 18.7199993133545px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOo5j5YQcBPZYYKkgD0zyc9kd1B-usMWtR6GSSwcqGgzUiOFP-rcXfWkQTE7BatTbLDI0LlZZR4Hfa7Gd9Uaw9WWunVh_vS6rqMM6bTRe-ubuZgyYpTqoCT1jGf9k4xDNqaGvZqJ-qu_c/s320/Engagement+ring.jpg" width="320" /></a>A market for marriage</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Reports blame China’s one-child policy for <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/2015/06/sex_trafficking_and_forced_marriages_flourish_under_china_s_one_child_policy">reducing
the number of women in the country</a> and creating a ‘market’ for men seeking
a bride from overseas, wherein men often pay huge sums for a Cambodian wife.
Across the border, prospective brides are approached by locals, even people
they know and trust and are told that the money will go to their family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But after the deal is done, the families rarely see the
amount they were promised, and the women often end up trapped in an abusive
marriage, in a foreign country where they may speak little of the native
tongue. Passports are usually taken from them, posing a problem in itself,
since train travel in China – a potential means of escape - requires valid ID.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3>
How we help</h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cases usually reach Chab Dai’s Case Support team via our
helpline number, either from the women, the Cambodian Embassy in China or
referrals from our partners. Chab Dai have managed to help repatriate 13 women
from China, but coordination remains a problem. Even if the women make it to
the Cambodian Embassy, they can end up stranded there for months or placed in a
government shelter under sometimes unliveable conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On a visit to China, <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-years-of-chab-dai-staff-spotlight-on.html">Justice
and Client Care Senior Manager</a> Chan Saron commented:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What we need is someone working on the ground, directly
with the survivors. There is a gap for a coordinating organization between the
survivors, the local Chinese authority, Cambodian embassy in China and
government institutions and NGOs in Cambodia.”</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui2dJ5Y9cmWRhyphenhyphenWWYFrFYQVuouvFhlye1RAitpUfC88E0sSTtRBz6OvoQhh2b9Fz22rsb8n8Qe46g9QQV3JsNDA26DU07j9zTGdEbWFWrKXi6XuwcY29zOUFbnqfN0W1gl_Vnqg1itzgH/s1600/Cambodian_farmers_planting_rice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui2dJ5Y9cmWRhyphenhyphenWWYFrFYQVuouvFhlye1RAitpUfC88E0sSTtRBz6OvoQhh2b9Fz22rsb8n8Qe46g9QQV3JsNDA26DU07j9zTGdEbWFWrKXi6XuwcY29zOUFbnqfN0W1gl_Vnqg1itzgH/s320/Cambodian_farmers_planting_rice.jpg" width="320" /></a>Commitment to collaboration </h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Aware that this is an issue experienced by many of our
partners and stakeholders, Chab Dai recently held a Round Table discussion
aimed at sharing information and forming a collaborative response. World
Vision, AIM, IOM and others were at the table with us, relating lessons learned
and suggestions for the future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We discussed the need for a centralised, Chinese hotline
number that women can more easily access and shared ways we can better advise
women on their escape routes, including how to get back their passports for the
train journey, or travelling by alternate transport. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Together, we identified the most common areas these women
usually come from, suggesting we could geographically target <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html">our prevention programmes</a>
to ensure key communities are informed about this issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The meeting closed with a series of positive action points, including
working towards an MOU with the relevant government departments, as well as
tackling the lack of funding by creating a basket fund between NGOs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But the most important take-away was an ongoing commitment
to collaboration. Only an organised effort between NGOs, the government and
other key institutions will effectively handle, resolve and even prevent these
cases from happening. Let’s hope the next few months and years will see those
gaps on the ground in China filled, a more proactive and cohesive response from
both sides of the border and more Cambodian women returned home safely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Key source:
‘Trafficked for Marriage to China’ Case Support Project report, by Kristina
Novak.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Images by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Engagement_ring_photo_by_Stephen_Durham.jpg" target="_blank">Stephen Durham</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_field#/media/File:Cambodian_farmers_planting_rice.jpg" target="_blank">Brad Collis</a>, used under Creative Commons licence.</div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-42037554634669184632015-07-29T22:22:00.001-07:002015-07-29T22:22:27.744-07:00Bridging the Gap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Chab Dai's long time staff member and co-founder of Chab Dai USA, Tania DoCarmo, is highlighted by University of California's School of Social Sciences as they report on her combination of experience in both academia and activism against human trafficking.<br />
<br />
<i>Reposted with permission from the UCI School of Social Sciences. See original post <a href="http://www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/news/2015/2015-07-14-docarmo-trafficking.php" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mwavDZbQwjM/Vbm0N9ubBoI/AAAAAAAAAOk/Xzh5tmyWH1o/s1600/Face%2BShot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mwavDZbQwjM/Vbm0N9ubBoI/AAAAAAAAAOk/Xzh5tmyWH1o/s320/Face%2BShot.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tania has worked for Chab Dai since 2006</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For first year grad student Tania DoCarmo, the path to a Ph.D. has been anything but conventional. However, what her journey lacks in predictability, it makes up for in travels abroad, human rights work and practical, first-hand knowledge of human trafficking—her primary research interest. In fact, the sociology student’s proposed project on the subject recently secured her a fellowship through the National Science Foundation’s highly competitive Graduate Research Fellowship Program, which will fund her next three years at UCI.<br />
<br />
Though her initial proposal to the NSF—involving a comparative study of humanitarian organizations in Cambodia and Ukraine—has been tweaked slightly, the focus of her current research remains rooted in the deeper understanding of counter-trafficking organizations. And after working for one such organization for more than nine years, she has some valuable insights.<br />
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<br /></div>
DoCarmo’s interest in human trafficking is a direct result of her non-traditional route to academia. And though she has always loved learning, after her first year as an undergraduate at Biola University, she worried that she loved it a bit too much.<br />
<br />
“I was sort of afraid that I was going to get stuck,” she explains. “I loved school, so I was afraid that I was just going to go to school and get married and never really go anywhere.”<br />
<br />
So, the then teenager decided to drop everything and move to Brazil—much to the vexation of her parents—to participate in a humanitarian training program. It was in Brazil that she met her now-husband, and two years after she left the U.S., she set off on another life-changing adventure, this time to Cambodia. It was there that she met a woman who had recently started a group called Chab Dai, a non-governmental organization dedicated to uniting activist groups and ending sexual abuse and trafficking in Cambodia.<br />
<br />
After volunteering with the organization for a short while, she eventually took on a full-time position, helping to research and implement effective training methods. It was during her time there that she noticed how distrustful activists were of researchers and journalists.<br />
<br />
“Through that experience I just realized the gap that exists between what activists and organizations are doing and what academics are doing,” she says. “Historically, researchers from big universities would come over and want to interview victims and do their research and then you would never hear from them again. There was a lot of mistrust and a lot of feeling like they didn’t understand the context.”<br />
<br />
Despite the skepticism, DoCarmo rediscovered her love of academia, took classes online to complete her bachelor’s degree and subsequently earned her master’s degree in anthropology while still working for Chab Dai. She felt that this bad blood between activists and researchers was doing damage to both sides of the cause, and she began to imagine combining her education with her passion and expertise for activism to bridge the gap.<br />
<br />
“Getting my master’s degree reminded me how much I like academics and how much I believe in research. It really built my conviction that to do good work we need to understand what we’re addressing—and we need research to do that.”<br />
<br />
So, after nearly nine years with Chab Dai and several moves back and forth from the U.S. to Cambodia, DoCarmo and her family made the trek back to California where she began UCI’s sociology graduate program in 2014. <br />
<br />
She is currently working on two research projects that have evolved from her research proposal to the NSF. The first, which she is working on in conjunction with Francesca Polletta, sociology professor, examines the use of storytelling and narratives within the activist community. As DoCarmo explains, there is sometimes a fine line between empowerment and exploitation, especially when the subject of a story may not be able to foresee all the potential ramifications of their participation.<br />
<br />
“A lot of times, organizations will use a victim’s story to get donations or funding,” she says. “And while I see why people are doing that, my experience has been that stories can be very exploitative to the people whose stories you are telling.”<br />
<br />
In addition to being manipulative, sharing a victim’s story can be damaging to their livelihood and reputation. DoCarmo explains that, in Cambodia, there is a very negative stigma associated with trafficking and prostitution. She has seen victims who are trying to move on with their lives be thrown back into a negative place when their community finds out that they had been sex workers. And there are even more sinister dangers—she notes that it is not uncommon for sex tourists to travel across the world in order to track down a woman that they saw in a documentary.<br />
<br />
“Internally I’m still trying to wrestle with it, because I don’t think we should tell a victim what’s good or bad for them because they need to be empowered to tell their story if they want,” she says. “But we also need to be responsible for our part in it. So we’re interviewing organizations in the States and overseas and talking to them about how they’ve used stories—what’s been useful and what hasn’t been useful.”<br />
<br />
In addition to this work, DoCarmo is also working on her own project that she hopes will help shed light on how human trafficking came to be a “new” social problem despite having been around for thousands of years. She believes that global interest in the issue became prominent after a 2000 U.N. convention that essentially coined “human trafficking” as a term.<br />
<br />
She hopes to find out why, if trafficking has existed for centuries, was there a sudden explosion of concern about it. She’s seeking answers to her questions through archival research and hopes to, eventually, incorporate her work as a chapter in her dissertation, though that won’t be for several years. Her ultimate goal is to repair the bond between academics and activists in the counter-trafficking world, which she hopes will improve overall understanding of the topic.<br />
<br />
“Sometimes when I read, there just seems to be a disconnect between how practitioners see a problem and how it’s written about in academia,” she says. “Through my research I want to reflect the practitioner’s view with the academic’s. I think together you have a better understanding.”<br />
<br />
For now, DoCarmo is happy to be merging her two passions, academia and activism, while raising her two children with her husband. And with the NSF fellowship to help fund tuition and research expenses, she can spend the next three years focusing on how to make a difference.<br />
<br />
—Bria Balliet, School of Social Sciences - See more at: http://www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/news/2015/2015-07-14-docarmo-trafficking.php#sthash.eBe2i3Mp.dpuf</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA33.6404952 -117.8442962000000320.3872467 -138.49859320000002 46.893743699999995 -97.189999200000031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-7305990992631575732015-07-21T04:49:00.000-07:002015-07-21T04:49:20.762-07:00Training the next generation of Cambodian social workers<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWOP3XaC92M4G1bDPxbSEMYCcRaUbQvB1atezcYPtsvL3wIkn8eoPgs8lDbS8Wt6HA40_aDEJ0FiRztGTYktv84mC3PVE9PCbw4XsrOIGndN3OHXkjuJpe1dYigOpEWWOnVCv5qIG3r0h/s1600/Chantrea+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWOP3XaC92M4G1bDPxbSEMYCcRaUbQvB1atezcYPtsvL3wIkn8eoPgs8lDbS8Wt6HA40_aDEJ0FiRztGTYktv84mC3PVE9PCbw4XsrOIGndN3OHXkjuJpe1dYigOpEWWOnVCv5qIG3r0h/s320/Chantrea+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><i>It’s been three years since the first Social Work majors in Cambodia graduated from university, fulfilling a very real need in providing human trafficking and abuse survivors with expert care and support. With this in mind, we thought it was time we checked in with our Jeut Nung Dai social work training team here at Chab Dai…</i></div>
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Prak Chantrea is the Assistant Project Manager for Jeut Nung
Dai and <a href="http://sea-globe.com/the-missing-link/">a member of that ground-breaking
class of 2012 himself</a>, having earned his Social Work degree from Royal
Phnom Penh University months before starting work at Chab Dai.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Building capacity in
social work</b></h3>
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So what does <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html">the JND team</a> do day-to-day?<o:p></o:p></div>
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“We provide social workers with training related to direct
social work and counselling practice such as basic and advanced counselling
training, child development and parenting skills training, conflict resolution
training, peaceful family training and more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“This helps social workers to build their knowledge regarding
strength-based and contextual approaches, and to improve their skills in
listening, asking, responding and counselling.”<o:p></o:p><br />
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Chantrea told me that many of the social workers he helps to
