Mu Sochua’s supporters march in Phnom Penh
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Mrs. Mu Sochua led a march in Phnom Penh following the announcement of her unfair verdict (All photos: SRP)
Archive for the ‘KI Media’ Category
Mrs. Mu Sochua led a march in Phnom Penh following the announcement of her unfair verdict (All photos: SRP) Cambodian MP guilty of defamation
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Mu Sochua was stripped of her legal immunity and lost her seat in parliament [EPA]
Hun Sen has said rights groups are interfering in Cambodia's affairs [GALLO/GETTY]Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Al Jazeera
A Cambodian court has ordered an opposition member of parliament to pay $4,100 in damages after finding her guilty of defaming the country's prime minister.
A municipal court in the capital Phnom Penh ruled on Tuesday that Mu Sochua of the Sam Rainsy Party had defamed Hun Sen when she tried to sue him over comments he allegedly made about her conduct during last year's election campaign.
Critics have said the ruling reflected Hun Sen's determination to use Cambodia's courts to silence opposition critics.
"That was not justice in the courtroom. It was totally political," Sochua told reporters, who were banned from attending the court session.
"I will continue to fight until I get justice. Today, the court could have been a light for justice. The judge gave us darkness instead."
In early April, Hun Sen referred to an unnamed politician as a "strong leg," a term seen by some in Cambodia as offensive to women.
Mu Sochua has said the speech referred to her. She also denounced his remarks in another speech.
The court rejected her lawsuit in June, saying that it was groundless, but it moved ahead with the prime minister's countersuit.
Sochua, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her work against the trafficking of women in Cambodia, and Ho Vann, another politician, were stripped of their legal immunity last month and lost their seats in parliament.
Vann is accused of spreading false information and faces three years in prison.
Government crackdown
Sochua's case is the latest in a series of lawsuits and arrests targeting opposition voices.
Hang Chkra, a newspaper editor is serving a one-year sentence in Phnom Penh for writing about alleged government corruption.
In June Moeung Sonn, an opposition activist, fled the country after being given a two-year sentence for questioning a lighting system at the Angkor Wat temple complex, the country's biggest tourism drawcard.
Another opposition newspaper shut down after 10 years of publishing to avoid government legal action.
In June, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia and the New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the lawsuits against the politicians.
In a statement, the UN said the lawsuits undermined the constitutional freedom of opinion and expression.
Human Rights Watch said that Hun Sen had "a long history of trying to muzzle Cambodia's political opposition and undermine the independence of the legal profession".
Last month, the prime minister, a former Khmer Rouge fighter, criticised rights groups and foreign diplomats for interfering in Cambodia's internal affairs after they voiced concern about the removal of Sochua and Vann's parliamentary immunity.
Hun Sen has dominated Cambodian politics for more than two decades and won a landslide election in July last year.
A municipal court in the capital Phnom Penh ruled on Tuesday that Mu Sochua of the Sam Rainsy Party had defamed Hun Sen when she tried to sue him over comments he allegedly made about her conduct during last year's election campaign.
Critics have said the ruling reflected Hun Sen's determination to use Cambodia's courts to silence opposition critics.
"That was not justice in the courtroom. It was totally political," Sochua told reporters, who were banned from attending the court session.
"I will continue to fight until I get justice. Today, the court could have been a light for justice. The judge gave us darkness instead."
In early April, Hun Sen referred to an unnamed politician as a "strong leg," a term seen by some in Cambodia as offensive to women.
Mu Sochua has said the speech referred to her. She also denounced his remarks in another speech.
The court rejected her lawsuit in June, saying that it was groundless, but it moved ahead with the prime minister's countersuit.
Sochua, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for her work against the trafficking of women in Cambodia, and Ho Vann, another politician, were stripped of their legal immunity last month and lost their seats in parliament.
Vann is accused of spreading false information and faces three years in prison.
Government crackdown
Sochua's case is the latest in a series of lawsuits and arrests targeting opposition voices.
Hang Chkra, a newspaper editor is serving a one-year sentence in Phnom Penh for writing about alleged government corruption.
