Somaly Mam Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Somaly Mam Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
. The Foundation is dedicated to combating the global sex slave trade
through supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the victims and through raising global awareness on the issue. The Foundation funds more than 10 effective organizations in various parts of the world that are combating sexual slavery
and human trafficking
in the field. These include groups that are rescuing girls from brothels, offering them shelter and safety, providing them with basic education
, and helping them reintegrate into new communities when their healing processes are complete.
and Nicholas Lumpp
, two graduates of the United States Air Force Academy
, learned of a growing international crisis — human trafficking
. The sex slave trade had developed into the third most profitable criminal industry, behind only narcotics and weapons. Governments had yet to effectively handle the problem, and funding for organizations fighting the illegal trade was minimal. Disturbed by the public's lack of awareness of these ongoing atrocities, Greenberg and Lumpp decided it was time to take action and help put an end to sexual slavery, once and for all. But with an industry that generates $12 billion a year, enslaves millions of young women and children, and is protected by corrupt government and law enforcement officials, they had their work cut out for them.
A few months later Greenberg and Lumpp viewed an online video clip of Anderson Cooper 360 and saw a show spotlighting a woman by the name of Somaly Mam
. Sold into slavery at the age of 12, she later escaped and made it her mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate survivors of this heinous crime. The result was AFESIP, an organization that has transformed the lives of thousands of victims of the illegal trade since its inception in 1996. Mam is now regarded as one of the most prolific activists fighting sexual slavery. Greenberg and Lumpp traveled to Cambodia
into the center of the sex slave industry. They met with Somaly Mam, toured shelters, and met some of the young women who had been rescued. The experience changed their lives. They realized that too many people around the world do not know that slavery
still exists. Increasing awareness and funding organizations like AFESIP seemed paramount to combating the illegal trade. During a car ride from Phnom Penh
to Siem Reap
, Mam explained her vision for a U.S. based organization that would take her life's passion to the next level. Thus, the Somaly Mam Foundation was born.
province of Cambodia
. Orphaned at a young age, Somaly does not know who her real parents are, nor does she know her real name or exact birth date. Although she did not receive formal schooling, she was later trained to be a midwife after the genocidal regime. However, Somaly was sold many times by a man she called "grandfather" as a slave and coerced into prostitution. She was forced to work in a brothel with many other young girls that were treated horrifically through torture, manipulation, and scare tactics. One night she watched a close friend murdered by a pimp. Her past is a major contributing factor regarding her passion and effort to help young children and women involved with human trafficking. Mam later returned to Cambodia to bring back some of her experience and ideas to her homeland. She began establishing a non-governmental organization
in French called “Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire (AFESIP),” translated in English “Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances.” She became co-founder of AFESIP and President of AFESIP Cambodia in Phnom Penh
. This organization’s main cause is the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of girls forced into prostitution
.
, and My Sister's Place.
While survivors have experienced significant trauma
, they are often able to thrive with the proper support. Young women have opened businesses, hold steady employment, and have even gotten married. In Cambodia, teams visit reintegrated survivors to check in and make sure that all is well with them in their new empowered lives.
is crucial to the fight against human trafficking. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting and promoting rule of law in regions where the concept is threatened or non-existent. SMF has developed a powerful network of domestic and international partners, such as Lexis Nexis and The Body Shop
, to apply pressure to the Cambodian government and justice system to combat corruption and complicity on the part of public officials. SMF works with local groups to demand legislation that effectively addresses the issue and to allocate more resources toward enforcement of these laws. The goal is to make engaging in this crime more difficult and costly, as the likelihood of being apprehended and prosecuted will increase. While initial efforts are focused in Cambodia
, advocacy campaigns will gradually expand to other countries as well.
Awareness and advocacy are crucial across the globe as well. By increasing knowledge of trafficking, by understanding its root causes, and by creating an environment where the world says "no more," the end of trafficking can come about in the foreseeable future.
Co-directed by Sina Vann, a survivor of sex slavery in Cambodia, and modeled after Mam’s life example, VFC is designed to give survivors an opportunity to help themselves by helping others, to have their voices heard in the courts of law and public perception, and to have influence and impact on effectuating change. From those who have struggled through the pain of slavery, a new generation of leaders who stand for justice
and free will
will arise. Those who have undergone rescue, recovery, education, and reintegration are survivors who can choose to join the Voices for Change initiative and help in the survivor services program area by speaking to new victims brought to the centers, completing intake forms, teaching classes, and sharing life skills training.
Program participants join legal training seminars and courageously share their stories with magistrates, judges, and other members of the legal community brought together to better understand sex slavery. The survivors’ first-hand accounts of the horrors of life as a slave in the sex trade serve as dramatic wake-up calls to those in the legal profession who have pledged themselves to the cause of justice. Participating survivors host public service announcements in Cambodia
and Southeast Asia
. They also accompany Mam to certain fundraising and awareness events to share their experiences, educate the public, and show that this is happening to real people — not just nameless, faceless masses. Each one of these women has lived through horrific conditions and has emerged as a young leader.
