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Somaly Mam speaks during a presentation at St. Augustine Prep, Thursday Oct. 28, 2010, in Buena Vista Twp. Mam is a Cambodian woman, who was sold into sexual slavery at a young age, and who now rescues other women.(The Press of Atlantic City/Staff Photo by Michael Ein)
Photo by: Michael Ein
With photo gallery
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP - Fifteen years ago, Somaly Mam returned to Cambodia after being rescued from her homeland just a couple of years earlier to establish a shelter for children forced into slavery. Now, Mam, author of a memoir detailing her life and experiences as an orphan and child sex slave, is the face of a foundation that has raised millions of dollars to fight human trafficking around the world.
The message she delivered to the public and students Thursday morning at St. Augustine Prep for the school's annual Veritas Talk - an event that highlights an issue of social importance each year - is that everyone can help put an end to slavery.
"The Road of Lost Innocence" details her life story, from being orphaned as a young girl, to being enslaved by an old man whom she was forced to call "grandfather," to being sold to a brothel as a young teenager, and eventually being forced to marry.
"Talking about trafficking is so heavy," she said, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts in English, just one of several languages she speaks. "A lot of people don't want to know about it. A lot of people run away. I tell them not to run away from a story. The story is here. It is reality."
Others speakers Thursday included Somaly Mam Foundation Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Bill Livermore and a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Atlantic City bureau.
The event also included a dance performance by five Cambodian girls visiting the United States. Draped in brightly colored fabrics and golden accoutrements traditional to their heritage, the 15-to-18-year-old girls curled their wrists and hands slowly in the air as they moved across the stage. When the performance ended, they stood with Mam at the center of the stage in the school's gymnasium and spoke briefly, both in English and through an interpreter, about what had brought them to the U.S.
Each had been a victim, sold into slavery and forced into prostitution as early as 6 years old. Some had lost their parents. Others were stolen away or sold by callous relatives. Eventually, they all were rescued by Mam's efforts.
The return to normalcy is a slow process. Most of the girls - just five of the more than 4,000 the Mam Foundation is credited with saving - were rescued before they even turned 10. They pleaded with St. Augustine students not to take their lives and families for granted.
"All my kids have been through a lot of things," Mam said. "But it teaches us how to help others."
Contact Edward Van Embden:
856-649-2072
EVanEmbden@pressofac.com
"The Road of Lost Innocence" details her life story, from being orphaned as a young girl, to being enslaved by an old man whom she was forced to call "grandfather," to being sold to a brothel as a young teenager, and eventually being forced to marry.
"Talking about trafficking is so heavy," she said, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts in English, just one of several languages she speaks. "A lot of people don't want to know about it. A lot of people run away. I tell them not to run away from a story. The story is here. It is reality."
Others speakers Thursday included Somaly Mam Foundation Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Bill Livermore and a representative from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Atlantic City bureau.
The event also included a dance performance by five Cambodian girls visiting the United States. Draped in brightly colored fabrics and golden accoutrements traditional to their heritage, the 15-to-18-year-old girls curled their wrists and hands slowly in the air as they moved across the stage. When the performance ended, they stood with Mam at the center of the stage in the school's gymnasium and spoke briefly, both in English and through an interpreter, about what had brought them to the U.S.
Each had been a victim, sold into slavery and forced into prostitution as early as 6 years old. Some had lost their parents. Others were stolen away or sold by callous relatives. Eventually, they all were rescued by Mam's efforts.
The return to normalcy is a slow process. Most of the girls - just five of the more than 4,000 the Mam Foundation is credited with saving - were rescued before they even turned 10. They pleaded with St. Augustine students not to take their lives and families for granted.
"All my kids have been through a lot of things," Mam said. "But it teaches us how to help others."
Contact Edward Van Embden:
856-649-2072
EVanEmbden@pressofac.com
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