Learning About AIM via CNN
After my first OBV mission trip to Cambodia back in December of 2013, I felt the need to do more online research to learn about where the sex trafficking of minors has migrated. My first undercover investigations didn't yield anything substantial, and I wanted to make my next visits more fruitful.
When I got back to Vietnam, I came across a series of related stories by CNN, which just happened to be spending the month of December highlighting human trafficking in Cambodia. What luck, right?
One of the organizations highlighted as putting up a strong fight against sex trafficking in Cambodia was Agape International Missions, commonly known as "AIM."
I thought that there might be potential synergies (yes, I used that word) between OBV and AIM, so I decided to reach out to AIM to request an in-person meeting.
A month-and-a-half later, Linh Doan, the Director of OBV Cambodia, and I were approved for a site tour of AIM's facilities in Svey Pak, also known as Kilometer 11 or K11.
Svey Pak was known for being the red light district for underage children. One of Cambodia's most notorious child brothels existed in Svey Pak. A massive crackdown and police raid in recent past shut down the entire brothel operations. Some children were rescued. Others were relocate to underground sex trafficking operations by their pimps.
Nevertheless, AIM was heavily instrumental in turning Svey Pak into a neighborhood of hope. Chad Smith, AIM's Team Program Coordinator, gave us a walk-through of the various AIM facilities, including the former brothel that has now been converted into a residence for the local priest and a place of shelter for those in need.
Visiting AIM's Facilities
Linh and I met Chad at the Rehab House for a brief round of introductions. Another anti-sex trafficking group called SHE Rescue that operates out of Australia was also a part of the tour.
Before departing, I asked Chad what the rules were for photos. He instructed us to take photos of only buildings and structures, not of people. He explained that some traffickers have actually came looking for girls whose photos were posted online from previous guests visiting for a tour.
It turns out that Svey Pak is still very much associated with trafficking, despite AIM's revival efforts.
After getting a brief overview of AIM's work, Chad had us walking to the first stop on the tour: a former brother turned shelter.
Since claiming this building after the police raid, much of the building has been refinished to remove most of the vestiges of its former self. Walls are painted with images of Jesus and the Cross. A few remnants do remain as a reminder of what this placed used to be and why this fight is important.
One of the first reminders of the building's former past was the upstairs room, also known as the "Pink Room." This was the room where young girls were sold for their virginity and raped.
Chad clarified that 'young' in this case is defined as 'prepubescent.' The price for the purchase of a girls virginity ranged from between $1,000 to $2,000 USD.
Chad took us to the rear section of the main floor. Here he explained that AIM intentionally kept these two rooms in the same condition they found them. Girls lived in these tiny rooms. Pimps would bring customers to rape them. This would happen multiple times throughout the day.
The inside of the left room was colored light pink.
The room on the right still had the lock on the outside to keep the girls from running away at night. These rooms truly were prison cells.
We walked over to the AIM Training Center. Here, AIM staff and volunteers train locals in a wide variety of useful job skills. Participants can come to learn textile work, crafts, elementary school teaching, and even basic English.
Do you have a t-shirt that needs to be made in bulk? If so, AIM offers this service! Naturally, the revenue receive is going to a great place and for an amazing cause.
This discovery was rather serendipitous. I was in need of making Krav Maga shirts for the OBV Vietnam and Cambodia girls, but had no idea who to contact. The moment Chad told me they offered this service and that the minimum quantity was 10, I couldn't ask for a rate sheet fast enough.
Turns out the pricing is very competitive to prices found in the States. Thus, if you need screen-printed clothing made, consider giving AIM a call.
Some of the young teenage women at the AIM training center make bracelets. We actually got to go inside the room to take a look and say hello. As we were leaving the training center, we stopped by the finished materials shelves to learn about all of the other things that are made for sale. Each of us wound up buying a bracelet.
The red beads you see woven into the bracelet are the seeds of a very common tree in Cambodia. They come just like this. No polish, no touchup. AIM collects these seeds for these bracelets.
The seed and the act of collecting them are both analogous to the victims AIM helps and the work that AIM does. Locals look at these seeds as nothing but worthless throwaways because they're so commonplace, and look at the foreigners collecting them with bewilderment.
AIM sees both the seeds and the victims that they help, as something and someone worth collecting, worth saving, and worth redeeming. They may be discarded by some, but they're valued and treasured by many others.
At the end of the tour, we got a fifth story view of the local area. It's hard to imagine that only a few years ago this place was one of the most notorious hotspots for sex trafficking. Now, thanks to AIM, when you come here at night, it's just a regular neighborhood in Cambodia trying to thrive.
Sometimes AIM lookouts will catch outsiders coming into the area looking for sex. Chad explained that the lookouts will approach the men to explain that K11 no longer has children for sale, and that they are not welcomed in this neighborhood anymore.
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