train are in fact survivors of abuse or human trafficking themselves, so having
the support of the JND team is really valuable.</div>
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“This training also helps them to feel confident of doing
their tasks with clients in the community. Some trainees have said they felt
healed with their experiences because they had opportunity to express their
feelings [to us] and reflect on their improvements.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcx3fYRsYS3PedbfqLwHGekgkKF3lpypANAneIdIslR7c9Fy91uGKMZX1uI8B2KkD5Q4sLnuP08ZLzM6TXnwjrZv0vf4nsj-VyBYQcrXx7KXh0oEAfDz3CkFWMBoDt3IZLVbCNQH1AFHS/s1600/Jeut+Nung+Dai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcx3fYRsYS3PedbfqLwHGekgkKF3lpypANAneIdIslR7c9Fy91uGKMZX1uI8B2KkD5Q4sLnuP08ZLzM6TXnwjrZv0vf4nsj-VyBYQcrXx7KXh0oEAfDz3CkFWMBoDt3IZLVbCNQH1AFHS/s320/Jeut+Nung+Dai.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">“The trauma-informed caregiver course was very important for me because
I can now help my team and family. I also can share it to my community as well
as I am able to help myself with trauma experiences.” </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b>Counsellor, ARM</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Stories of hope</b></h3>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Although there are challenges still in the field of social
work – “some organizations or managers do not give enough value to social workers,
or do not know clearly what the practices are” – there is plenty to be hopeful about
in Cambodia’s burgeoning social work sector.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“One organization which we worked with for a year runs a
shelter for women survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Most of their staff lacked knowledge and skills in their
work field and they often did not have a social work degree or a relevant
background. The supervisor requested our support in building capacity for her
employees. JND provided them with training about case management and basic
counselling, as well as a mentoring service for four months to support and
encourage them to evaluate what they have learnt. We discussed the counselling
process and cooperating between social worker, counsellor and house sister
regarding cases. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"After we finished our support, the staff reported that they
have improved their capacity and feel confident to deal with families and
clients. They were also committed to continuing their learning.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chantrea explains that Jeut Nung Dai have also been
responsible for organising a social work conference every year since 2013. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The conference aims to strengthen networking and capacity-building
of practitioners in Cambodia by sharing skills and expertise as well as discussing
how to address certain challenges and difficulties encountered in their daily
practices.”<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>Reducing
vulnerability</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHr8-mF7OBNu07vbqxVcFt6i875lPwq9FSDTGczUwGKHLrHgIEvCFf5_LJb7Q7HxoTBCUsu8Sq0QfECvbshGbJvAqbVkutBXUyPM85v4FzlbvxRGQccQbZv6h83lqoq4OvXR7YK4KZt7YO/s1600/JND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHr8-mF7OBNu07vbqxVcFt6i875lPwq9FSDTGczUwGKHLrHgIEvCFf5_LJb7Q7HxoTBCUsu8Sq0QfECvbshGbJvAqbVkutBXUyPM85v4FzlbvxRGQccQbZv6h83lqoq4OvXR7YK4KZt7YO/s320/JND.jpg" width="320" /></a>Like many of Chab Dai’s projects, Jeut Nung Dai works to
stop human trafficking and abuse through both direct and indirect means, as
Chantrea affirms:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We build the capacity of Chab Dai members and other staff,
but we also go to the communities and sometimes provide direct counselling and
group sessions. The main point is about reducing vulnerability.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This seems an apt way to sum up not only the work of Jeut
Nung Dai, but <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-frontline-of-human-trafficking.html">what
Chab Dai is all about</a> - empowering those working in counter human
trafficking, and through this, reducing the vulnerability of Cambodian people.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-70397349652843214342015-06-21T22:16:00.000-07:002015-06-21T22:16:13.884-07:00Collaborating with corporates in the fight against trafficking<h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;"><i>The private sector as partners </i>by Helen Sworn</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_pBZDnkTlrXIm7SfUnulnhB_sgB-dsVqqzQx1UyN-fDBYBUHHobq3BRrN4nvj7C5zAVzTDddK4QYWksdSHlrPFRunOUrEFzYKlv3FnGO51QP6KJjz5yuMc0LwRSMxn4i4gshgtZiQdOS/s1600/Hong_Kong_Island_Skyline_2009+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_pBZDnkTlrXIm7SfUnulnhB_sgB-dsVqqzQx1UyN-fDBYBUHHobq3BRrN4nvj7C5zAVzTDddK4QYWksdSHlrPFRunOUrEFzYKlv3FnGO51QP6KJjz5yuMc0LwRSMxn4i4gshgtZiQdOS/s320/Hong_Kong_Island_Skyline_2009+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Knowing
our areas of core competency and influence have always been a foundational
ethos and practice for us at Chab Dai. A decade ago when Chab Dai was set up as
a coalition, there were few partners in the movement outside the NGO
sector. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">However, during
these years we have seen a new generation of stakeholders who previously had
only been seen as the problem and not part of the solution. These partners are
from the business sector and, although there is still a level of suspicion
between the NGOs and businesses, there is also a growing collaboration emerging
internationally.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span id="goog_1981620012"></span><span id="goog_1981620013"></span><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Businesses
supporting human rights </span></h4>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpOuPabohxG-l5ArfYtk_fM68kP244cewsJO0xAYWnygDTktscrmndnSUf-SXeNnSCJ3wW9ciY9C35JsqyTf7sB_dZdVzINhGePmpdEye4wrw25ka6kHe_VZVr3cOUByjxecUubYqiT4a/s1600/monique+villa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpOuPabohxG-l5ArfYtk_fM68kP244cewsJO0xAYWnygDTktscrmndnSUf-SXeNnSCJ3wW9ciY9C35JsqyTf7sB_dZdVzINhGePmpdEye4wrw25ka6kHe_VZVr3cOUByjxecUubYqiT4a/s320/monique+villa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monique Villa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This was
evident at the recent Thomson Reuters <a href="http://asiaforum.trustwomenconf.com/">Trust Forum conference</a> in Hong
Kong, which I was privileged to attend. Among the 200 attendees, more than
70% were corporate businesses - law firms, the banking industry, PR and communications
companies, as well as government figures and journalists who are, at last,
interested in reporting on the more complex, emerging and in-depth issues
beyond the sensationalized media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">During the
conference, these corporate representatives were put on the spot by the Thomson
Reuters CEO, Monique Villa who had some innovative grassroots organisations
present their needs. There ensued an open floor request for pledges of support
from the attendees. I was fascinated and encouraged to see lawyers, design
companies and others publicly commit their expertise to these causes.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<h4 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Stopping
exploitation with multi-sector collaboration</span></h4>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAOFHOm58WaoA1EjEpP29upbNbDY_8EIdoyjes1-Q6RQ_GvOXM-Dt6mQMduUPdrED6K8CR7S03W6Y-WTXE5VEktzK-K8moPwCTUXuG5T18ZsBxTR4mFz8Z0N_hQGGPXqp4-SdZ6NNd7dH/s1600/andrew+forrest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAOFHOm58WaoA1EjEpP29upbNbDY_8EIdoyjes1-Q6RQ_GvOXM-Dt6mQMduUPdrED6K8CR7S03W6Y-WTXE5VEktzK-K8moPwCTUXuG5T18ZsBxTR4mFz8Z0N_hQGGPXqp4-SdZ6NNd7dH/s320/andrew+forrest.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Forrest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">One of the
keynote speakers was Andrew Forrest, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/andrew-forrest/">an Australian mining
magnate</a> who stepped back from his corporate position four years ago to
dedicate his time, energy and significant resources and influence to the anti
slavery cause. An interesting observation was how he started with his own
corporation, carrying out a supply chain audit and calling out others to do the
same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Of course,
we still have a long way to go but I think that we are beginning to take hold
of the vision and need for multi-sector collaboration, which is the only way we
will ever see <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/">an end to the exploitation</a>
of human lives.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<i>Hong Kong image by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_Victoria_Peak_5294.jpg" target="_blank">Shizhao</a>, used under Creative Comms licence. Other images courtesy of </i><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">© </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thomson Reuters.</span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-83385060948852676912015-06-14T19:28:00.000-07:002015-06-14T19:28:31.813-07:00Christa Sharpe: '10 years of remembrance, thankfulness & celebration'<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: justify;">Cambodia is
fortunate to have one of the most effective, unifying, impactful
anti-trafficking and sexual abuse coalitions in the world – the Chab Dai
Coalition. Well, I would say Chab Dai is </span><i style="text-align: justify;">the </i><span style="text-align: justify;">most effective, but I’m
biased! International Justice Mission Cambodia (IJM) has been fortunate to be
one of the original members of Chab Dai since its founding in 2005. I can’t
imagine the anti-trafficking movement in Cambodia without Chab Dai. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Well, to be accurate, I </span><i style="text-align: justify;">was</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> in Cambodia
before Chab Dai existed, so I actually knew what the movement was like without
Chab Dai, which increases my joy even more as we celebrate their 10-year anniversary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig93ea41fnGKBXga2Ky5vgDLduRd35gs-ZE7U7yOke8PdVooO5w2uSZHDBwjEv8tQa7nL6gVUejnoiUJSTZmdboZW62O5gDcD96HCw0eMRmlze_kJmuM0c0qdr4y96YJjNdIRIAlCEDiJX/s1600/Newly+Rescued+Survivors+Contemplating+Freedom+After+Sharing+their+Story+with+Police.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig93ea41fnGKBXga2Ky5vgDLduRd35gs-ZE7U7yOke8PdVooO5w2uSZHDBwjEv8tQa7nL6gVUejnoiUJSTZmdboZW62O5gDcD96HCw0eMRmlze_kJmuM0c0qdr4y96YJjNdIRIAlCEDiJX/s320/Newly+Rescued+Survivors+Contemplating+Freedom+After+Sharing+their+Story+with+Police.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><span lang="EN-US">The value of looking back</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">As member
agencies with powerful missions, facing urgent needs and engaging with
unimaginable violence, we often find ourselves primarily looking forward and
focusing on the pain of this world. But, God is clear that we are also to live
and serve in the disciplines of <i>remembrance</i>, <i>thankfulness</i> and <i>celebration</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Remembering the faithfulness, gifts, miracles and progress from the past fuels
us with hope in the</span> midst of our current battles and circumstances. Practicing
thankfulness brings peace and allows us to value others around us. When we
celebrate the victories – large and small – we infuse ourselves and our teams with
deep joy - a joy that would be impossible had we only focused on the deep pain
and need around us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Human trafficking in Cambodia: 10 years ago</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I remember</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> what Cambodia was like the year Chab Dai Coalition started. <i>I
remember</i> the thousands of children being openly prostituted in brothels
that lined the streets of communities across the nation while traffickers,
pimps and business owners were raking in money. <i>I remember</i> criminals and
abusers who did not know the law, or what was right or wrong under the law. <i>I
remember</i> dozens of pedophiles walking the streets holding hands with the
children they planned to abuse, with no fear of being confronted or arrested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I remember</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> a decimated public justice system filled with officials who had
almost no training to do their jobs, felt ineffective to stop crime, were not yet
leading the anti-trafficking movement, and were sometimes even feared by the
very people who needed them the most. <i>I remember</i> a citizenry who did not
trust that their justice system could<i> </i>work for them, did not see the
media advocating for their protection, and did not know the law or their rights
under the law. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I remember</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> a private aftercare system that was small, weak, uncoordinated,
with almost no best practice procedures in place and extremely low survivor
restoration rates<i>. I remember</i> NGOs who were not unified, not sharing or learning
with one another, but were desperate for support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">The impact of coalition</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I am thankful</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> that the founders of Chab Dai saw the reality of violence and
dysfunction, but had the vision to see what might be possible if they <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-collaborationworks-chab-dai.html" target="_blank">brought together like-minded organizations</a> to provide shared learning, equipping,
guidance and best practice models. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I am thankful</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> that Chab Dai created a forum for us to learn from, share with,
challenge, and encourage one another. <i>I am thankful</i> that this
collaborative learning environment has raised private aftercare’s quality of
service and protection to trafficking and sexual abuse survivors throughout the
nation<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I am thankful</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> for healthy accountability, that we, as members, value and embrace
in order<i> </i>to be more competent, ethical, transparent, research-based and effective
in our work. <i>I am thankful</i> for Chab Dai’s innovation and vision to bring
unity to the movement in Cambodia and around the world through the Global Learning
Community and the Freedom Collaborative. <i>I am thankful</i> that Chab Dai
fills in vital gaps through their important research, hotline, community education,
and working together with the government. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US">A time to celebrate</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I celebrate</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> all the miracles that have happened in Cambodia over the past decade.