PROJECT FUTURES global supports and assists volunteers with activities such as online campaigns and media stunts, grassroots events, film nights, runs and walks, campus outreach, workplace presentations, and more. PROJECT FUTURES global mobilizes volunteers and activists all over the world, empowering a generation to shape their world into one where women and children are safe from slavery.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. The Foundation is dedicated to combating the global sex slave trade
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
through supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the victims and through raising global awareness on the issue. The Foundation funds more than 10 effective organizations in various parts of the world that are combating sexual slavery
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
and human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
in the field. These include groups that are rescuing girls from brothels, offering them shelter and safety, providing them with basic education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, and helping them reintegrate into new communities when their healing processes are complete.
Origins of the Somaly Mam Foundation
In 2007, Jared GreenbergJared Greenberg
Jared S. Greenberg is a businessman and social activist. His passion to end sexual slavery created a unique partnership with Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire President and world renowned activist Somaly Mam...
and Nicholas Lumpp
Nicholas Lumpp
Born and raised near Denver, Colorado, Nicholas DeFrancia Lumpp is a social entrepreneur fighting human trafficking. He is co-founder of the Somaly Mam Foundation along with Cambodian activist Somaly Mam and former Air Force comrade Jared Greenberg...
, two graduates of the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, learned of a growing international crisis — human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
. The sex slave trade had developed into the third most profitable criminal industry, behind only narcotics and weapons. Governments had yet to effectively handle the problem, and funding for organizations fighting the illegal trade was minimal. Disturbed by the public's lack of awareness of these ongoing atrocities, Greenberg and Lumpp decided it was time to take action and help put an end to sexual slavery, once and for all. But with an industry that generates $12 billion a year, enslaves millions of young women and children, and is protected by corrupt government and law enforcement officials, they had their work cut out for them.
A few months later Greenberg and Lumpp viewed an online video clip of Anderson Cooper 360 and saw a show spotlighting a woman by the name of Somaly Mam
Somaly Mam
Somaly Mam is a Cambodian author and human rights advocate, focusing primarily on needs of victims of human sex trafficking, and has garnered official and media acclaim for her efforts.-Early life:...
. Sold into slavery at the age of 12, she later escaped and made it her mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate survivors of this heinous crime. The result was AFESIP, an organization that has transformed the lives of thousands of victims of the illegal trade since its inception in 1996. Mam is now regarded as one of the most prolific activists fighting sexual slavery. Greenberg and Lumpp traveled to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
into the center of the sex slave industry. They met with Somaly Mam, toured shelters, and met some of the young women who had been rescued. The experience changed their lives. They realized that too many people around the world do not know that slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
still exists. Increasing awareness and funding organizations like AFESIP seemed paramount to combating the illegal trade. During a car ride from Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
to Siem Reap
Siem Reap
Siem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
, Mam explained her vision for a U.S. based organization that would take her life's passion to the next level. Thus, the Somaly Mam Foundation was born.
Somaly Mam
Somaly Mam was born in the MondulkiriMondulkiri
- References :...
province of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Orphaned at a young age, Somaly does not know who her real parents are, nor does she know her real name or exact birth date. Although she did not receive formal schooling, she was later trained to be a midwife after the genocidal regime. However, Somaly was sold many times by a man she called "grandfather" as a slave and coerced into prostitution. She was forced to work in a brothel with many other young girls that were treated horrifically through torture, manipulation, and scare tactics. One night she watched a close friend murdered by a pimp. Her past is a major contributing factor regarding her passion and effort to help young children and women involved with human trafficking. Mam later returned to Cambodia to bring back some of her experience and ideas to her homeland. She began establishing a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
in French called “Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire (AFESIP),” translated in English “Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances.” She became co-founder of AFESIP and President of AFESIP Cambodia in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
. This organization’s main cause is the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of girls forced into prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
.
Programs
The Somaly Mam Foundation is dedicated to ending sex slavery around the world with a results-oriented, three-step approach to critical program areas: victim services, survivor empowerment, and the eradication of slavery. The common thread woven through all of the Foundation's programs is the collective voice of survivors. The vision is modeled after Somaly’s inspiring life, ensuring that survivors take charge in reclaiming their lives, fight back against their former oppressors, and refuse to turn their backs on those who remain behind.Victim services
The Somaly Mam Foundation supports the entire process of healing a survivor from rescue and recovery to rehabilitation and reintegration. The Foundation supports over ten shelters in four countries, providing resources and funding to victim services providers. These organizations provide survivors of human trafficking with food, shelter, and medical and psychological care. These partners include AFESIP Cambodia, AFESIP Laos, Alliance Anti-Trafic in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and My Sister's Place.
