About whitesa
I am going to volunteer as a researcher/report writer for an NGO which works with women and children vulnerable to or involved in sexual trafficking in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this summer. The project is organised by 2Way Development, an organisation which specialises in placing hundreds of volunteers every year to work with established development charities across the globe. All of the placements are specifically catered to the skills set of the volunteer. I have been communicating with the organisation for the past few months in order to find the right role to suit me. Therefore, I will be working for the Healthcare Centre for Children (HCC) in Phnom Penh as a volunteer for a full three months.
Cambodia currently serves as a major transit country for victims trafficked between Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and China. In 2007, the Cambodian government was placed on the Tier 2 Watch List in the U.S. Department of State's Trafficking in Person's Report for not following through with commitments made under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This sex trafficking is partially fuelled by the increases in tourism, migration of sex workers from bordering countries, high unemployment rates, organised crime organisations, police and governmental corruption, gender-based discrimination, the impact of HIV/AIDS and the weaknesses of the judicial system in prosecuting those responsible for sexual trafficking. Specifically in the capital, Phnom Penh, many of the sex workers migrate from rural communities into the city in order to earn an income. Cambodia is unfortunately becoming well known in particular for its child sex trade, and it is estimated that over 100,000 sex workers in the country are under the age of 18. In addition to the human rights abuses solely associated with the act of sexual trafficking, the worker's who try to leave the industry are subject to threats, beating, torture and amputation of limbs.
In my role, I will be specifically involved in research, report writing, advocacy activities and some strategic planning. I will be working with women and children at risk of sexual trafficking, forced enslavement and domestic violence, as well as those who are already victims. Many of the projects under the NGO are aimed at building empowerment, offering vocational training, reintegration support, access to counselling, advocacy and awareness campaigns, as well as fact-finding research missions. I will also be expected to take lessons in the Khmer language during my stay.
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