<i>I celebrate</i> that tens of thousands of Cambodian and Vietnamese citizens
have been educated, trained, and empowered, and now courageously identify
trafficking and abuse, report it, prevent it, and are growing in their trust
that their public justice system will respond to their cries for help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCH8nE2mlAxQEruEshzzrBCyFB8R76ZWFkzix09I8SNuya3eHw1iDP6FgfxINC1Hsq93dt5YUWRFZbZNfhwUY58fDqfwtuRUmDoAQ98g6z_OPugYBCza2mCtJNrgHd8zv6IqPFAiCgpUg/s1600/Anti-trafficking+Police+Building+Rapport+with+Rescued+Survivors+at+a+Police+Operation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCH8nE2mlAxQEruEshzzrBCyFB8R76ZWFkzix09I8SNuya3eHw1iDP6FgfxINC1Hsq93dt5YUWRFZbZNfhwUY58fDqfwtuRUmDoAQ98g6z_OPugYBCza2mCtJNrgHd8zv6IqPFAiCgpUg/s320/Anti-trafficking+Police+Building+Rapport+with+Rescued+Survivors+at+a+Police+Operation.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">I celebrate</span></i><span lang="EN-US"> the hundreds of police officers, social workers, court officials
and community leaders who have been trained, equipped, and now confidently <i>lead
the fight</i> against trafficking<i>. I celebrate</i> <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/anti-trafficking-fight-expands" target="_blank">the new laws, policies and procedures</a> that have led to greater accountability, government leadership and
effectiveness. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i>I celebrate </i>that the combined efforts of the public
justice system, community education, prevention programs and </span>aftercare services have led to a decrease in prevalence of the commercial sexual exploitation of minors in the three provinces with the highest markets - from 15-30% of total sex workers in the early 2000s, down to around 2% today. <b>And</b>, the most significant decrease is the rate of young minors aged 15 and under in commercial prostitution - down to under .1%. Chab Dai members have been a part of bringing about all this change and progress, along with our government leaders and partners.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">The
impossible is possible</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">What seemed
impossible 10 years ago <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/about.html" target="_blank">has become possible</a>. We can look back and see more
progress, more miracles, and more lives restored than we imagined. <b>When we
choose to remember what <i>was</i>, we can see more clearly what <i>is</i>,
which gives us hope for what <i>can be</i>.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">We are all working
to maintain and deepen the progress made in the fight against sex trafficking. We
are just starting to grow the movement to end labor and marriage
trafficking. And sexual abuse and
domestic violence are still at epidemic rates in Cambodia. But what we have all
seen is that </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">justice for </span>the poor <i>is</i> possible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">What </span>has already been <span lang="EN-US">achieved in the fight against sex
trafficking can happen – and at even faster rates – in the battles that lay
before us, because lessons have been learned, the systems are stronger and the
government is leading the way. <b>And,
as we have done for the past 10 years, we will do this together.</b> In shared
learning. In unity. In accountability. In coalition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 72.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8g6NiJBDVF1pasiIusf5jh3sNQdv7Enp5YqEcBQDxdmCopdeEOuaFZFR6PWAK_50FRKZjCqgqJQZ1ukahqFRp18sr2uk5eaJ7xmJIFn9Nya5Tw9HgMFgFId3Di3BznHgZF0oDFbbBlDV/s1600/hands+in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8g6NiJBDVF1pasiIusf5jh3sNQdv7Enp5YqEcBQDxdmCopdeEOuaFZFR6PWAK_50FRKZjCqgqJQZ1ukahqFRp18sr2uk5eaJ7xmJIFn9Nya5Tw9HgMFgFId3Di3BznHgZF0oDFbbBlDV/s320/hands+in.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><i></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><i><span lang="EN-US">Seek
the Lord and His strength; seek his presence continually. Remember the
wonderful works he has done, his miracles… Psalm 105:4-5a</span></i></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">What do you
remember as you think back over the past 10 years? What are you thankful for? What do you celebrate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><i><br /></i></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Thanks to Christa for writing this guest post. You can find the latest news on IJM projects in Cambodia and more about the organisation as a whole, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1442318391">over on their main website, </a></i></span><i><a href="http://www.ijm.org/">www.ijm.org</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
'Hands' image property of Chab Dai. All other images provided by IJM. </div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-14947393303280641072015-06-07T20:17:00.000-07:002015-06-07T20:17:55.325-07:00The Chab Dai Charter goes online!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHYXlnkz4d1hx2p8MCVtVLwww4HMUsc4Ax8vPp9G-3aUbXVMwL1d3EuNaArclYZANKTXWvH8Ug_2Wt7rXeBBjSIlpHcwMOmK9kYIMabM6kTnBWrxe6giPV4PCjNEHLQhotJhMG2JW5IKy/s1600/CHarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
This week saw the official launch of our new Charter online
database at the Chab Dai Charter feedback meeting here in Phnom Penh. Member
organisations travelled from as far as Siem Reap and Battambang to show their
continuing commitment to excellence, through the Charter’s set of professional
standards in combating human trafficking and abuse. With this in mind, we’ve
put together a short guide on everything to do with the Charter, how it works
and how it can benefit organisations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<h3>
<b>What is the Chab Dai
Charter?</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjYGhAXEoxWSp5tia803mK2RCyLvjP-HY8kFTvm2Do99-eq9yVGL08yvnjv9kMasCeCT_h7yxomXOwuLZ-UOD9scVPJm0iZfaNg69aDw0crslt7huasDTH1I5L-s_EFhfufmrrFl4yPOB/s1600/Charter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Chab Dai Charter" border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjYGhAXEoxWSp5tia803mK2RCyLvjP-HY8kFTvm2Do99-eq9yVGL08yvnjv9kMasCeCT_h7yxomXOwuLZ-UOD9scVPJm0iZfaNg69aDw0crslt7huasDTH1I5L-s_EFhfufmrrFl4yPOB/s320/Charter.PNG" title="" width="320" /></a>Chab Dai created the Charter in 2011 in order to give our
members and ourselves a common set of 15 principles to work towards, grouped
under four core values: <b>Protection,
Participation, Transparency and Collaboration. <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moreover, the Charter is designed as a practical tool,
containing specific action points in order to achieve these principles. By
self-evaluating on everything from encouraging creative thinking at work to
being mindful of inclusion, we can continue to raise our standards as a
coalition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>How is the Charter
implemented?</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The practical side of the Charter was actually created using
feedback from our members. Charter-Doorsteps Team visit member organisations
and guide the staff through a participatory process of self-evaluation, with
each staff member scoring criteria based on how they think the organisation is
doing. These could be provision of specific trainings, procedural points, like
how to raise an issue about a senior member of staff or PTSD staff care for
those dealing with trauma in their day-to-day jobs. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A report with Improvement Action Plans (IAPs) is then
produced, based on the collected scores, which the organisation can use to
identify strengths and implement changes where needed. Learning grants are also
given to selected organisations that may need extra resources to complete the
process and staff are also encouraged to share lessons learned at our training
events.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>The Charter database</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The new database, designed by Rob Perrett, allows Charter
members to record and update their information and assessments instantly
online. It also enables NGOs to produce data for use in donor reports, with
information already packaged into charts and recommendations, saving a lot of
staff time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHYXlnkz4d1hx2p8MCVtVLwww4HMUsc4Ax8vPp9G-3aUbXVMwL1d3EuNaArclYZANKTXWvH8Ug_2Wt7rXeBBjSIlpHcwMOmK9kYIMabM6kTnBWrxe6giPV4PCjNEHLQhotJhMG2JW5IKy/s1600/CHarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Practical assessment tool - Chab Dai Charter" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHYXlnkz4d1hx2p8MCVtVLwww4HMUsc4Ax8vPp9G-3aUbXVMwL1d3EuNaArclYZANKTXWvH8Ug_2Wt7rXeBBjSIlpHcwMOmK9kYIMabM6kTnBWrxe6giPV4PCjNEHLQhotJhMG2JW5IKy/s320/CHarter.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a><b>What our members
think</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reuk Saray of WEC and Bridge of Hope project told us about
his experience of the Charter implementation:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When I first started
with WEC, no one introduced me to the Child Protection Policy – I just signed
without knowing anything about it. Now, we understand the importance of what it
is and how we need to protect children.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Destiny Rescue’s Kimbra Smith also had lots of positive
things to say about the Charter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just spending time with other members, our staff benefit
from hearing about other’s strengths and weaknesses. Once they have connected
with other staff, they feel comfortable contacting them to ask questions or for
resources. They then feel like they can hold their head up high and be proud of
their development.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>The Charter around
the globe</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Charter has proved so effective that it’s been used as a
model for our partners in places as diverse as Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia and
Thailand, with one team saying it was ‘the most practical tool for assessment
they had ever used.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Charter has made a huge difference not only to our
members but to us as well - Chab Dai was the first organisation to go through
Charter process. To us, it means always striving for best practice when it
comes to supporting survivors of abuse in all its forms, and doing this
together as a coalition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As one member said: “It’s not realistic that organisations
can be perfect in every way, so we are very positive about the Charter – we
show other members our IAPs to show them that we need to improve too!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-87159702236572901932015-05-24T20:15:00.000-07:002015-05-24T21:34:31.853-07:00Esther Pastores: ‘My motivation lies in supporting my Cambodian colleagues’<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i>As part of our <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk420310530"></a><a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/05/celebrating-10-years-of-collaboration.html">#10yearsofChabDai series</a>, we asked Esther Pastores of
World Hope International </i><i>for her thoughts working in
relief and development in Cambodia on and off for more than twenty years. One of our member NGOs from the very beginning,
WHI Cambodia also celebrates a decade in the fight against human trafficking
and exploitation this year…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMH8F35vKwPF3nzpHgD0UXAbpdQxKiS3h8si0F6TUtVVdMDYXS_GoqlhysbszzequVuMnVLXBkKr4SdUIlPYhWsoiP0pCu8abYbd0XRKzo1AI9QQEr89BMJc8Pi6PQJAncg-GDlf6JpbB/s1600/IMG_5879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMH8F35vKwPF3nzpHgD0UXAbpdQxKiS3h8si0F6TUtVVdMDYXS_GoqlhysbszzequVuMnVLXBkKr4SdUIlPYhWsoiP0pCu8abYbd0XRKzo1AI9QQEr89BMJc8Pi6PQJAncg-GDlf6JpbB/s320/IMG_5879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Can you give us a
summary of your work in Cambodia since the 1980s and how you came to the
position of Country Director at World Hope International?</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My initial experience working
with Cambodians was in 1987- 89: coordinating mother, child health and
community services in Site 2 South refugee camp, Thailand with Christian
Outreach Relief and Development (CORD). Following this I had the opportunity to
help establish primary health care programs in Kampot and Prey Veng from 1990-93, during the UNTAC era.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a few adventures in other
countries I returned to Cambodia in 1998 as Country Director with CORD and
subsequently worked with Hagar Women’s Shelter as Operations Manager. I really came
to work with WHI by default, having initially agreed to evaluate the assessment
centre (AC) program, was then invited back to implement the 40 or so
recommendations for improving the work. And I’ve remained with WHI ever since!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What is your
motivation for working in the – often harrowing – field of human trafficking
aftercare and prevention?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking personally my motivation essentially lies in
supporting my Cambodian colleagues, in whatever line of humanitarian work they
are engaged. Over the years it has been a privilege and a joy to walk alongside
and share in their learning. At the AC my
colleagues are the ones doing the real work of ministering to abused children –
they are the frontline folk dealing with issues and restoring broken lives; I’m
happy in the knowledge that by ensuring they are provided the best work
environment possible, through strong team relationships, learning
opportunities, adequate staff care, pastoral care (and benefits package), that
this will ultimately contribute to an effective ministry. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxniYA86RN4kqyemYqiDY4Q6BjIXRYHm3XCmFnDY247mrVjmRnb3ZbRL0tyZKBSAMVaAkkljxxYigAsCEXy_QnCsYSuxGLuwV5S3A-E-7JHn60jAgq1yPsh-ITUDxqZOfPvQ83oD3f9g0/s1600/IMG_6092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxniYA86RN4kqyemYqiDY4Q6BjIXRYHm3XCmFnDY247mrVjmRnb3ZbRL0tyZKBSAMVaAkkljxxYigAsCEXy_QnCsYSuxGLuwV5S3A-E-7JHn60jAgq1yPsh-ITUDxqZOfPvQ83oD3f9g0/s320/IMG_6092.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>What prompted WHI to
join the Chab Dai coalition?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WHI and Chab Dai have very much ‘grown up’ together, both
organisations this year celebrating our respective 10 year anniversaries. At
one time our organisations shared a common office, as a result of which we developed
close relationships between staff and shared knowledge of each other’s programs
and priorities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Chab Dai, WHI believes strongly in the significance of partnership,
shared learning, pooled resources and all the other benefits of working
collaboratively – joining the Coalition was therefore a given for us. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How has Chab Dai
membership made a difference to WHI?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The list really is quite extensive – from the different forums
to the Charter project we wouldn’t have become the organisation we are today
without Chab Dai’s input. Personally I have found <a href="http://chabdai.org/download_files/methodology_2014.pdf">the various
research projects</a> commissioned to be particularly helpful. One may often
have hunches about certain aspects of the work, but research really provides
the evidence needed for developing sound programs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgircrUvO8XmAsLowmqkFXTIfa4CMkP3wVQMcL8_Wy-OMcq4_JM2_yjHSgps1V0MdhQU9whvngjkWBub-y4uJPg_HAvRoR6s4HbVgOYb8w93B8TckllekJBxt4b_YLPjAv6rxhJdkCxYaW6/s1600/DSC_0548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgircrUvO8XmAsLowmqkFXTIfa4CMkP3wVQMcL8_Wy-OMcq4_JM2_yjHSgps1V0MdhQU9whvngjkWBub-y4uJPg_HAvRoR6s4HbVgOYb8w93B8TckllekJBxt4b_YLPjAv6rxhJdkCxYaW6/s320/DSC_0548.jpg" width="214" /></a><b>What changes have you
seen – both on the ground and governmental – to do with the human trafficking
issue in Cambodia since 2005?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Probably these are best summarised in the <a href="http://chabdai.org/download_files/ChabDai2013TrendReportFINAL.pdf">Journey
of Change</a> documented by Chab Dai in 2013 – I would say a growing maturity
of organisational capacity, but also perhaps a waning emphasis on real
engagement between partners.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>And what changes do
you hope to see in the next ten years?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Better education systems, especially for girls; more jobs
and opportunities, particularly in rural Cambodia, to lessen the need for
migration. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Thanks to Esther for
talking to us. If you want to know more about World Hope International and its
work, <a href="http://worldhope.org/">take a look at their website here</a>.<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Images provided by World Hope International.</div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-68115231783435772312015-05-18T20:01:00.001-07:002015-05-18T20:01:48.926-07:00Rohingya crisis: migrant status does not alter human rights<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/640px-Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg" target="_blank"></a></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/640px-Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg" target="_blank"></a></i></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">
</i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsrY55z_pOZ64o9L1ZPmB0YpbJmm0TOoNb-TFagXpE7ej7Ie4NnglnLnbLOpgmsVPl5NloM0DXwNxzikeFkSY4ej62WZrRVwklWKfb3SQtA52YnM3iJQUgDQAAEiMOPF7vwRq9YYt3cD9/s1600/640px-Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsrY55z_pOZ64o9L1ZPmB0YpbJmm0TOoNb-TFagXpE7ej7Ie4NnglnLnbLOpgmsVPl5NloM0DXwNxzikeFkSY4ej62WZrRVwklWKfb3SQtA52YnM3iJQUgDQAAEiMOPF7vwRq9YYt3cD9/s320/640px-Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg" width="320" /></a><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The sad
story of the Southeast Asian migration crisis has saturated media publications
across the world this week. Yet the issue continues to be unresolved, meaning
the people crammed on boats with no food supplies and in often abusive
conditions continue to drift between the Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea, and between
countries who continue to turn them away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Along with migrants from Bangladesh, the current
crisis in a large part involves the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, fleeing a harsh
and violent life in a country which refuses to acknowledge their ethnic
minority status.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reportedly,
the government of Malaysia has told the Rohingya to ‘go back to your country’.