In June Moeung Sonn, an opposition activist, fled the country after being given a two-year sentence for questioning a lighting system at the Angkor Wat temple complex, the country's biggest tourism drawcard.
Another opposition newspaper shut down after 10 years of publishing to avoid government legal action.
In June, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia and the New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the lawsuits against the politicians.
In a statement, the UN said the lawsuits undermined the constitutional freedom of opinion and expression.
Human Rights Watch said that Hun Sen had "a long history of trying to muzzle Cambodia's political opposition and undermine the independence of the legal profession".
Last month, the prime minister, a former Khmer Rouge fighter, criticised rights groups and foreign diplomats for interfering in Cambodia's internal affairs after they voiced concern about the removal of Sochua and Vann's parliamentary immunity.
Hun Sen has dominated Cambodian politics for more than two decades and won a landslide election in July last year.
Cambodian PM Wins Defamation Case Against Activist
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Mu Sochua gestures in front of Phnom Penh Municipality Court in Phnom Penh, 04 Aug 2009By Luke Hunt, VOA
Phnom Penh
04 August 2009
In Cambodia, opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua has been fined $4,000 for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Mu Sochua, the former minister for women's affairs, sat quietly in the court Tuesday as the judge ruled she had defamed Hun Sen at an April news conference.
The suit was brought against her in a tit-for-tat action after she initially attempted to sue the prime minister, also for defamation, over derogatory remarks he allegedly made.
However, the court dismissed her suit. Many rights activists had expected Tuesday's ruling, as there is a history of political interference in Cambodia's judiciary.
Mu Sochua says that outside influence frightened lawyers away from taking her case and affected some of the court's rulings.
"If the court, the judiciary system in Cambodia were free, independent and impartial, my case should not even go to court. It's the case that I filed against the prime minister of Cambodia for defaming me that should have gone to court," she said.
She and human rights activists say the courts are being used to silence government critics, after a rash of law suits was brought against the opposition and civic groups.
"I think he feels I am too critical, I am too vocal and his aim is to destroy the opposition," she said. "I think it's about wanting to eliminate the voice of the opposition."
Mu Sochua originally served as a member of Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet, but later left the government and now is a senior member of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. The U.S.-educated social activist has long worked to help Cambodian women and children, particularly victims of human trafficking and the sex trade. She has been internationally recognized for her human rights work.
The Sam Rainsy Party has indicated it will pay the $4,000. Almost half will go to the state, the balance to the prime minister. Mu Sochua has one month to appeal the verdict.
Mu Sochua, the former minister for women's affairs, sat quietly in the court Tuesday as the judge ruled she had defamed Hun Sen at an April news conference.
The suit was brought against her in a tit-for-tat action after she initially attempted to sue the prime minister, also for defamation, over derogatory remarks he allegedly made.
However, the court dismissed her suit. Many rights activists had expected Tuesday's ruling, as there is a history of political interference in Cambodia's judiciary.
Mu Sochua says that outside influence frightened lawyers away from taking her case and affected some of the court's rulings.
"If the court, the judiciary system in Cambodia were free, independent and impartial, my case should not even go to court. It's the case that I filed against the prime minister of Cambodia for defaming me that should have gone to court," she said.
She and human rights activists say the courts are being used to silence government critics, after a rash of law suits was brought against the opposition and civic groups.
"I think he feels I am too critical, I am too vocal and his aim is to destroy the opposition," she said. "I think it's about wanting to eliminate the voice of the opposition."
Mu Sochua originally served as a member of Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet, but later left the government and now is a senior member of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. The U.S.-educated social activist has long worked to help Cambodian women and children, particularly victims of human trafficking and the sex trade. She has been internationally recognized for her human rights work.
The Sam Rainsy Party has indicated it will pay the $4,000. Almost half will go to the state, the balance to the prime minister. Mu Sochua has one month to appeal the verdict.
