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COSECAM Offers Empowerment to Victims through the Girls Speak Out Project

Phnom Penh, 24 November 2009— Girl victims who join COSECAM's Girls Speak Out Project do so because they are keen to learn about social issues and share this knowledge with their friends.

On a Sunday, once every six weeks, COSECAM holds a workshop for the girls of the Child Victim Empowerment group known as the Girls Speak Out Project. The purpose of the meeting is to enable the girls to share and learn new information about human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, and develop advocacy skills.

Bopha who is aged 19 and has been under the protection and support of Bandanh Komar Etprumden Kampuchea (KnK Network Cambodia) in the Battambang province for four years, says she is really happy that she has become a member of the Girls Speak Out group.

Bopha, who was born in Kampong Thom province and is currently in the 11th grade at Neth Yong High School, says that she has learnt a lot from the workshops about social issues such as human trafficking, migration, drug abuses, discrimination and psychological consolation.

"The Girls Speak Out is very good for us and it has made me feel confident and strong. I always share what I have learnt from COSECAM with other children who do not have the chance to learn all these things like us," says Bopha.

Panha is 18 years old and has been with the Healthcare Center for Children in Kien Svay district, Kandal province for over two years. She says she has transferred her knowledge from the workshops to her friends both inside and outside of her shelter. She says the project has made her feel more confident in speaking and expressing herself.

"I have now learnt how to prevent myself from falling prey to the traffickers or from being lured by materials," says Panha, an 11th grader at Prek Eng High School. "I want to stay with Girls Speak Out in the future because I want to learn more from COSECAM."

Panha also shares the knowledge that she has learnt from COSECAM and from other members of the Girls Speak Out project with the children at her center when she is free from school.

"COSECAM have taught me many skills including an understanding of psychology. This has helped me to advise and support other children and enable them to feel more at ease," says Panha, adding "I am so happy that I have helped others."

"My friends often come to me for advice when they have problems. They say they feel very relieved after they have shared their problems with me. I think to myself that I am so smart that I can help friends and be of importance for them," Panha says and chuckles.

Another Girls Speak Out's member called Thida who is 20, works in a garment factory in Phnom Penh. She was previously under the care of the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children Rights (CCPCR) in the capital and received vocational training in needlework from COSECAM.

Although Thida has been reunited with her family and now rents her own place in the suburb of Phnom Penh, she continues to participate in the Girls Speak Out group because she is really happy to be part of it.

"I have made a lot of friends and I have learnt a lot here," Thida says.

"I can protect myself, friends and my work colleagues from being lured and tricked. I try to explain to my friends about people who may have bad intentions and the social issues in Cambodia."

The Child Victim Empowerment or Girls Speak Out project was established in 2004 by COSECAM. The project aims to support child victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation to become agents of positive change.

The project consists of a series of workshops that brings together young victims of trafficking and exploitation to network and support each other, as well as brainstorming ways to address the issues of child sexual exploitation in Cambodia.

A core theme of the project is that the process of empowerment goes hand in hand with the process of healing. The workshops support the girls' development through self-esteem and confidence building exercises, education on trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in relation to the law and human/child rights, as well as training in advocacy skills such as public speaking.

Currently, the Girls Speak Out group consists of 24 children from seven organizations that are members of COSECAM. These organizations include the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children Rights (CCPCR), Bandanh Komar Etrpumden Kampuchea (KnK network Cambodia), Healthcare Center for Children (HCC), Goutte d'Eau Neak Loueng, Cambodian Women Development Agency (CWDA), and Komar Rik Reay (KMR).

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