There have been similar reactions in the rest of the region. But how can this
be the response, when Rohingyas effectively have no country to call their own?</span></div>
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Unrecognising the Rohingya</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">According to
<a href="http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/hss/155948.html">recent field
research</a> by Queen Mary University, London, conditions in the Rakhine State
- home to the minority Muslim population of Myanmar – are tantamount to
genocidal, and have been escalating since the 1970s.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Rohingya
face restrictions on education, movement, land rights – conditions which lead
to extreme poverty, starvation and death. Outright persecution has reached a
head in recent years such as the riots at Sittwe in 2012, 200 deaths there the
result of clashes between Rohingya, the Myanmar army and police.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite the
dangers of migration, for many Muslims who leave the predominantly Buddhist
shores of Myanmar, it’s an escape, not a choice.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Refugees face ‘maritime ping-pong’</span></b></h3>
<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This past week has seen eight boatloads of migrants found in
the waters off Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar and thousands of
people displaced with nowhere left to turn. Almost half of those migrants are
children aged 12 and under.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Described as
‘<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">a game of maritime ping-pong with
human life’ by </span></span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/17/rohingya-burma-refugees-boat-migrants"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">the International
Organisation for Migration in Bangkok</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">, nation after nation has declined
responsibility for people discovered in their territorial waters. UN
Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon has called for Southeast Asian leaders to uphold
international human rights and refugee laws to avoid these ‘pushbacks’ which
are likely to lead to more deaths out at sea. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<br />
<b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Human
traffickers take advantage</span></b></h3>
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqPR3POGT8F4Gywzoh5gnWdDuJDSixtho0KlR3xlRQ1fm38oHOEffGZWcnkEHvfEjboqVZxEAmXTgghCW-pHznLrS49HcU3Wia8FS18EiLuSAKUsDy6q1IQ-wBpKLTwWJhX2rifN-JPk3/s1600/640px-UN_Secretary-General_Ban_Ki-moon_-_Flickr_-_The_Official_CTBTO_Photostream_(13).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqPR3POGT8F4Gywzoh5gnWdDuJDSixtho0KlR3xlRQ1fm38oHOEffGZWcnkEHvfEjboqVZxEAmXTgghCW-pHznLrS49HcU3Wia8FS18EiLuSAKUsDy6q1IQ-wBpKLTwWJhX2rifN-JPk3/s320/640px-UN_Secretary-General_Ban_Ki-moon_-_Flickr_-_The_Official_CTBTO_Photostream_(13).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ban-Ki Moon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Brokers and people-smugglers who ferry migrants to places
like Thailand and Malaysia have been taking full advantage of the stalemate out
on open water. Crack-downs on immigrants at the Thai border have prompted some
traffickers to simply abandon their human cargo. Others are holding refugees on
board or in Thai camps until their families can pay for their onward journey or
even pay to have them returned home again, so rendering their efforts futile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is likely to continue, as long as authorities consider
migrants and trafficked people as criminals to be dealt with using blanket
actions, rather than individuals, each with fundamental human rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So where does the answer to the crisis lie? In challenging
Myanmar’s oppressive system, one that continues to break down </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Rohingya rights and communities to
keep them disenfranchised and powerless? In deciding who is ‘to blame’ for the
boatloads of people dying as they become trapped in oceanic limbo? <span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There remains no clear-cut solution, not at least until
nations take responsibility for the fellow human beings involved and begin to
co-operate with each other, instead of passing the burden. It was Martin Luther
King that said ‘Injustice anywhere is a</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> threat to justice <span style="background: white;">everywhere</span>’ and countries like Ecuador and the
wider Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)</span> reflected
this as they offered support last week.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But in light of factors like <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/05/17/abbott-defends-boat-turn-backs-left-thousands-stranded">Australia’s
unapologetic ‘stop the boats’</a> policy </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">influencing global attitudes<span style="color: #333333;"> towards displaced people, not to mention the similar
crisis in Mediterranean Europe, it seems a small hope that someone will make
the braver gesture, and welcome the boats in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>Images from the <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg/640px-Refugees_on_a_boat.jpg" target="_blank">public domain</a> and <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UN_Secretary-General_Ban_Ki-moon_-_Flickr_-_The_Official_CTBTO_Photostream_(13).jpg" target="_blank">The Official CTBTO photostream</a>, via Creative Commons.</i></span></span></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-54212334699000047202015-05-12T02:41:00.000-07:002015-05-12T02:41:04.768-07:00Celebrating 10 years of collaboration<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbelAPTlX9e4K7f0auwo2dHtkF6MTKJgO187ZJie0mQQfUyDolS6UHwriBXnAsD-X0gfztGVQfjUzgfIhLngtkXxEHauVJMwhyphenhyphenhV7xbH76GOPGhcF4apD0AB46bJMjBwpMf_xz5TcoVAuT/s1600/IMG_5472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbelAPTlX9e4K7f0auwo2dHtkF6MTKJgO187ZJie0mQQfUyDolS6UHwriBXnAsD-X0gfztGVQfjUzgfIhLngtkXxEHauVJMwhyphenhyphenhV7xbH76GOPGhcF4apD0AB46bJMjBwpMf_xz5TcoVAuT/s320/IMG_5472.jpg" width="320" /></a>It was Thursday May 7<sup>th</sup> 2015 and almost exactly
10 years since the very first Chab Dai member meeting took place in June 2005<b>. </b><br />
<br />
Chab Dai staff were assembling,
dressed in their finest traditional <i>sampot,
</i>and attendees from many of our 53 member org<span id="goog_814504682"></span><span id="goog_814504683"></span>anisations were arriving at the
ICF conference rooms in Phnom Penh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL214ghsh7JBhBhFO7W6yzMJExyyKTIAfxxyaQU-Sen9E8fg1LEuMIy44ZwLdVRSijEf2JIBFNcqTiMetDgvWgLlr6M1A_wBxcvEcJBoEjTbtDSTYYyiSMihe-JXwaeiyJaiwIPiBeQVy/s1600/IMG_4112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbL214ghsh7JBhBhFO7W6yzMJExyyKTIAfxxyaQU-Sen9E8fg1LEuMIy44ZwLdVRSijEf2JIBFNcqTiMetDgvWgLlr6M1A_wBxcvEcJBoEjTbtDSTYYyiSMihe-JXwaeiyJaiwIPiBeQVy/s320/IMG_4112.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here at Chab Dai, we wanted our first Bi-Annual Member Meeting of 2015 to be as joyful an occasion
as possible, so there was a photo booth on hand, ready with sequins and all manner
of fun props to pose with.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The day’s sessions began with a warm welcome from founder
and International Director, Helen, who also presented a 10-year timeline of
Chab Dai’s history, staff and national/international events over the last
decade (<a href="http://prezi.com/zgifgad3cy8g/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share">available
to view here</a>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZRoEOxo-a5k2A-5BPpqY4aeDFj6Llj3GzDZ1sOf0Q9uBDUmD9-HXiy2gbmvIi3dZ4yREH5iUz5vHwPZ01FNdeI1sKIzY4B23A97_F8Dec41Qkl19EBD-soiorMfwPLVTj3aNckFkz2Dq/s1600/IMG_5317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZRoEOxo-a5k2A-5BPpqY4aeDFj6Llj3GzDZ1sOf0Q9uBDUmD9-HXiy2gbmvIi3dZ4yREH5iUz5vHwPZ01FNdeI1sKIzY4B23A97_F8Dec41Qkl19EBD-soiorMfwPLVTj3aNckFkz2Dq/s320/IMG_5317.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s exciting to see
the expansion of Chab Dai. At the beginning it was mainly expats but today’s
meeting has many Khmer participants, which is great to see.” </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b>Sheila Reid, Advisor
for EFC</b></div>
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Next, Sue Taylor from <a href="http://hagarinternational.org/international/" target="_blank">Hagar</a> shared her
take on collaboration - everything from building professionalism together to
thinking about long-term, trauma-informed care - while Christa Sharpe of IJM counselled on the importance of stopping to celebrate our achievements, despite
the ongoing struggles we may face in the anti-trafficking field.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9CF4TKMAFA7HbyXAac77ducrINjZsUsYgTHTpycLNzIakFpVu2gEpeasGp6scW7VsIek_7k_dIvxI5RSrXqKPlymkT2pVorkLGoREI2XoH9Tzg5XbjSTwCc0xwk_I0xDvDYclGdNh2WL/s1600/cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9CF4TKMAFA7HbyXAac77ducrINjZsUsYgTHTpycLNzIakFpVu2gEpeasGp6scW7VsIek_7k_dIvxI5RSrXqKPlymkT2pVorkLGoREI2XoH9Tzg5XbjSTwCc0xwk_I0xDvDYclGdNh2WL/s320/cakes.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>Members were invited to add their thoughts to our
hand-themed comments board, while those who made it upstairs promptly for the
coffee break got first pick of the fantastic spread of Bloom cupcakes, complete
with a Chab Dai twist. Of course, networking is what Chab Dai is all about so
we couldn’t pass the opportunity for a session of speed-networking before lunch
as well.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">“I love the sense of community and working as part of a larger team,”</span> Ruth Larwill, Bloom</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
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The afternoon began with a strong performance from
theatrical group EPIC Arts, delivering a powerful message for society to see
ability, not disability.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PNFjTpqQ-rffShzVkqh0vJr3l1m61wxEBHC5sQLbWGXz98VexVpUqxx-O3KTcJw4dY62okJt2mSw3U3kLjhtynOAxICg3YzZYbjEoXsESCphOss5pvRkZhAsah3sRDH6mQ5WwtpbRwnf/s1600/CD_member_meeting_PP_2015+(23).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PNFjTpqQ-rffShzVkqh0vJr3l1m61wxEBHC5sQLbWGXz98VexVpUqxx-O3KTcJw4dY62okJt2mSw3U3kLjhtynOAxICg3YzZYbjEoXsESCphOss5pvRkZhAsah3sRDH6mQ5WwtpbRwnf/s320/CD_member_meeting_PP_2015+(23).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The theme for this part of the day was looking to the future. Vutha Hing from Cambodia Development Resource Institute gave an update on <a href="http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/tag/asean-economic-community/" target="_blank">the forthcoming ASEAN Economic Community</a>, while Helen took
the floor once more to talk about what economic integration will mean for the
Greater Mekong Sub-Region – and the trafficking issue. Many of our partners and members also gave updates on a diverse
range of subjects, from LGBT-Christian dialogues to new research on youth
access to pornography.</div>
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Reconvening for Day 2 of the Member Meeting, participants
were given a choice of workshops. I spent an informative few sessions learning
about the great migration-prevention training schemes run by<a href="http://www.samaritanspurse.org/donation-items/cambodia-projects/" target="_blank"> Samaritan’s Purse</a>, insightful research
on attitudes towards trafficking from within the church community by Sophorn Phong,
Hannah Sworn and Love 146’s Glenn Miles, and a look at the nuanced level of
care delivered to special needs survivors by ARM.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4YsZKAmEfqRs9lCRufRktIWNeFw1IrKDNlMXu8DbVr9sAvgtO0uWtG6phQI9-3oXOp8cJtb_5L7yvrGsl7fCu28uD0ReppJPkjnp_i2x_iqFWBzwfluGje524K0GcVL1PMggxnRfOfNr/s1600/IMG_4121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4YsZKAmEfqRs9lCRufRktIWNeFw1IrKDNlMXu8DbVr9sAvgtO0uWtG6phQI9-3oXOp8cJtb_5L7yvrGsl7fCu28uD0ReppJPkjnp_i2x_iqFWBzwfluGje524K0GcVL1PMggxnRfOfNr/s320/IMG_4121.JPG" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">“The more we share education and resources, the more we are effective…there are so many unique gifts here that I don’t have to be an expert on everything,”</span> Judy Norman, Mercy Medical Clinic</b><br />
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The two-day event managed to cover a good deal of lessons
learned from the past, with equal weight placed on <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/" target="_blank">what we’re looking forward to</a> and need to be ready for in the future – and a healthy dose of
celebration. So a big thank you to everyone who attended and here’s to the next ten years…!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea4ecdEkrcX22CuoAo_MIq2FXGs8e2aG2va4OF8H57AjPTYNdWyV0iV1C2S0p5ClydAdrtO9RchCNGyg7bw9hRrSQE5ZmNtXNzwKX8q59_xmCQS33uJ9unHCYsP_m2z7znPOf1D0G7-Yd/s1600/Member_Group_Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea4ecdEkrcX22CuoAo_MIq2FXGs8e2aG2va4OF8H57AjPTYNdWyV0iV1C2S0p5ClydAdrtO9RchCNGyg7bw9hRrSQE5ZmNtXNzwKX8q59_xmCQS33uJ9unHCYsP_m2z7znPOf1D0G7-Yd/s400/Member_Group_Photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-59247846591848213872015-04-30T19:52:00.000-07:002015-04-30T19:52:17.552-07:00 Will Cambodia’s domestic workers be celebrating this Labor Day?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwyH_-VAb-UerL_anAwkPvo0VzCU30Do_YWkI1pTQZ07CD0OMjEbxzAUg707wUhtrNJMMDmKhb44PAqpBAHyzsYk9y6_0pV54XL_6khcDU3NKECa-RMft16CVNNc1cSEIm2JdzfaSAkih/s1600/640px-Chennai_LabourStatue_Closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The Triumph of Labor" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwyH_-VAb-UerL_anAwkPvo0VzCU30Do_YWkI1pTQZ07CD0OMjEbxzAUg707wUhtrNJMMDmKhb44PAqpBAHyzsYk9y6_0pV54XL_6khcDU3NKECa-RMft16CVNNc1cSEIm2JdzfaSAkih/s1600/640px-Chennai_LabourStatue_Closeup.jpg" height="240" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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Not to be confused with the US Labor Day in September, International
Labor Day stems from the 19<sup>th</sup> century labor movement against long
hours and poor rates of pay, and the birth of trade unions in places like the
United States and United Kingdom. Today, International Labor Day means
celebrating and standing up for worker’s rights all over the world.</div>
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In Cambodia, working conditions are often unjust, badly paid
and can be abusive, and one sector where this is particularly prevalent is
domestic work. Those who work in housekeeping, cooking and cleaning claim they
are not <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/domestic-workers-push-protections">treated
like ‘real’ workers</a> under Cambodian law and have been struggling to have
their rights heard in recent years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add to this ongoing issues with human trafficking for labor
to other countries in Southeast Asia, notably for low-paid or near-slave-like
domestic work and there can be little to celebrate this Labor Day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Phnom Penh has seen big street campaigns for better working conditions
in the last few years, with some of the strongest protests coming from garment
workers, another sector notorious for poor conditions. But where does the Cambodian
domestic worker stand this May 1st?</div>
<br />
<h3>
Domestic issues in Cambodia</h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cambodia has yet to ratify <a href="http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/documents/genericdocument/wcms_208561.pdf">Convention
189 from the ILO</a>, which sets out minimum standards for the treatment of
domestic workers and would ensure better protection for Cambodian staff working
in Cambodia. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since 2012, the Cambodian Domestic Network (CDWN) - the
first union to protect the rights of domestic staff in the country – has been
working specifically with the government towards getting these international
standards met. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But stories continue to emerge of six or seven day weeks,
wages as low as $75 or even $50 a month and no provision for things like
maternity leave and childcare. Cambodia’s domestic workforce, the majority of
which constitutes women, are not given a fair deal. Moreover, living in with
their employers, many are left vulnerable to exploitation, isolation and sexual
abuse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoskTlpOwVH9Q0AZwl0LoWcrpG8gDhiqhyphenhyphenX7zTI5pqJk0-q8pBzsIRapUhOBO_Yo6ftoX58DjYD2LjQObRZEeWyrwvVKKAauMxPqVPAMZ3S85jCS0J4ji_mZpuXk5ajWhz7BhD1xyv-ceq/s1600/woman+cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="woman cooking " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoskTlpOwVH9Q0AZwl0LoWcrpG8gDhiqhyphenhyphenX7zTI5pqJk0-q8pBzsIRapUhOBO_Yo6ftoX58DjYD2LjQObRZEeWyrwvVKKAauMxPqVPAMZ3S85jCS0J4ji_mZpuXk5ajWhz7BhD1xyv-ceq/s1600/woman+cooking.jpg" height="240" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
Labor trafficking abroad</h3>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lack of protection for domestic workers in neighbouring
countries like Malaysia led the Cambodian government to ban the migration of
Cambodian domestic workers there in 2011. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, only this year, Chab Dai has dealt with a case of
domestic labor trafficking to Malaysia. A woman was told she could find work
as a hairdresser by an agency in Cambodia and that the company in Malaysia
would cover all her transport, visa and food costs upfront in exchange for her
first 3 months wages. When she arrived in Malaysia, she was actually sent to
work as a domestic worker, toiling from morning until midnight and often with
only one or two breaks for food.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunately, the woman’s parents reported this case to <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-years-of-chab-dai-staff-spotlight-on.html">the
Chab Dai Case Support Team</a> so that they could work with the Cambodian Embassy
to repatriate her. She now works as a kitchen hand in a rural province in
Cambodia. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is just one case we have been able to intervene with
and in this instance, we were able to secure a good resolution. Chab Dai
retains a close relationship with the Embassy in Malaysia, as well as others in
Thailand and China to deal with these illegal, cross-border migrations more
effectively.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as offices and businesses across the country – and the
globe - close for the public holiday this Friday, it’s likely that not all
