You might have noticed flyers for Helping Hands’ new initiative – child sex trafficking – around the school. The Somaly Mam foundation was made famous in a documentary called Half the Sky, shown on PBS, which highlighted various women’s issues internationally. This particular organization works with girls and women in Cambodia, who are kidnapped from their families and sold to brothels as young as 3 years old. Cambodia has a huge illegal sex trafficking industry, which generates $500 million a year. The woman who created the foundation is Somaly Mam, who is a survivor of sex trafficking herself. She helps to rescue, educate, rehabilitate, and train young victims.
Helping Hands decided to create a big initiative to focus on this year, and chose to donate to this foundation. The committee wants to raise at least $3000, which is the cost to rescue, shelter, and send to college a woman or girl who has survived sex slavery. She is taught techniques such as sewing and weaving, which can help her find job opportunities and return to the community. To accomplish this goal, Helping Hands is asking each advisory to raise $200 by March 8th. If the committee exceeds the goal, it’s possible our money could help other survivors, too, not just one. Even though this may seem like just another cause to hold a bake sale for, think about the life (or lives) that your brownie and cupcake sales will change, and very likely save.
To learn more about this organization and other related ones, visit:
To read an article by Nicholas Kristof about rescuing girls in a brothel “raid” with Somaly Mam, visit:
nytimes.com/2011/11/13/opinion/sunday/kristof-fighting-back-one-brothel-raid-at-a-time.html?_r=0
The BACC Rag 