Somaly Mam
by Olivia Robertson, Noah Block,
Aiden Van Voorhees, Sarah Stillman,
Devon Harvey.
In Cambodia, where the most common form of human trafficking is sex exploitation, it was
estimated that it had over 57,000 commercial sex workers (Brooke Shelby Biggs(1)). Somaly
Mam, an up and coming activist, is trying to help women and young girls escape the fate of
becoming a prostitute. Sold into sex trafficking at a very young age, she was compelled to figh
against the industry after escape. Somaly Mam was born into a tribal minority in Mondulkiri,
Cambodia, and was sold into the sex industry by her adoptive grandparents. Eventually, after
witnessing the brutal death of her friend, she escaped the brothel she was kept prisoner in. In
2007, she founded the Somaly Mam foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to
rehabilitating the victims of sex trade and raising awareness on this pressing issue. The
Somaly Mam Foundation’s focuses on victim services, education for survivors, and anti-sex
trafficking awareness. The Somaly Mam foundation rehabilitates their patients through focus
on physical, psychological, and social health (Somaly Mam Foundation). WIn Cambodia, where
the most common form of human trafficking is sex exploitation, it was estimated that it had
over 57,000 commercial sex workers (Brooke Shelby Biggs(1)). Somaly Mam, an up and coming
activist, is trying to help women and young girls escape the fate of becoming a prostitute. Sold
into sex trafficking at a very young age, she was compelled to fight against the industry after
escape. Somaly Mam was born into a tribal minority in Mondulkiri, Cambodia, and was sold into
the sex industry by her adoptive grandparents. Eventually, after witnessing the brutal death o
her friend, she escaped the brothel she was kept prisoner in. In 2007, hile they do not own
shelters within Cambodia, they give grants to local organizations. Every year the Somaly Mam
foundation gives approximately one million dollars to their grantees that provide survivors
psychological care, food, shelter, peer education, etc. Much of their money goes to a free
medical center run by the organization AFESIP (Somaly Mam Foundation), and in 2013 alone
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