domestic workers in Cambodia will be able to join with the celebrations, or get
their voices heard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_Labour#/media/File:Chennai_LabourStatue_Closeup.jpg">‘The
Triumph of Labor’</a> image by Rasnaboy, used under Creative Commons licence. Image
of woman cooking owned by Chab Dai.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-32077215840207946272015-04-26T18:37:00.000-07:002015-04-26T18:43:36.948-07:00Why collaboration works<div class="Standard" style="text-align: left;">
<i>We’ve been asking </i><a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/thoughts-from-chab-dai-members.html"><i>some
of the members who have joined our coalition</i></a><i> over the last decade to
share their thoughts on collaborating with Chab Dai. This week, Dale Edmonds of
Riverkids Foundation describes her journey and how Chab Dai has helped this
once-small NGO to grow…</i></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QNXYKWOOLbFndWBrghn7p2D_6n-6iqFNQgQ-Vrp6_Oz9FEO7aK_7a5IgYJncKLdejWWjKrCh7SR5n2CWh_69FaPDBLBzPMT0hczIB3wTPvZo0CqOfc3KZ3CZdVeldIfzeisLMYM2Lpxv/s1600/Riverkids+watermark+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QNXYKWOOLbFndWBrghn7p2D_6n-6iqFNQgQ-Vrp6_Oz9FEO7aK_7a5IgYJncKLdejWWjKrCh7SR5n2CWh_69FaPDBLBzPMT0hczIB3wTPvZo0CqOfc3KZ3CZdVeldIfzeisLMYM2Lpxv/s1600/Riverkids+watermark+2.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="Standard">
“When we started our small charity, Riverkids Foundation, in
Cambodia nearly a decade ago,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
we had a handful of staff, big ideas and dreams and a tiny
budget for about fifty children. Now we reach over six hundred children
directly each month, and we've worked with more than a thousand families at
risk of abusing and trafficking their children, including families where children
were sold to factories, forced marriages, paedophile rings by foreigners, gang
rapes, incest, infant deaths and worse.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
The families we work with are among the most difficult and
heartbreaking, with complex multi-generational dysfunction and complications of
addiction, deep poverty and discrimination. And yet we've managed to bring the
rate of trafficking in our families to less than 1%. Next month we will
formally graduate over twenty of our families as 'Jasmine Elephant' families
with a community celebration - this means that they have become so stable and
supportive of their children that they can now leave our programme and flourish
on their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Chab Dai helped us do that. While Chab Dai doesn't work
directly with families, they took a tiny new organisation and made us far
stronger by introducing us to other partner organisations with a shared vision
to protect children, providing free or very heavily subsidised training for our
social workers and staff, giving our managers and team leaders support and
encouragement that could only come from a trusted local partner, and even
funding very technical and specific programme gaps that were too difficult for
most donors to understand the need for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Chab Dai has created <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2012/06/invest-in-childsafe-holiday.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">a community
that cares for children in Cambodia</span></a> and supported us so<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
well - I think we would have closed at several points if it
hadn't been for the advice and help<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
you gave us. Without Chab Dai, there is no way we would be
capable of reaching so many<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
children.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
On a personal note, in my own journey to build a Cambodian
child protection charity <a href="http://www.riverkidsproject.org/about-us/our-mission/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">that truly
helps the children and families first,</span></a> some of the key lessons I've
learned have been from Chab Dai. From the importance of building a team of
staff who respect and value children's rights, to understanding how child
safety and privacy matters when fundraising - it's easy to exploit the vulnerable
children's stories for funding but we would lose their trust in us. I've also
found the value of gauging the real needs of the community through first-hand
research and using Chab Dai's wonderful in-house library of resources before
rolling out a programme.</div>
<div class="Standard">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisV0tccczEQ6pxBfQ0SoRhTzOg9p6wsx3kOoV59lz91wKtJd9vdZzVJr0R8MRqt-7PzufMTKLknlZG2F8c2-YyZrpVHJmNkpG2Y3iyYImovHeLs5mJlNdwGj4KDWl_hDx3AklBFucDAj0P/s1600/Dale+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisV0tccczEQ6pxBfQ0SoRhTzOg9p6wsx3kOoV59lz91wKtJd9vdZzVJr0R8MRqt-7PzufMTKLknlZG2F8c2-YyZrpVHJmNkpG2Y3iyYImovHeLs5mJlNdwGj4KDWl_hDx3AklBFucDAj0P/s1600/Dale+2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>And even more personally: when we first met, I hadn't been to
church since I was a child. Part<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
of my disillusionment was from the message that Christian
organisations cared more about converting than helping, and children going
hungry on the streets outside big brand-new church buildings in Cambodia didn't
help. But Helen and two other missionaries I met in Cambodia - women who worked
in the field building up communities and showing love and true charity to
everyone, not just the people who went to their church - spoke to me more
loudly than any sermon could.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
Dale Edmonds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://www.riverkidsproject.org/">www.RiverkidsProject.org</a></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="Standard">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="Standard">
<i>*Photographs used with the permission of Riverkids.</i></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-85530222966043983292015-04-13T18:51:00.001-07:002015-04-13T18:51:17.399-07:0010 years of Chab Dai – from Facilitator to National Director<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Continuing our series spotlighting
individuals who’ve helped the organisation grow in the last 10 years, this week we
talk to National Director and long-time staff member, Ros Yeng…</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAuSPiBCIiNxbtcbrMj4ZXocC8PrQepw3UBjrcZSLKCP810en_urisUYg2FbP48bTjPSJnvGME1lSrvZcjTOYGht7cT7s4o0R9VLaKGTlMqIKR9IR-qrtAxWd6GD7Hv_UjUzBk2cfipGw/s1600/Yeng+library.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAuSPiBCIiNxbtcbrMj4ZXocC8PrQepw3UBjrcZSLKCP810en_urisUYg2FbP48bTjPSJnvGME1lSrvZcjTOYGht7cT7s4o0R9VLaKGTlMqIKR9IR-qrtAxWd6GD7Hv_UjUzBk2cfipGw/s1600/Yeng+library.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Our story began back in 2005, and Ros Yeng was one of just
three members of staff at the time, sharing an office with World Hope
International (we now have a workforce of more than 40 at our independent
offices in Phnom Penh!). Having worked as a pastor and counsellor prior to Chab
Dai, Yeng was initially hired as a Facilitator and back then his role was
varied, planting the first seeds of Chab Dai’s prevention programmes out in the
provinces of Cambodia…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>The growth of human
trafficking prevention</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“When I started, I knew some friends working in the
church who didn't know how to help with the human trafficking issue - I went to
visit many pastors in Battambang, and only two of them knew about the issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">These pastors, they worked on Sunday at the church but
Monday to Friday, they had other jobs, working on their own business as a
tuktuk driver or a farmer. So they would sometimes take some boys from the
field, into the town to meet foreigners in a hotel and the foreigners gave them
a lot of money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">They didn't understand – perhaps they expected that
the foreigners love the kids, gave them some food or had a gift for the boys,
something like that. This is why I started to do prevention in those times.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The prevention project Yeng first started was called
the Church and Community programme, originally aimed at preventing child
trafficking by empowering community leaders to educate their communities, to
intervene with suspected cases of abuse like the above and to be able to support
survivors. </span><a href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chab Dai now run</span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> three
more comprehensive human trafficking prevention programs that have grown from
this - Safe Community, Ethnic Community and Community Heroes - Yeng sees these
as the ‘fruit’ of his early successes.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxsfnJY_auV87iM5Za3NLjImrww6cVQSTCQrz01vqu4n567JG0RFB7l23hmlu7CUrx1SI7MCRm4kAcokwTakdBB_MtN1P3hMi6OztUjTy5xBfR2TQ8D4P3LwArdaltx9TSI3PeEjWCEbY/s1600/2_60.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxsfnJY_auV87iM5Za3NLjImrww6cVQSTCQrz01vqu4n567JG0RFB7l23hmlu7CUrx1SI7MCRm4kAcokwTakdBB_MtN1P3hMi6OztUjTy5xBfR2TQ8D4P3LwArdaltx9TSI3PeEjWCEbY/s1600/2_60.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
<b>Networking at a National Level</b></h3>
<br />
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So how about his role now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Chab Dai is quite changed from the beginning – the
first four, five years, I was </span><a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/thoughts-from-chab-dai-members.html"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">working on coalition-building</span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, prevention, everything. Then in 2010, Helen [International
Director and Founder] handed the leadership of Chab Dai Cambodia over to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Now I work on organisation development, spending time
with the Steering Committee, to help support and guide the direction in which
Chab Dai is going. It's important that I work with the government as well –
with the National Committee to Lead the Suppression of Human Trafficking,
Smuggling, Labour Exploitation and Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yeng’s work has progressed from local to national
level in the last decade, and a large part of his current position involves
meeting with and educating the Cambodian government to </span><a href="https://asiafoundation.org/resources/pdfs/1CBtrafficking.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">promote the cause of anti human trafficking.</span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“We have built up a relationship from 2009 until now,
so we have gained the trust from the government
– they know we are focused on stopping human trafficking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After a whole decade working at Chab Dai, Yeng believes he is
fulfilling God's plan for him:<span class="apple-converted-space"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Standard">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“We have a passion to help the children, to help and
improve the local people. I believe that through Chab Dai, we are showing God's
love to bring justice and empowerment to communities.'<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>If you want to hear more about Yeng's work, he will be speaking at the <a href="http://thejusticeconferenceasia.com/speakers-artists/" target="_blank">Justice Conference Asia</a> later this month (April 30 - May 2). L</i></span><i>eave us a
comment below or tweet us your thoughts @chabdai using the hashtag
#10yearsofChabDai.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-69832910115304864382015-04-02T19:54:00.000-07:002015-04-02T19:58:08.199-07:00The frontline of human trafficking aftercare: training for members<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FWFiO7ErF-F_EkAs5WJhkA-cWhJYYLUO9FJ4KejqBnj9yxGpWPjdpYHSBALbsgTFlW-LwDjZ6dvORGBoKQuNmp15GUuhNWOBAaKP4PSya_7l7GDx773l9M2EV3OYrLSGSr3H5qkUd0PF/s1600/DSCF2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0FWFiO7ErF-F_EkAs5WJhkA-cWhJYYLUO9FJ4KejqBnj9yxGpWPjdpYHSBALbsgTFlW-LwDjZ6dvORGBoKQuNmp15GUuhNWOBAaKP4PSya_7l7GDx773l9M2EV3OYrLSGSr3H5qkUd0PF/s1600/DSCF2521.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, I was lucky enough to attend a session
aimed at frontline and administrative staff working in human trafficking, giving
me a good idea of the kind of training that the Chab Dai coalition offers its
member NGOs. Led by paediatrician, health consultant and <a href="http://gorelentless.org/">founder of Relentless</a>, Dr Katherine Welch,
the one-day "Essential Health Components of an Aftercare Assistance
Program" Workshop covered common issues facing professionals working
to support those affected by human trafficking and abuse.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Understanding the key
issues</span></b></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The morning session was spent identifying those common
issues, discussing best practices such as ‘universal precautions’ to do with
hygiene and patient care, confidentiality and recording medical information. As
many of the participants I met work in environments such as shelters and
re-training centres and are used to meeting with vulnerable, injured and
distressed clients, Dr Welch talked through the importance of seeing beyond
physical symptoms to the root mental causes they might suggest. There was even advice on advocacy - on how to assert patient rights and challenge
medical practitioners if necessary.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>“You learned from the health training with Dr
Katherine. She took an interest in the topics and shared them well…thank you
for having this kind of practical workshop” </b>Chandra Chap, </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.goh.org.tw/english/">Garden of Hope Foundation</a> - Pleroma Home for Girls </span></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdITQ2-TvOW2gOSErg8PaVgbxI2b224YrEb4UtOihMHr605s4t28ScRt4T4wfFniTUYPoqJAKvyZFWXGRh01xSwWe7lsy2BU9c-n4q1Cflty0Wo2vUsR_ot1ZafMova4mIwl-xK0uU2LU/s1600/DSCF2571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdITQ2-TvOW2gOSErg8PaVgbxI2b224YrEb4UtOihMHr605s4t28ScRt4T4wfFniTUYPoqJAKvyZFWXGRh01xSwWe7lsy2BU9c-n4q1Cflty0Wo2vUsR_ot1ZafMova4mIwl-xK0uU2LU/s1600/DSCF2571.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b>The tools to fight
human trafficking</b></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After lunch, it was time to drill down to more practical
tips and tools to take away. The longer term continuity of care - what
hospital, counselling and family planning services a client may need access to
– was discussed, as well as everyday challenges that are not always obvious,
such as client awareness of basic meal-planning and nutrition.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The day ended with a look at some example case studies. Participants
split into groups to discuss what their responses would be in the face of
certain scenarios, from attempted suicide to re-integration and sexual
harassment.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Supporting each other
in the field</span></b></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The response to the training session on the day was really
positive and everyone I spoke with seemed to be on the same page when it came
to sensitive, case-by-case handling of their work. Participants also had the chance to give feedback and make suggestions for future workshops.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Working in Communications, I don’t have direct experience of
what working in anti human trafficking actually means for care workers, nurses,
residential managers and other frontline staff. But as the session ended, I
felt I had gained a real insight into the day-to-day questions that arise from
aftercare, how every precaution must be taken and every consideration to the
client’s situation, history and feelings must be made.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALILj0KF8CfXd6LpzLRxvFhUPmQgG3YoZNICnvA8c77j15pFAWdgcNlt_VJ7BeSbeqmPyy7hTFymcImwURpiB-opHkLvrXVibh_maLQDzhJQ2uTY-5gf8UcPPBdPVpL8UV4W_BTcGIhLN/s1600/DSCF2559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALILj0KF8CfXd6LpzLRxvFhUPmQgG3YoZNICnvA8c77j15pFAWdgcNlt_VJ7BeSbeqmPyy7hTFymcImwURpiB-opHkLvrXVibh_maLQDzhJQ2uTY-5gf8UcPPBdPVpL8UV4W_BTcGIhLN/s1600/DSCF2559.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It seemed to me that training like this is incredibly
valuable to those who do work in this often harrowing field, not only for
sharing knowledge and experience, but for supporting each other to carry on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"Katherine was so
knowledgeable in the area which was really helpful, and it was good having
medical practitioners from Phnom Penh as well, to give local advice. The
training was just what I needed." </b>Ellen Wood, <a href="http://agapewebsite.org/">Agape
International Missions</a>.</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-80809686317514556472015-03-26T20:04:00.000-07:002015-03-26T20:04:18.012-07:00Thoughts from Chab Dai members<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIM5cirjq_hF-aLxJaTMLMhrHz9gJPVCLA1yEws0kpvXksgxfF0YHsjyp2AzAx7w-7XCqKftEq6DWPh8kdC0HtqiV_UflurY3XipqjCo7wwYdVecKUjOM4DGaRNaiTCf7mL6N1RLd3BMH/s1600/IMG_8525-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIM5cirjq_hF-aLxJaTMLMhrHz9gJPVCLA1yEws0kpvXksgxfF0YHsjyp2AzAx7w-7XCqKftEq6DWPh8kdC0HtqiV_UflurY3XipqjCo7wwYdVecKUjOM4DGaRNaiTCf7mL6N1RLd3BMH/s1600/IMG_8525-2.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a>2015 is <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/10-years-of-chab-dai-staff-spotlight-on.html" target="_blank">a special year for us</a>, so we wanted to use this opportunity to ask some of our member organisations how they feel
about being a part of the Chab Dai coalition, and how collaboration with NGOs
here in Cambodia has helped them in their area of focus.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB">Some of our members work in legal
support, some in psycho-social aftercare, others are human trafficking
prevention organisations, working to raise awareness of the issue. All are
joined by a common bond of Christian fellowship and share in our vision to
connect, generate and share knowledge, advocate for change and bring an end to
human trafficking and abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB">Here are just a few of their thoughts…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">Supporting
grassroots organisations</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB">One thing that Chab Dai champions is
providing small-scale NGOs with the necessary training and capacity to grow.