Opposition rejects the court decision
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
04 August 2009Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
SRP and HRP MPs issued a joint statement on Tuesday to firmly reject the verdict of the Phnom Penh municipal court that was handed down on 04 August. The court decided that Mrs. Mu Sochua must pay a fine and a compensation to Hun Xen, both of which amounts to 16.5 million riels ($4,125). The opposition statement indicated that Mrs. Mu Sochua should not be sentenced by an incapable and biased court, which in the defamation lawsuit brought up by Mu Sochua against Hun Sen and Mu Sochua’s lawsuit is supported by tangible proof, rejected Mrs Mu Sochua’s lawsuit instead. Mrs. Mu Sochua is a victim but the National Assembly turned around and lifted her parliamentary immunity and thereby removing her rights to defend herself. The statement called on the international community to continue paying attention and following up on the situation in Cambodia in order to prevent the abuse of defamation lawsuits and the abuse of the judicial system to counter the critics. The international community should push the government to bring to fruitful results the judicial reform, and the government must be determined to put into place all the principles of a plural democracy system.
Cambodia cancels landmine pageant
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Sou Yeu, 35, is the candidate from the Kompong Cham regionMonday, 3 August 2009
BBC News
A beauty pageant for landmine victims has been cancelled by the Cambodian government, which branded it an insult to disabled people.
Authorities said the contest, due to launch on Friday, would damage "the dignity and honour" of participants.
Twenty women were to have competed for the title of Miss Landmine and the prize of a high-tech prosthetic limb.
Norwegian organiser Morten Traavik expressed disappointment, but said the contest would go ahead on the internet.
He said the result would be announced on 31 December. The website shows photos of the contestants, with missing limbs, wearing crowns and dresses. They are aged from 18 to 48.
Between four and six million landmines are thought to have been laid in Cambodia during its three decades of civil war.
'Mockery'
Mr Traavik - who launched the first Miss Landmine pageant in Angola two years ago - said his contest was intended to raise awareness about the issue and empower those whose lives had been affected by the explosive devices.
"I'm not looking forward to breaking the news to the 20 candidates involved, as I know they will be very disappointed in the lack of support from Cambodian authorities," he told AFP news agency.
Photographs of the participants were to have been shown in an exhibition in the capital, Phnom Penh.
But government spokesman Khieu Khanarith said the competition would "make a mockery of Cambodia's landmine victims".
"The government does not support this contest," he said.
Government and NGO teams are working to clear the country's landmines, but swathes of contaminated land remain in western border regions.
In 2007, more than 350 people were killed or injured in blasts from landmines or unexploded ordnance, Landmine Monitor said.
Authorities said the contest, due to launch on Friday, would damage "the dignity and honour" of participants.
Twenty women were to have competed for the title of Miss Landmine and the prize of a high-tech prosthetic limb.
Norwegian organiser Morten Traavik expressed disappointment, but said the contest would go ahead on the internet.
He said the result would be announced on 31 December. The website shows photos of the contestants, with missing limbs, wearing crowns and dresses. They are aged from 18 to 48.
Between four and six million landmines are thought to have been laid in Cambodia during its three decades of civil war.
'Mockery'
Mr Traavik - who launched the first Miss Landmine pageant in Angola two years ago - said his contest was intended to raise awareness about the issue and empower those whose lives had been affected by the explosive devices.
"I'm not looking forward to breaking the news to the 20 candidates involved, as I know they will be very disappointed in the lack of support from Cambodian authorities," he told AFP news agency.
Photographs of the participants were to have been shown in an exhibition in the capital, Phnom Penh.
But government spokesman Khieu Khanarith said the competition would "make a mockery of Cambodia's landmine victims".
"The government does not support this contest," he said.
Government and NGO teams are working to clear the country's landmines, but swathes of contaminated land remain in western border regions.
In 2007, more than 350 people were killed or injured in blasts from landmines or unexploded ordnance, Landmine Monitor said.
Cambodia experiences a first half decline in tourist arrivals
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
eTravel Blackboard
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eTravel Blackboard
Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism revealed an overall decline in the numbers of foreign visitors to the country in the first half of the year.
The number of South Koreans visiting Cambodia declined more than any other market, down one-third from 160,400 to 106,300.
The numbers of tourists from other key markets such as Japan, China, Thailand and Australia also declined between one-quarter and 10 percent.
Vietnam was the only country among Cambodia’s top six tourism markets to register a growth, with numbers up 40 percent to 147,700.