Survivor empowerment
Once basic needs have been met, SMF supports education and vocational training programs to prepare survivors for reintegration to mainstream society. Survivors are given access to primary and secondary education, and beyond if they wish to do so. These skills are invaluable for survivors to flourish and sustain lives of dignity. Helping survivors of sex slavery become self-sufficient emotionally and financially translates to sustainable employment and alternative long-term solutions to reduce the risk of being re-trafficked or returning to the sex industry.While survivors have experienced significant trauma
Trauma
Trauma can refer to:-In psychology and medicine:* Trauma , an often serious and body-altering physical injury, such as the removal of a limb...
, they are often able to thrive with the proper support. Young women have opened businesses, hold steady employment, and have even gotten married. In Cambodia, teams visit reintegrated survivors to check in and make sure that all is well with them in their new empowered lives.
Eradication of slavery
The Somaly Mam Foundation is dedicated to eradicating slavery and the root causes that allow this evil to persist. Rule of lawRule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
is crucial to the fight against human trafficking. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting and promoting rule of law in regions where the concept is threatened or non-existent. SMF has developed a powerful network of domestic and international partners, such as Lexis Nexis and The Body Shop
The Body Shop
The Body Shop International plc, known as The Body Shop, has 2,400 stores in 61 countries, and is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world, following O Boticario, a Brazilian company...
, to apply pressure to the Cambodian government and justice system to combat corruption and complicity on the part of public officials. SMF works with local groups to demand legislation that effectively addresses the issue and to allocate more resources toward enforcement of these laws. The goal is to make engaging in this crime more difficult and costly, as the likelihood of being apprehended and prosecuted will increase. While initial efforts are focused in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, advocacy campaigns will gradually expand to other countries as well.
Awareness and advocacy are crucial across the globe as well. By increasing knowledge of trafficking, by understanding its root causes, and by creating an environment where the world says "no more," the end of trafficking can come about in the foreseeable future.
Voices for Change
Survivors of trafficking are not weak and helpless. They are strong, resilient, and have demonstrated incredible courage in overcoming their tortured past and building a promising future for themselves. The Somaly Mam Foundation is there to lend a hand and provide them with a platform from which their voices can be heard around the world. Voices for Change is that platform.Co-directed by Sina Vann, a survivor of sex slavery in Cambodia, and modeled after Mam’s life example, VFC is designed to give survivors an opportunity to help themselves by helping others, to have their voices heard in the courts of law and public perception, and to have influence and impact on effectuating change. From those who have struggled through the pain of slavery, a new generation of leaders who stand for justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
will arise. Those who have undergone rescue, recovery, education, and reintegration are survivors who can choose to join the Voices for Change initiative and help in the survivor services program area by speaking to new victims brought to the centers, completing intake forms, teaching classes, and sharing life skills training.
Program participants join legal training seminars and courageously share their stories with magistrates, judges, and other members of the legal community brought together to better understand sex slavery. The survivors’ first-hand accounts of the horrors of life as a slave in the sex trade serve as dramatic wake-up calls to those in the legal profession who have pledged themselves to the cause of justice. Participating survivors host public service announcements in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. They also accompany Mam to certain fundraising and awareness events to share their experiences, educate the public, and show that this is happening to real people — not just nameless, faceless masses. Each one of these women has lived through horrific conditions and has emerged as a young leader.
PROJECT FUTURES global
PROJECT FUTURES global is the volunteer and activist platform of the Somaly Mam Foundation. This program empowers volunteers to take action and join the fight against slavery by using their skills and interests, their communities, and their social networks to speak out, increase awareness, and raise funds for the Somaly Mam Foundation.PROJECT FUTURES global supports and assists volunteers with activities such as online campaigns and media stunts, grassroots events, film nights, runs and walks, campus outreach, workplace presentations, and more. PROJECT FUTURES global mobilizes volunteers and activists all over the world, empowering a generation to shape their world into one where women and children are safe from slavery.
Press Coverage
- CNN Heroes Somaly Mam
- Saved From Captivity Interview with Somaly Mam on American Public Media
- Stolen Innocence: One Woman's Fight Against Child Sex Slavery, SUCCESS magazine
- Rescuing Child Sex Workers, PBS
- Diary of an Escaped Sex Slave, Marie ClaireMarie ClaireMarie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
- Daryl Hannah: Saving Sex Slaves, Daryl HannahDaryl HannahDaryl Christine Hannah is an American film actress. After making her screen debut in 1978, Hannah starred in a number of Hollywood films throughout the 1980s, notably Blade Runner, Splash, Wall Street and Roxanne and Kill Bill.-Early life:Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Susan...
in Marie ClaireMarie ClaireMarie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...