Jesse from <a href="http://www.childreninfamilies.org/" target="_blank">foster care organisation</a>, Children in Families (one of our early
members), explains their experience of our programs:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB"> 'Children
in Families is a local organisation that focuses on placing orphans and
vulnerable children in loving local families in Cambodia. We are a small
organisation with a developing staff that is taking on a major problem in the
country. For several years Chab Dai has been invaluable in providing
training and support for the staff of our organisation. We have benefited
from trainings focused on developing the internal structure of organisation,
social work trainings, and general trainings oriented towards building our
staff. There have been many challenges in creating and growing this small
non-profit in context of Cambodia, and Chab Dai has helped us to navigate many
of these hurdles.’</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoSrmUy_nnYDW3h-DjDw5VJnlYv0k-g4rO7ESHo44n3oIa0tmSGQJN0FA0PcTEBWAqhU2ZK6h4XLQbN6RkAZ2YaMiTB4Qkjd1FVw7hsSh7qBAPx_lH_fUNF82ZZy7gbWSXp86rbdWEvq3/s1600/all+hands+b&w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyoSrmUy_nnYDW3h-DjDw5VJnlYv0k-g4rO7ESHo44n3oIa0tmSGQJN0FA0PcTEBWAqhU2ZK6h4XLQbN6RkAZ2YaMiTB4Qkjd1FVw7hsSh7qBAPx_lH_fUNF82ZZy7gbWSXp86rbdWEvq3/s1600/all+hands+b&w.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><b><span lang="EN-GB">The
power of collaboration</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="Standard">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">AusCam
Freedom Project is <a href="http://www.auscamfreedomproject.org/" target="_blank">dedicated to empowering those affected by abuse</a> and
educating the wider community in order to prevent human trafficking, violence
against women and harmful cultural attitudes. Here, Julie Dowse, Founder &
Director explains what membership of Chab Dai has meant for AusCam:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Cambodia is a country with a large
number of NGO’s - both local and international - with a mission to fight the
trafficking and exploitation of men, women and children. My early experiences
in Cambodia showed me that many organisations were operating as lone rangers
with limited partnerships and collaborative work. I soon learnt that the
primary motives of this were due to the ‘fight for the donor dollar’ which I
found very disturbing. I was very relieved when I found out about the coalition
formed at Chab Dai to provide a platform for a unified approach to our work and
to enable partnerships to develop, forums to discuss the challenges in
particular areas of work, training, research, accountability and conferences. I
have found all of these opportunities incredibly important in the running of
our organisation, including the support needed for our local staff.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB">Education Advisor at Heart of Hope,
Colleen Briggs also strongly believes in connectivity to succeed in the
anti-trafficking movement. <a href="http://iteams.org/wws/wws/cambodia-heart-of-hope/" target="_blank">Ministering to exploited and at-risk children</a> for 7
years, she told us:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
“I sincerely believe that had God not connected us to Chab Dai we would not
have been able to serve these children. We would not have known how to
teach the children about the dangers of trafficking nor would we have been able
to make the connections to other NGOs that have been so vital to us. In
one case we were connected with a legal aid NGO who helped us work with the
police and saw an arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of a perpetrator in the
community. The children in the community now have a school and the families
have a place to come to when they need a referral or assistance. Chab Dai
has been a valuable guide and partner in most aspects of our program.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span lang="EN-GB">To
find out more about becoming a Chab Dai member, follow the link to </span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.chabdai.org/memberrequirements.html"><i>our main website</i></a><i> for more information and to read about our current projects.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-17454808620910912722015-03-21T03:44:00.000-07:002015-03-21T04:00:56.766-07:0010 years of Chab Dai - Our women leaders<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHPy9mgu_aY2_vhvt33ppaOACrigWCBxM7Swxmm4vTS6iQ2bD3yLSEB3iKXm2TkvF-wWfn0o0e2QOfRLSyFea8hD2TEWL_7-fX58OOlNcjM8SARsbtrP9yPD7iK1_00UaduQ2OJH5wskX/s1600/Muylen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHPy9mgu_aY2_vhvt33ppaOACrigWCBxM7Swxmm4vTS6iQ2bD3yLSEB3iKXm2TkvF-wWfn0o0e2QOfRLSyFea8hD2TEWL_7-fX58OOlNcjM8SARsbtrP9yPD7iK1_00UaduQ2OJH5wskX/s1600/Muylen.jpg" height="320" width="266" /></a><i><span lang="EN-GB">In
the week that <a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/michelle-obama-to-visit-cambodia-talk-education-for-girls/2688065.html">Cambodia welcomes First Lady Michelle Obama</a> and her ‘Let Girls
Learn’ education project, we could do no better than reflecting on our own women
leaders within Chab Dai. Here, we talk to Finance & Operations Director
Orng Muylen, about her experience at Chab Dai and opportunities for women in
Cambodia today.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">After an internship at World Vision, Muylen
joined Chab Dai in 2007, during her second year studying Accountancy at Phnom
Penh International University. She later gained her Masters of Finance from the
National University of Management, and quickly progressed from administrator to
director within 5 years, now responsible for the Finance department in Chab Dai
Coalition Cambodia, monitoring finances for <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/intlprojects.html">Chab Dai overseas</a> and overseeing
operations in the organization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As the first woman in her family to attend
university, Muylen’s story is an encouraging one, though she told me this has
meant many challenges along the way:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“In Cambodian culture, as in many parts of
the world, men’s opinions are often respected more than women’s, whether they
are right or not. If women are strong, it is said that our head is ruled by our
heart, like we don't have respect. I feel like it is not appropriate for this attitude
in the workplace or in society. We need to respect each other’s opinions,
regardless of the person’s gender.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“But I feel proud that I am the one
daughter in my family that has studied at university and I can live in Phnom
Penh by myself. Now I am confident about this and that's why I think women can
do anything they set their mind to.”</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1WTM3IUbGDo4gB1VaQj8_SAiScs1HGN-zLYqKD51KtrZo739q3p0ewBhKmLKZoMqISdrinpT6RfkSmlBI99kTnyQwA5NrADGKzHRR1a47xB-kPlH-SDbJheOPmdHEg89lBOsiKJi6eDJ/s1600/IMG_8255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1WTM3IUbGDo4gB1VaQj8_SAiScs1HGN-zLYqKD51KtrZo739q3p0ewBhKmLKZoMqISdrinpT6RfkSmlBI99kTnyQwA5NrADGKzHRR1a47xB-kPlH-SDbJheOPmdHEg89lBOsiKJi6eDJ/s1600/IMG_8255.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">Signs of change in Cambodia</span></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 284.25pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 284.25pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\laura1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">With or without Michelle Obama’s historical
visit (the only time an incumbent US First Lady has come to Cambodia), <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2015/03/marking-international-womens-day-gender.html">gender
is an issue firmly on the agenda in Cambodia right now</a> and even in Muylen’s
home province of Kampong Thom, she sees signs of change:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I think that, like with the Cambodia
culture, in my community they thought that if they talk about human trafficking
or rape, that is not a good word to say. Especially for the woman, they feel
shame or that it's not appropriate to talk about sexual matters.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But right now, it's not like that. Everybody
can say and can report, it's better than not saying, better to talk to the
police. Right now, we can talk about what is true.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Muylen also spoke with great enthusiasm
about <a href="http://thefieldcollaborative.com/" target="_blank">development agency The FIELD Collaborative's</a> recent training program, 'The
Seeds of Leadership' which she attended in February 2015.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Over three days of training and dialogue,
'Seeds of Leadership' aimed to increase capacity-building amongst working women
in Cambodia through four tier focuses – self-improvement, leading a team,
influencing your organisation and training other leaders. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Speaking on the FIELD Collaborative blog,
Vice President Karen Petersen found much to inspire in the women who contribute
to today's Cambodian workforce:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">‘In the bustling, often chaotic capital of
Phnom Penh, we are visiting several NGO’s to gain insight into the work they
are doing and meet with those who are bringing change to the gender imbalance
here. We have met wonderful, courageous women leaders who work in project
management, operations, finance, education, legal advocacy, social work and
research.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">'<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Looking
to the future, Muylen’s thoughts are overwhelmingly positive, not only in working towards ending human trafficking, but for the future of women, equality and Cambodia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">“I have
never before experienced the joy and satisfaction that I now have in my work. I
am grateful that God has called me here, and I have great confidence in his
plan for my life. I think that I have a golden chance to serve God by helping
vulnerable women see that they have the same worth as men.”*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">*(Taken from Orng. M., '<a href="http://cbe1.datafiredev.com/resources/washed-clean"><span style="color: windowtext;">Washed Clean'</span></a>, Issue: Autumn 2013,
Mutuality magazine, Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE))<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-33408501701162653512015-03-16T03:45:00.000-07:002015-03-21T04:11:47.079-07:0010 years of Chab Dai - Spotlight on Chan Saron<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i>As we approach our 10 year anniversary as an organisation
working towards ending human trafficking, we want to recognise the teams and
individuals who have made us who we are today. This week, we focus on Chan
Saron, Justice and Client Care Program Manager.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8WycLC73D8hcLf3ZK9MzqQfx0te_BM-jofgoxEzxteYzbv82DMIW5IAWlG9AzF8hIc1ThxNwyXFslUCs1MWZNPU7JISClVJYfSFS6N26iqKcasIWgqt2wkBxvbKriThYXkFE7QZiGoGS/s1600/Saron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chan Saron" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8WycLC73D8hcLf3ZK9MzqQfx0te_BM-jofgoxEzxteYzbv82DMIW5IAWlG9AzF8hIc1ThxNwyXFslUCs1MWZNPU7JISClVJYfSFS6N26iqKcasIWgqt2wkBxvbKriThYXkFE7QZiGoGS/s1600/Saron.jpg" height="320" title="" width="287" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Saron has worked for Chab Dai since 2008, having previously
worked as a pastor<b> </b>in<b> </b>Sihanoukville
and Phnom Penh. Initially a trainer in Chab Dai's Urban Prevention
Project, Saron saw the birth of <a href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html">the Case Support Project</a>,
which began in 2011 as a first response to anyone who needs to report a case of
trafficking or abuse. From finding a shelter to briefing families on court
procedures and following-up with community leaders, Case Support coordinates
referrals and provides practical support for clients.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Before when we had the case team, we would refer to another
organisation. However, as we received [approx] 100 cases a year, we found the organisations
already had many cases to handle. So when we started Case Support in 2011, we
divided into two teams – social work and
the prosecution follow-up teams. I am responsible for both teams; for managing
all the cases.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
Cross-border trafficking cases</h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Case Support works a lot with local communities here in
Cambodia, but 2014 saw the team continue to strengthen cross-border relations
with many countries, including travelling to China in response to <a href="https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/promises-of-marriage-in-china-turn-to-nightmare-53136/">increasing
numbers of forced marriage cases</a> involving Cambodian women. Saron spoke of
the unique challenges here:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When we're dealing with overseas cases, there are often too
few dedicated staff. What we need is someone working directly with the
survivors. There is a gap for a coordinating organization between the
survivors, the local Chinese authority, Cambodian embassy in China and
government institutions and NGOs in Cambodia.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though these challenges are ongoing, there have been some
more positive outcomes from these cases:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This year, we had a complaint from a woman who said that
her daughter was sold by a broker to China. The broker promised that her
daughter would go to Singapore to work, but when the mother allowed her
daughter to go with [him], he sold her to China for forced marriage. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Meanwhile, the mother travelled from their home town to
Phnom Penh, and sat near to another two young girls, asking them: 'Where are
you going?' So [the girl said] 'to work
in Singapore' and when she asked the girl how, the two girls said 'I am going
with this man who will get me a job'. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The story was similar to her daughter’s, so she reported
this to Chab Dai and when I reported this to the police, we assisted in the
rescue of two girls and the arrest of the broker in Phnom Penh. After, the
woman went back and related the story to the community.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To stop it happening again? I ask Saron. “Yes, to stop it
happening again.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therein lies the key to what Chab Dai is all about – asking
the question how can human trafficking be prevented<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">,</span>
as much as thinking about aftercare.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsaaZq0XLsx_vOjZH9aa-njIaaMoUeH_wNiyg960g0Zs55_CYPw366ua41Cp4cKDAOLiQT8Fm3cBCVcm4ODrOxKloUzI4EwwDj7PcPZIcHL3yB1UCbv4BpLBsXCO2rAGWoF8eOd-8f6Xh/s1600/helpcards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Helpcards from Chab Dai" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsaaZq0XLsx_vOjZH9aa-njIaaMoUeH_wNiyg960g0Zs55_CYPw366ua41Cp4cKDAOLiQT8Fm3cBCVcm4ODrOxKloUzI4EwwDj7PcPZIcHL3yB1UCbv4BpLBsXCO2rAGWoF8eOd-8f6Xh/s1600/helpcards.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a>
How has Chab Dai made a difference?</h3>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So how does Saron think Chab Dai has made
an impact on the way human trafficking is handled in Cambodia in the last decade?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We have already worked with the [Ministry of Interior]
Department of Human Trafficking for three years - at first, [it was] hard. I
think that through collaboration, this has now changed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Before, Cambodian police didn't have much training about
this issue, only police at the top level. But the people who work directly with
the case are the local police. So when we work with them, we always try to
educate them. We also explain to them that you cannot handle a criminal case
without filing a complaint to the court.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“[Chab Dai] also attends meetings at national level so our
work with <a href="http://www.no-trafficking.org/cambodia.html">UNIAP</a>
[United Nations Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking] is very important.