The ministry warned that the tourism downturn has had a pronounced effect on employees in the industry.
In a survey of 72 hotels the tourism ministry determined that between a third and a half of jobs had been cut at 12 hotels, and that working hours had been reduced by the same proportion at the remaining 60 hotels.
Around 300,000 Cambodians work in the tourism sector, with "between 50 and 60 percent" employed at hotels, guesthouses and other tourist accommodation.
Tourism Ministry Secretary of State So Mara announced Wednesday that the driving factor behind the slowdown was the global economic crisis.
But he is optimistic the clouds over the sector will lift, and said the government and private sector are working on strategies to reverse the decline.
"We expect that the number of tourists from these five countries will leap later this year because we already preparing to hire airtime in those countries to woo tourists," So Mara said.
The tourism ministry spent around US$340,000 on its "Kingdom of Wonder" ad campaign that aired on CNN in July last year.
So Mara said the ministry would replicate the campaign and buy airtime from TV channels in South Korea, China and Japan.
The ministry's campaign was welcomed by Luu Meng, the president of the Cambodian Hotel Association.
He said television advertising and this week's launch of national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air would both represent a welcome help.
"And we hope the number of tourists visiting Cambodia will pick up from the end of September, because that is the start of the tourism season," Luu Meng said.
He added that moves by hotel operators to cut staff numbers and working hours would work as a short-term solution to combat the problem of lower visitor numbers.
"There will be nothing to worry about provided they don't actually close down their hotels," he said.
The number of South Koreans visiting Cambodia declined more than any other market, down one-third from 160,400 to 106,300.
The numbers of tourists from other key markets such as Japan, China, Thailand and Australia also declined between one-quarter and 10 percent.
Vietnam was the only country among Cambodia’s top six tourism markets to register a growth, with numbers up 40 percent to 147,700.
The ministry warned that the tourism downturn has had a pronounced effect on employees in the industry.
In a survey of 72 hotels the tourism ministry determined that between a third and a half of jobs had been cut at 12 hotels, and that working hours had been reduced by the same proportion at the remaining 60 hotels.
Around 300,000 Cambodians work in the tourism sector, with "between 50 and 60 percent" employed at hotels, guesthouses and other tourist accommodation.
Tourism Ministry Secretary of State So Mara announced Wednesday that the driving factor behind the slowdown was the global economic crisis.
But he is optimistic the clouds over the sector will lift, and said the government and private sector are working on strategies to reverse the decline.
"We expect that the number of tourists from these five countries will leap later this year because we already preparing to hire airtime in those countries to woo tourists," So Mara said.
The tourism ministry spent around US$340,000 on its "Kingdom of Wonder" ad campaign that aired on CNN in July last year.
So Mara said the ministry would replicate the campaign and buy airtime from TV channels in South Korea, China and Japan.
The ministry's campaign was welcomed by Luu Meng, the president of the Cambodian Hotel Association.
He said television advertising and this week's launch of national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air would both represent a welcome help.
"And we hope the number of tourists visiting Cambodia will pick up from the end of September, because that is the start of the tourism season," Luu Meng said.
He added that moves by hotel operators to cut staff numbers and working hours would work as a short-term solution to combat the problem of lower visitor numbers.
"There will be nothing to worry about provided they don't actually close down their hotels," he said.
Cambodia A/H1N1 flu cases rise to 21
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009PHNOM PENH, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's confirmed A/H1N1 flu cases have increased to 21 on Monday, a health official said here Monday.
The latest cases were two Khmers who traveled from Hong Kong, but so far, nobody died of the virus in Cambodia, Sok Touch, director of Communicable Disease Control Department of Cambodian Health Ministry, told Xinhua. The two persons are receiving treatment in hospital and in a stable condition, according to Sok Touch.
Cambodia has tightened the monitoring and tracking system at two main airports, Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport, by using thermal scanners.
Last month, Cambodia Health Ministry issued a call to appeal people not to travel to neighboring Thailand if they were not in urgent need.
