Celebs, The Body Shop and LexisNexis come out to support the Somaly Mam Foundation.
Earlier this week in downtown New York, philanthropists and activists rallied to support the Somaly Mam Foundation, among them, famous faces like Susan Sarandon, Ally Sheedy and Lauren Bush. Revelers showed up not only to raise money and awareness around child sex trafficking — they were also there to celebrate hope.
"We are building a safe place for the real treasures of the world," said Phil Kowalcyzk, president of The Body Shop North America. Poetically, the backdrop to his remark was a massive vault (the event space Capitale is a converted bank). In its second year of working with the SMF and ECPAT (an organization with a similar goal), The Body Shop launched a petition to Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People. In only three months, they've gathered 3.5 million signatures worldwide.
In 2011 they will petition lawmakers and government officials around the globe.
Somaly Mam, the nonprofit's namesake, founder and survivor of child prostitution, graciously took the stage after five of the young women she's rescued performed a traditional Khmer dance. The stunning and ever-charming freedom fighter thanked the crowd. "When I was in the brothel I had no hope, no love. I was nothing. Today you are my hero," she said, adding with laughter, "Second after my girls."
A few of the English speaking girls expressed their gratitude to the room and the foundation. One shared her story, explaining how her sister sold her to a brothel when she was only 13 years old. She was forced to take drugs and service 25 men a day — until she met Mam.
Today, on the long road to recovery, the bright-eyed teenager is healthy, smiling and attending school. Mam's courageous and dangerous work (she's been held at gunpoint by pimps and told to "cool the rhetoric" by local scholars) has rightfully returned life, dignity, self-esteem and hope to more than 6,000 girls. Mam's mission to change one girl at at time is fueled by her own experience as a child sex slave. She shares her harrowing life story in her autobiography, The Road of Lost Innocence.
Trafficking is ugly, horrific and unpleasant to talk about, but the silence must be broken. Andy Prozes, the evening's honoree and CEO of LexisNexis Group, talked about the little discussed fact and driving force of sex trafficking: demand. If men stop paying for sex with young girls — be it virtual or real — the wealth of opportunity will cease to exist, putting child pornographers and pimps (slave owners) out of business. Prozes also went on to discuss the third element in battling trafficking: the law.If young girls are being sold for sex in any society, the "Rule of Law cannot exist," said Prozes. The law does little to protect girls in places like Southeast Asia — or the United States. With the support of LexisNexis, the SMF is making progress in the legal arena with its Voices For Change Program, where survivors will train Cambodian police and government officials on laws and issues related to sex trafficking, the specific needs of victims and root causes.
And, while most Americans are vaguely familiar with sex trafficking on the other side of the globe, we've all seen the 20/20 specials on sexual tourism, they largely remain in the dark about the startling truth of trafficking at home.
Anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 girls are sold for sex in the US. What's worse, is that the law does not protect them. Only three states, New York, Connecticut and Washington, provide safe harbors; the remaining 47 states treat victims of sex trafficking as criminals, and rarely prosecute pimps or johns. Learn more about your state.
Sex trafficking is a global crisis, its origins deeply rooted in every society. Like any cause, change starts with just one person, like Mam, taking one small action.
Five fast facts:
* Sex trafficking is the third largest criminal activity in the world.
* Trafficking is a $10 billion a year business.
* One to 2 million girls will be sold into prostitution this year.
* More than 200,000 children work in the sex industry in the US.
* Seventy percent of transactions take place online.
Five actions so easy you don't even have to move from your computer:
* Share those facts with 10 friends.
* Support the SMF and provide survivors with health, education, self-esteem and hope.
* Add your signature to The Body Shop campaign.
* If you're a REAL MAN, support organizations like Man Up and DNA's Real Men.
* Watch and share the SMF short film The Road to Traffik
Photo courtesy of The Somaly Mam Foundation.
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