NEWS

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The Exploited Helps Her Peers

Phnom Penh, 22 October 2009— While she is beginning her lesson, Yin Savan, aged 16, asks a revision question about how to get away from being sexually trafficked to the class of more than ten children staying at a center in Phnom Penh.

Not only is Savan, who has been a victim of exploitation, now in the process of recovering herself and receiving vocational training, she is also beginning to help other victimized children in the center.

Today, Savan, the youngest child of seven siblings, is staying under the care and support of Children Development Center run by the Cambodian Children Against Starvation and Violence Association (CCASVA), one of the membership organizations of COSECAM.

Every Thursday and Friday evening before going to bed, Savan teaches other victims at the center, by giving a one-hour course on how to prevent child trafficking and exploitation and protect themselves from falling into such a situation.

"I teach them about sexual trafficking of children and raise their awareness of sexual exploitation so that they can get away from it and avoid falling into the tricks of traffickers," Savan says.

At the age of 14 years old when she was a 7th grader at a local organization in the capital, Savan was sent by her own mother to work in a karaoke shop in Sihanouk province, where she worked as a song operator in karaoke parlors, adding she lived in scare days and nights.

"I only sat and played songs for the clients but I felt scared when men came near me. Sometimes, I got blamed by the karaoke shop owner," she says.

"I wanted to come back home but my mother said I had to work there to make money for building a new house. But in reality, she didn't build any new one."

Two years later, Savan was spotted by her brother who took her back to Phnom Penh clandestinely. She then was referred by her neighbor in Phnom Penh to CCASVA's Children Development Center more than two months ago.

Everyday Savan, under the support of the center and CETHCam project funded by the European Union, undertakes a training in hairdressing and putting on make-up at a local market in Phnom Penh. Moreover, she is also one of the two children of CCASVA who were selected to train on prevention of sexual trafficking of children by End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking in Cambodia, so that she applies the lessons to other victimized children at the center which currently is a home to over 50 children.

"As one of the victims, I also felt sympathetic for other children, so I want to help them. Each time I see them happy after receiving my help, I also feel the same way," Savan says.

"For example, the children who were sold by their parents feel distressed. As I have come through the same experience, when seeing the newcomers, I am willing to talk to them and encourage them to stand up and be willing to live in the center. I try to introduce them to other children in the center."

Savan says she is happy that she has the chance to console other victimized children to regain their confidence in life.

"For newcomers, they feel more likely traumatized and do not listen to me. But I promise to myself that today I can't make it, but will be able to make them listen to me one day. Most of the children now have listened to me and I feel so happy that I can make them stay happily together in the center," she says.

Upon the completion of the vocational training, Savan wants to open a shop to apply her skills and start a new life, but also stresses the desire to work with victimized children.

"In the future I want to be a beautician but I also want to work with the organization by helping victimized children," she says. "Today, my life is much better at the center. I had the opportunity to receive training on hairdressing and putting on make-up….And I think I am talented for this field"

Hem Sinoch, Reintegration Officer of CCASVA Center for Child Development says Savan could well integrate into the center just days after her arrival. She has good communication and is very helpful.

"She is smart and has the potential in advocacy. That is why we decided to let her join the training by," says Hem Sinoch.

Savan doesn't want to see other children to be preyed by their own parents or the traffickers and warns young children of some of parent's or traffickers tricks.

"I would like to appeal to other children that if your mother asks you to follow her to work somewhere, just don't go. Study hard. Don't do like the way I did; otherwise, you all will regret."

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