Cambodia is a member of a committee of countries along the Mekong River, like
China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, <a href="http://www.no-trafficking.org/commit.html">(COMMIT)</a>, so we're working
together to combat human trafficking. We work to advocate for policy change, so
if we have something that is not good, we will [raise] our concerns. They have
the power to change the policy, and if we don't have the right policy, how can
we protect the child?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, I ask, what makes Saron carry on working in this
challenging field?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I saw many Cambodian people, especially the poor, who had
been abused by another person or had suffered injustice in Cambodian society.
So I thought I should do something for the people, if I have the ability to.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"When I worked in the community as a pastor, the people
around me were always coming to me, but<br />
I did not know how to help them - I asked
them to file a complaint to police, but when they went to the police, they
didn't get any help. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"So it's this kind of problem that pushes me to work in Chab
Dai; because Chab Dai can complete my vision. Finally, Cambodian society can
have justice. Not all, but some parts can see justice.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-47187686371713758062015-03-06T00:35:00.002-08:002015-03-20T01:24:05.937-07:00Marking International Women's Day: Gender equality in Cambodia<i>By Kristina Novak and Laura Gavin.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNtlP177EKTpXGpyrI48b64bZdo3Wt36sQgy_8B1PZOmfouyKEHo1FuUJgJ6vYb2jZE2hJ2LlPfdQ_KGF6DWU4oUWqYWElekLS6crVO5SYAvnW09rxR-UCCgORPyGMmDp3petbuktsGoi/s1600/dsc_0281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="International Women's Day" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRNtlP177EKTpXGpyrI48b64bZdo3Wt36sQgy_8B1PZOmfouyKEHo1FuUJgJ6vYb2jZE2hJ2LlPfdQ_KGF6DWU4oUWqYWElekLS6crVO5SYAvnW09rxR-UCCgORPyGMmDp3petbuktsGoi/s1600/dsc_0281.jpg" height="320" title="International Women's Day" width="212" /></a>As our 10-year
anniversary approaches here at Chab Dai, we've been looking back at
human rights issues and asking ourselves what has changed, what has
been challenged and what has improved in this time.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To coincide with
International Women's Day on Sunday March 8<sup>th</sup>, as well as
campaigns like the UN's #HeForShe movement, we decided to take a
closer look at gender equality in Cambodia.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At Chab Dai, <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><a class="western" href="http://www.chabdai.org/cambodiaprojects.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">we're
constantly working towards best practice</span></a></span></span>
with our members and stakeholders on this issue, addressing gender-based exploitation and discrimination within a human
rights framework.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But how has gender
equality moved forward since we opened our first office in 2005?</div>
<br />
<h3>
Women's rights and
Cambodian culture</h3>
<br />
Since ratifying CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women) back in 1992 and the Optional Protocol in 2011, Cambodia has adopted an
official commitment to women’s rights. However, we still have a
long way to go to see these rights in practice.
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Women in this country
still face centuries-old cultural norms stemming from the <i>Chrab
Srey </i>moral code, one that dictates they should always respect the
decisions of men, whether right or wrong.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://www.unwomen-eseasia.org/docs/factsheets/01%20CAMBODIA%20factsheet.pdf">UN
Women report stated that</a></u></span></span> 'Women, who make up
more than half the population, constitute the majority of the poor',
while the Global Gender Gap report for 2014 ranked Cambodia at number
108 in the world – the lowest of the South-East Asian nations –
on criteria such as education, economic participation and work
opportunities.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
With domestic violence
against women also on the rise in recent years, we still face
challenges in gender equality here, in the younger generations as
well as the older.</div>
<br />
<h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0bBo6FWnGiJAEMGGQyADOiUtXjlAAXdtetz1JuPJwbSTs0HZXmmmWXlpxNAwZqd-Wc2EfAbS8kSQCFIPAxHB26dq8om_0yZb22SMcgaILtXMX0DqVGp3BA1bd_8J0Bn6-rqgWkiGGkOX/s1600/couple+Cambodia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Young couple, Cambodia" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0bBo6FWnGiJAEMGGQyADOiUtXjlAAXdtetz1JuPJwbSTs0HZXmmmWXlpxNAwZqd-Wc2EfAbS8kSQCFIPAxHB26dq8om_0yZb22SMcgaILtXMX0DqVGp3BA1bd_8J0Bn6-rqgWkiGGkOX/s1600/couple+Cambodia.jpg" height="213" title="Young couple, Cambodia" width="320" /></a>The next generation and gender equality</h3>
<br />
With around 50% of the
country's population under the age of 25, it's important that the
next generation is well-informed about gender equality. However,
studies like <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://soprach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/love_sexual_relationships_valentine_quan_study-14_eng.pdf">Tong
Soprach's 5-year longitudinal research on young people and
Valentine's Day</a></u></span></span> have shown that many have an
unhealthy, and even dangerous approach to relationships between men
and women.
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Soprach's research
showed that a large percentage of young men intended to have sex –
consensual or not – on Valentine's Day, year on year. Though this
decreased over time, it is an alarming dichotomy that instances of
rape should occur on this day in February, mere weeks before we
celebrate the empowerment of women on International Women's Day.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Once again, it's
knowledge which could be part of the answer to changing these kind of
attitudes towards gender.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbp7iSmYSHwRpjIZhyPADPXb558qYY1WypIWE0CtZXrkmUfl5zROO6UFJTGmb2wsTSsISCY3IamQbAJewQznn4QqpRhP5jVtesy7fnSiVFcnD-IrtqSh2RDEKbDoUw3tuqRqhSkwYAZmIk/s1600/Orng+Muylen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbp7iSmYSHwRpjIZhyPADPXb558qYY1WypIWE0CtZXrkmUfl5zROO6UFJTGmb2wsTSsISCY3IamQbAJewQznn4QqpRhP5jVtesy7fnSiVFcnD-IrtqSh2RDEKbDoUw3tuqRqhSkwYAZmIk/s1600/Orng+Muylen.JPG" height="320" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orng Muylen, Chab Dai Finance Director</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
Empowering women in
Cambodia</h3>
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Knowledge-sharing is
one of our key prevention tools in the fight to stop human
trafficking, and much of Chab Dai's training with communities
addresses related issues like exploitation of women, and educating
people on the value of women and children. We are also currently
working on a dedicated gender inclusion policy, and many of our
project managers and senior staff are women, including Finance &
Operations Director, Orng Muylen.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On a more national
level, women are becoming more prominent in politics, with the
election of the first female Deputy Prime Minister, and an increase
of nearly 10% in the number of women elected to parliament between
2003 and 2008.<b> </b>And in 2014, LICADHO made a report wherein
women were not only classified as victims, but as protagonists:
<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="https://www.licadho-cambodia.org/reports/files/200LICADHOReportGoodWivesFemaleActivism2014-English.pdf%20">'Women
Land Campaigners and the Impact of Human Rights Activism</a>'</u></span></span>
following women dealing with land conflicts.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The report also
emphasised how this issue has been changing the attitudes of the
women themselves: 'Our tradition says we should listen to our
husbands. I decided to choose the community and continue with my
activism'.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
So as we reach our
landmark anniversary and look forward to the next 10 years at Chab
Dai, it's great to hear such stories of hope. As Muylen affirms:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>'We
are women, we do not work or follow what men are asking us...we need
to stand up for what we have to do. We stand up for ourselves, we
have a value, we are people just the same – if men can do
something, we can do the same.'</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Image of couple by
</i><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a class="western" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cambodian_Couple_at_Angkor_Wat.jpg"><i>Gunawan
Kartapranata</i></a></u></span></span><i> used under Creative Commons
licence. All other images provided by Chab Dai.</i></div>
Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01338163550752327508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-11685327207999916752014-12-03T23:36:00.002-08:002014-12-03T23:37:00.470-08:00Rise of the Corporate by Guest Blogger Diane Wilkinson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our latest GUEST BLOG from Diane Wilkinson, National Freedom Network, South Africa<br />
<br />
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<b><u>Rise of the Corporate<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-tIpeCtx11XkpzJvPoiybJnL9MqRRvb2EcyigrJYK3WtRV46b96Tlo5AZ3zeDQB_2TXmdu_v1pS2MxUPuRQBl4xz4Q-qPxXlPdQkMblwDW9mKRzMfZAMFfPOEqu6ZHVypdLQgQExSppV/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-tIpeCtx11XkpzJvPoiybJnL9MqRRvb2EcyigrJYK3WtRV46b96Tlo5AZ3zeDQB_2TXmdu_v1pS2MxUPuRQBl4xz4Q-qPxXlPdQkMblwDW9mKRzMfZAMFfPOEqu6ZHVypdLQgQExSppV/s1600/logo.png" height="35" width="400" /></a>As a South African network of actors and stakeholders, we
have seen all sorts of people emerge with a desire to somehow get involved in counter-human
trafficking. These include individuals and organizations who want to spread awareness,
social clubs, church ministries who reach out to those working in prostitution
and strip clubs (we even have a team working with pimps, some of whom have been
trafficked themselves), government representatives, supporters of existing
programs and volunteers who naively wish to ‘break down brothel doors and
rescue girls’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year, though, has seen the rise of another role player
in South Africa. All of a sudden, as if on some silent cue, there has been a
burst of interest from corporate actors wanting to know more about the issue and
how they can get involved - beyond just handing over a nice big cheque.<o:p></o:p></div>
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LexisNexis were, to our knowledge, the first corporate actor
to really step up to the challenge in South Africa and take counter-trafficking
on as their Corporate Social Investment initiative, setting the standard high
for corporate involvement. A bold step, but over the past few years they have
been amazing not only with raising funds for their designated Anti Human
Trafficking Fund to help support various network partners across South Africa,
but also by using their position to make available human trafficking
information, including creating their Human Trafficking Awareness Index <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(</span><a href="http://www.lexisnexis.co.za/pdf/LexisNexis-Human-Trafficking-Index.pdf">http://www.lexisnexis.co.za/pdf/LexisNexis-Human-Trafficking-Index.pdf</a></span>). What followed was a succession of corporate actors following the example set
by LexisNexis and offering their own unique and valuable support.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkllXewtjNhuvFT7tVh29W7s8bqkbh8HBt1u8LIQuKcER2_FM-nBUFZOyVV9NEtXOW-HsFDpnuHYGH6bptj4jyM-aAABbufSnur39LEKXqE67nOUVrAh6Olip2EwvPY1tyH9cNBtkpf65/s1600/nielsen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkllXewtjNhuvFT7tVh29W7s8bqkbh8HBt1u8LIQuKcER2_FM-nBUFZOyVV9NEtXOW-HsFDpnuHYGH6bptj4jyM-aAABbufSnur39LEKXqE67nOUVrAh6Olip2EwvPY1tyH9cNBtkpf65/s1600/nielsen.jpg" height="129" width="200" /></a>Nielsen Cares (the social responsibility team of Nielsen SA)
sponsored a set of our Story Board banners that showcase local South African
stories of human trafficking, which we were then able to donate to the Kwa-Zulu
Natal network for use by partners in their awareness events and campaigns. It’s
wonderful to be able to use local resources with real “homegrown” stories to
show that this is not just an issue happening ‘out there’ in Eastern Europe and
South East Asia, but also right here in South Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qcHat9fgfFMsX06CoXFvD67SWvoZ1fCDPR1f0pqMbxlGE0xTo2RCNOQg-PBJp-4tX8uMp30AQ08XYFw4J_FlIhdiKmOX-tomf-NQmx4ckIr1KXrq4PeE2XcTfNvrr8vNBADKVI6_yZP3/s1600/Thomson-Reuters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qcHat9fgfFMsX06CoXFvD67SWvoZ1fCDPR1f0pqMbxlGE0xTo2RCNOQg-PBJp-4tX8uMp30AQ08XYFw4J_FlIhdiKmOX-tomf-NQmx4ckIr1KXrq4PeE2XcTfNvrr8vNBADKVI6_yZP3/s1600/Thomson-Reuters.jpg" height="129" width="200" /></a>The Thomson Reuters Foundation generously offered free legal
advice to any of the registered NGOs in the network, and they also hosted a
live streaming of London’s annual Trust Women conference (focusing on female
economic empowerment and anti-human trafficking) here in Johannesburg, which network
partners were able to attend for free. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLtYV8r8lvR94_s_bYXDDBHtd-Jk2Hzpk386m1XzXMypoX4IhyTKCbss0YKy8wFdEln0W_XaEv1jAWH-UefmPrqw-xPMe5S1byq8nOKmtb8yxadjwPB7RL9duI6Oyl8dVLO9wTw-EGGCK/s1600/NFN+Story+Board+banners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLtYV8r8lvR94_s_bYXDDBHtd-Jk2Hzpk386m1XzXMypoX4IhyTKCbss0YKy8wFdEln0W_XaEv1jAWH-UefmPrqw-xPMe5S1byq8nOKmtb8yxadjwPB7RL9duI6Oyl8dVLO9wTw-EGGCK/s1600/NFN+Story+Board+banners.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>Production company MoviWorld created a 60 second PSA for us
and one of our network partners that is now available for all network partners
to use across South Africa. Trigger warning for survivors: you can watch Ruby’s
Story here. <span style="background-color: white;">(<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRGLfXoEZoQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRGLfXoEZoQ</a></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> )</span></span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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The latest offering has come from advertising company Ad OutPost,
who have offered us billboards and other outdoor media space to create
awareness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For us here in South Africa, these initiatives represent a
big step forward and we are grateful to each of these companies for caring,
sharing and supporting the cause. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Diane Wilkinson</div>
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Network Coordinator & Gauteng Provincial Networker</div>
