RECLAIMING LIVES. An estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year, in addition to unknown millions trafficked within countries. Transitions Cambodia, an Oregon-based nonprofit operating in Cambodia, exists to alleviate the suffering caused by sex trafficking through a personal, long-term, re-integrative, and culturally appropriate transitional residence program. The organization’s small residential care facility in Phnom Penh assists girls escaping sex trafficking by providing counselling, education, vocational training, and other social support. Pictured is Srey Neth, a former victim who has completed the program. She is now on staff with Transitions Cambodia and speaks to audiences about sex trafficking and her own story. (Photo courtesy of Transitions Cambodia)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #9 (February 26, 2008), page 1 & 9.

By Ian Blazina

According to the U.S. State Department, an estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year, in addition to unknown millions trafficked within countries. Of the transnational victims, as many as 80 percent are women and girls, and the majority are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Estimates for the total number of people in forced or bonded labor or sexual servitude throughout the world range from four million to 27 million. In Cambodia, this translates into more than 40,000 women, many as young as five years old, involved in the illegal sex trade.

Transitions Cambodia, an Oregon-based nonprofit operating in Cambodia, exists to alleviate the suffering caused by sex trafficking through a personal, long-term, re-integrative, and culturally appropriate transitional residence program. The organization’s Transitional Living Center (TLC) in Phnom Penh is a small residential care facility where girls escaping sex trafficking receive counselling, education, vocational training, and other social support.

James Pond, director of Transitions Cambodia, has formally studied global slavery issues since 2002, and moved to Cambodia to start a high-security aftercare facility for victim survivors of sex trafficking in 2004.

Transitions Cambodia gained its nonprofit status in 2007 and is funded by individual donors and philanthropic foundations. The TLC currently houses 16 women in Phnom Penh, with a goal of eventually opening four more centers in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Poi Pet, and Svy Reing.

"Currently, there are no existing transitional care centers providing the services that we have through Transitions Cambodia," said Pond. "The median age of sex trafficking victims is 15 years old. These girls are in need of services focused on helping them approach adulthood in a healthy environment, with the right support. Agencies are currently focused on longer term care, which only exposes girls to institutional environments for too long a period. We want to restore their dignity and their ability to function in society as productive adults."

The center provides a family setting in which the clients receive shelter, nutrition, medical and dental care, counselling and therapy, educational assistance, and vocational training. Whereas many larger organizations operate institutions housing many more people and offering limited social support and education, Transitions Cambodia develops individualized plans for each client. And where larger institutions tend toward vocational training such as sewing and other handicrafts, Transitions Cambodia offers training in computers, translation, social work, small business entrepreneurship, and other areas tailored to the desires of the clients.

The center has one social worker for every four clients, and the staff members are primarily Cambodian and Vietnamese who are trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical-behavioral therapy and have a keen awareness of many of the cultural issues with which the clients must deal.

The goal of the organization is to reintegrate victim survivors back into Cambodian society. The reintegration plans are individual, holistic strategies that include family and community assessments and work closely with government agencies and other non-governmental organizations to make sure clients have the support they need to be successful outside of the residence facility.

The organization follows the progress of its clients for two years after they leave the facility in an effort to prevent the cycle of recidivism and institutionalization that is familiar to social workers everywhere (upwards of 80 percent of clients in traditional aftercare institutions in Cambodia return to the sex trade).

To learn more about sex trafficking, responsible tourism, and how to help, visit <www.transitionscambodia.org>.