What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking is the global trade in humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Other forms of human trafficking include the extraction of organs or tissues, including surrogacy and ova removal; or for providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage. Our team in Iris Cambodia is committed to tackling the illegal practice of human trafficking in practical and tangible ways in our local community.
Our Response to Human Trafficking
In Cambodia, we see all of these mentioned above manifest themselves all throughout the country. We currently have bases in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Kampot. There are many different ways to prevent human trafficking. Our response to human trafficking is through prevention, protection, prosecution, and rehabilitation of victims. We have seen that when you work in a community educating the parents and guardians of the children in that area you bring awareness which empowers them to make choices that protect their families.
Iris Cambodia is committed to tackling the illegal practice of Human Trafficking in practical ways, which has an impact at a community level and partnered with global awareness.
Prevention: We provide education and awareness, partnered with health care to those most vulnerable. We also work with children & families who are commonly living below the poverty line.
Protection: We offer safe environments like our Children’s Day Center to ensure protection.
Prosecution: We help with case work, court evidence, and collaborate with government agencies. We also partner with police & prosecution organizations.
Rehabilitation Of Victims: We work to restore victims' lives by offering restoration of identity, childhood, and safety. We provide counseling and art therapy.
We are in our communities every week meeting with our families, having kids center activities, soccer programs, gatherings for parents to learn and talk about their concerns, and spending time with them relationally to build trust and better understand their situations. Educating and bringing awareness is the greatest way to prevent a human from being trafficked. We speak with the children during program times and their families during home visits about strangers, physical safety, importance of basic education, and how they can keep one another safe. By coming alongside those in our communities we are able to educate on the risks involved, empower with knowledge, and encourage them through consistent relationship.
Our experience over the years has taught us prevention starts in the home. Parents are the primary decision makers in the family unit and have the ability to instantly change the course of their children’s lives in a single moment. Our team invest heavily in long-term relationships with the families in our communities. This work is often viewed as being ‘slow’ and ‘unglamorous’, where in fact we know that transparent and trustworthy relationships are critical to prevention.