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<b>National Freedom Network</b></div>
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Operations Manager</div>
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<b>Project Tshireletso</b></div>
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<b></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.nationalfreedomnetwork.co.za/">www.nationalfreedomnetwork.co.za</a> </div>
</div>
Helen Swornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500199854642252212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-44041408949658029862014-11-21T00:11:00.000-08:002014-11-21T10:59:29.791-08:00Retracing the Vision<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am still learning that the journey of life and vision passes in seasons.. Sometimes the sun shines and other times it's hard to see a way through the darkness.</div>
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My most recent season has certainly consisted of more darkness than sunshine and a friend reminded me the importance of reflecting on the beginning of the vision to remember the start of the journey and why I took this path.</div>
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Last month we had the delight of having our daughter visit from university. While she was here we had a sort out (one of the things my kids dread about me entering their rooms!) and she decided to clear out some of her childhood soft toys. While she was sorting them, she was explaining to me the ones that she would never get rid of as they had significant emotional memories and attachment.</div>
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As she was pulling them out of the bag, she set aside the ones she wanted to keep and among them I saw a familiar small doll hand made out of pink wool. I asked her why she kept that doll and she explained that she wanted to keep it because the girl gave it to me for her and she always wanted to remember how a little girl who had nothing but this doll and had gone through so much wanted to give it to her. Seeing the doll took me back to an event more than 15 years ago that was a catalyst for the beginning of a vision and the work I am now doing.</div>
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The event involved both a physical and metaphorical journey that was instrumental in the immediate project work I was involved in and unknown to me at the time, planted the vision for founding Chab Dai.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcPkkSr1L4J-O4DHg9-kAzCkgSwX6gHXz1j7WO9gJdGdjmRB51wDn6iCehmIHgOVaegHboS60geNuAsimKK3aY3fHfs1dWZ-IZCN5TzR9zRRE7RNqH0HtjqCTNCHGiT7xHPjWefmo8q5j/s1600/RoadTrip+III+Day+Poipet09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcPkkSr1L4J-O4DHg9-kAzCkgSwX6gHXz1j7WO9gJdGdjmRB51wDn6iCehmIHgOVaegHboS60geNuAsimKK3aY3fHfs1dWZ-IZCN5TzR9zRRE7RNqH0HtjqCTNCHGiT7xHPjWefmo8q5j/s1600/RoadTrip+III+Day+Poipet09.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
The physical journey involved a few hopeful (and naive) expats and Cambodians who were disturbed by the increasing events and stories of children being traded and transited through the Cambodia/Thai border in Poipet. At the time we didn't understand that this was indeed trafficking but knew that this was something that could not be ignored and so set out to research the issues and to see if other organisations were seeing the same as us and were trying to address it.</div>
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The more than ten hour journey (which today would take about two!) on roads that had potholes the depth of a car, in an old Toyota land cruiser with very little in the way of suspension was pretty brutal to say the least! On more than one occasion did I wonder what I was doing on this journey!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmj7IPXbM5WnqYEQdzGlZxLXxw1nbUKFd_JOFz2HbXAGjwJnl2_AqVk_6Xggz1qflnoDiNeUQ2ttL_AvqLZ4iaBsSyYMLjys-k6BgY-TJXXxHzxuV1PoKfnWL9G358LEZBMtpCicagRl2/s1600/10384619_10152322775302132_8171914248591443593_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmj7IPXbM5WnqYEQdzGlZxLXxw1nbUKFd_JOFz2HbXAGjwJnl2_AqVk_6Xggz1qflnoDiNeUQ2ttL_AvqLZ4iaBsSyYMLjys-k6BgY-TJXXxHzxuV1PoKfnWL9G358LEZBMtpCicagRl2/s1600/10384619_10152322775302132_8171914248591443593_n.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
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During our time in Poipet I met a young girl of about five years old who had been trafficked to Bangkok with her baby brother to beg on the streets. She had been separated from her family and had no idea where they were or where her home village was. I talked to her and explained that I had a daughter her age and a son her brothers age. As we talked she showed me a doll she had made out of wool in the shelter she was in.. And as I was about to leave, she gave me the doll and asked me to give it as a gift of friendship to my daughter. I was deeply touched by her generosity and selflessness. This was my first interaction with a survivor and one I have never forgot.</div>
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I have no idea where that girl or her brother are today, which is one of the agonies of working with survivors.</div>
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However, that meeting forever changed the course of my vision and of my life journey and my hope is that in turn it has touched and changed the lives of many others.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A fellow pilgrim,</div>
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Helen</div>
</div>
Helen Swornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500199854642252212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-20288434950030225182014-11-04T10:00:00.000-08:002014-11-21T10:33:19.535-08:00The Ends Justify the Means<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Most people are familiar with the
concept<b> </b>of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequentialism" target="_blank">consequentialism</a>, where the consequences of one's conduct are more important than the rightness or wrongness of the conduct. We often phrase it as "the ends justify the means," or, "As long as it turns out well, it doesn't matter what measures I had to take to get there." These justifications are generally employed in an attempt to excuse poor or immoral behavior. I
would venture to say that the majority of people would agree
living<b> </b>according to this concept is unpredictable, unreliable and generally
harmful.<br />
<br />
However, there are those who make reckless decisions and
engage in irresponsible activity as an attempt to reach their desired
outcome faster and more easily. Sometimes these decisions are the
best ones even with the risks involved;<b> </b>I'm not here to say it's a
black-and-white issue or even to suggest that we always have the
option of “safe” measures attached to tried-and-true results. We
don't. But I do want to talk about the instances where we should know
better, and do better.</div>
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Remember back in May when Newsweek ran
<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/30/somaly-mam-holy-saint-and-sinner-sex-trafficking-251642.html" target="_blank">that article</a> about Somaly Mam fabricating parts of her story? Shortly
thereafter she resigned from her leadership role with the Somaly Mam
Foundation (SMF), but the board members were adamant that their work
would continue on, serving the girls they had rescued from
trafficking, and those they would rescue in the future. Unfortunately, this is no longer the
case. SMF ceased their current projects and shut their doors on
September 30, <a href="http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/smf%E2%80%99s-closure-donor-queries-grow" target="_blank">as announced</a> in an official statement two weeks ago.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My
biggest question brought up by this news is, what will happen to the
girls and women SMF served? These are vulnerable individuals who need specific care, attention and services, and now a major provider for these needs has permanently closed.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When Somaly encouraged narratives that lacked truth, I do not think she was trying to be cruel. I think <a href="http://chabdai.blogspot.com/2014/06/has-somaly-mams-story-exposed-some.html" target="_blank">she wanted the spotlight and the accolades</a> that come with a story of overcoming life's brutality. I also<strike></strike> believe she knew donors respond more hastily and with bigger checks when they're met with such inspiration. And I don't doubt<b></b> she truly wanted to make a positive difference in the world. However, her false tale only carried her so far. She was granted the spotlight and the accolades. She was handed large checks to fund her work. She was featured in a high-profile documentary. She did get to make a difference. But her end in no way justifies her means.</div>
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With the revelation of Somaly's falsehoods and her subsequent resignation, the reputation of the entire counter-trafficking sector has been called into question. Donors are more wary of supporting programs. SMF has had to cease operations. One person's irresponsible means could very well cause widespread "ends" prematurely. How do organizations convince supporters they are legitimate? The girls SMF was tending to – where do they go now? Initially, Somaly was able to make beneficial waves. She brought some awareness to an important cause. She attracted funding to help provide necessary services. But where is all of that now? It's been diminished to a moment's worth of positive change, shrouded in the shadow of a lie. Was her time of glory worth the cost?</div>
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We can't only focus on the short term effects of our actions. We have to realize that there are long term outcomes to be considered, too, and weigh those as part of our decision-making process. We have to be aware of the implications of our choices, not just for ourselves but also for others who they may touch. I can make up a compelling story to sell an idea and cultivate compassion for my cause, but I'm going to be found out. Maybe not immediately, but eventually, and the fallout may well outweigh any good I'd initially accomplished. (Especially with the accessibility of information via the internet. The truth can't hide, and there is always somebody looking to uncover it.)</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We can do better. Let's be more conscientious in our pursuits. Let's be careful with our methods. Let's be mindful of both the probable and possible effects of our actions. Let's be honest.</div>
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3189812977517732890.post-21860186416000210672014-10-28T10:01:00.000-07:002014-11-21T10:57:22.996-08:00Awareness Equips Us for Appropriate Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Human Trafficking. These two words arranged together evoke such a gut wrenching jolt. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines “trafficking” as a verb, “a deal or trade in something illegal.” The trading of human beings? It just sounds awful. It is awful. But what is it exactly? We all think we know what human trafficking is. I myself once watched a documentary of creepy men wandering through dark alleyways of a slum looking for young girls. I thought that was trafficking. Oh, if it was only that simple…</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The United Nations definition is: </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Trafficking in persons "shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs; <br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used; <br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "trafficking in persons" even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article; <br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(d) "Child" shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Protocol to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Well, sadly, according to this definition, we all have probably seen a form of human trafficking. It is not confined to a certain part of the world nor does it discriminate between races. It may be occurring in your neighborhood or it may be happening on the other side of the world. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It bothers me to think that I may have seen someone trafficked and had done nothing because I did not fully understand the situation. We often see trafficking as this mythical beast in a far away land. Our media has shaped our minds on what trafficking is. If only everyone understood the actual definition.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A while back while I was traveling, due to unfortunate events, I was stranded at a bus station. While trying to figure out what my next move was I noticed an odd pairing of what I thought was a date. The female was significantly younger than the male. They were different races and the male had given the female some money to buy food in the empty bus station’s food court. She didn’t appear to look distressed. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Yeah it looked weird. But who was I to judge? I got embarrassed for questioning why they were in each others' company. Maybe they were just really good friends. I told myself to forget it. I was by myself; what could I do? I had my own problems to worry about (being lost in another country and all). But thinking back, there was clearly something off about that situation. I forgot all about it, but after I started learning more about what human trafficking actually is this memory jumped back to my attention.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The definition of human trafficking needs to be well-established in all of our minds. Understanding the difference between force and coercion should be common knowledge. This would allow a case of trafficking to be detected sooner than later. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We get so involved in our own lives that we do not think twice. Sometimes subconsciously we realize that something may be wrong, but we are too afraid to think a situation is something other that it appears because we don't want to look stupid. But in the meantime that little voice in your head is screaming otherwise. A deep understanding of what human trafficking is can be the tipping point of someone reporting a case versus just walking away. We as human beings have that gut instinct. We all need to trust it. But too often we fear disturbing the norm and do not listen. I myself am guilty of that because I always give anyone and everyone the benefit of the doubt.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So how does one counter the human trafficking issue? First, by getting educated on what human trafficking is. Then, by learning of all of the resources available. If ever you run across an odd circumstance, you will know how to properly address the situation and who to report it to. The worst case scenario is that you are wrong and look sheepishly dumb. But it is better to over analyze than to overlook. </span></div>
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