Prime Minister Hun Sen last week also expressed his concern on the download of country's tourism, citing the affection of A/H1N1 flu and the world economic and financial crisis. However, Hun Sen ensured the foreign tourists that Cambodia is tightening security and social orders including strictly monitoring on the new flu to provide safety for all tourists.
Cambodia's first case of influenza A/H1N1 was confirmed on June 23, 2009.
The latest cases were two Khmers who traveled from Hong Kong, but so far, nobody died of the virus in Cambodia, Sok Touch, director of Communicable Disease Control Department of Cambodian Health Ministry, told Xinhua. The two persons are receiving treatment in hospital and in a stable condition, according to Sok Touch.
Cambodia has tightened the monitoring and tracking system at two main airports, Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport, by using thermal scanners.
Last month, Cambodia Health Ministry issued a call to appeal people not to travel to neighboring Thailand if they were not in urgent need.
Prime Minister Hun Sen last week also expressed his concern on the download of country's tourism, citing the affection of A/H1N1 flu and the world economic and financial crisis. However, Hun Sen ensured the foreign tourists that Cambodia is tightening security and social orders including strictly monitoring on the new flu to provide safety for all tourists.
Cambodia's first case of influenza A/H1N1 was confirmed on June 23, 2009.
Four Soldiers Poisoned by Mushroom Soup
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 August 2009
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Original report from Phnom Penh
03 August 2009
Three soldiers died and one became seriously ill after eating potentially poisonous mushrooms picked near the temple of Preah Vihear, where a border dispute with Thailand continues, military officials said Monday.
The first death took place on July 27, followed by one on July 29 and one on July 30. The fourth soldier remains hospitalized in Siem Reap.
Chea Mon, commander of Division 4, said the men cooked and ate unknown mushrooms in a soup a few days prior to the deaths.
“We tried to cure them, but we couldn’t help, because they ate a lot of poisonous mushrooms,” he said.
The deceased soldiers were identified as Ros Mao, 30, So Rim, 32, and Sing Roeun, 34. Yoeun Be, 30, remains in the hospital.
The soldiers were stationed near Preah Vihear temple, where an ongoing border dispute has meant the mobilization of thousands of soldiers over the past year.
Srey Douk, commander of the armed forces in the Preah Vihear operation, said his soldiers had plenty of food to eat, thanks to donations, and he warned other soldiers against eating unknown mushrooms scavenged from the forest.
The first death took place on July 27, followed by one on July 29 and one on July 30. The fourth soldier remains hospitalized in Siem Reap.
Chea Mon, commander of Division 4, said the men cooked and ate unknown mushrooms in a soup a few days prior to the deaths.
“We tried to cure them, but we couldn’t help, because they ate a lot of poisonous mushrooms,” he said.
The deceased soldiers were identified as Ros Mao, 30, So Rim, 32, and Sing Roeun, 34. Yoeun Be, 30, remains in the hospital.
The soldiers were stationed near Preah Vihear temple, where an ongoing border dispute has meant the mobilization of thousands of soldiers over the past year.
Srey Douk, commander of the armed forces in the Preah Vihear operation, said his soldiers had plenty of food to eat, thanks to donations, and he warned other soldiers against eating unknown mushrooms scavenged from the forest.
Lack of Clean Water, Sanitation Costs Millions: Group
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
03 August 2009
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Original report from Washington
03 August 2009
The lack of clean water and sanitation is costing Cambodia around half a billion dollars every year in poor health and a loss of tourists, a study has found.
In a discussion titled, “Water is Medicine,” Jaehyang So, manager of the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, said that a study commissioned by the organization on economic impacts caused by the lack of water and sanitation shows that Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam lose around $9 billion every year.
“All of a sudden, the lack of sanitation became not a problem of the poor person that doesn’t have access to sanitation, but it became a real constraint to economic growth in the country,” she told an audience of health experts and policymakers last week in Washington.
In Cambodia, knowledge and access to sanitation and clean water are limited, while less than 30 percent of rural population has decent latrines. But advocates say their knowledge about sanitation has increased in the past year due to many campaigns to raise their awareness.
“Nowadays we focus our campaign on three points: firstly, building rural toilets; secondly, washing hands with soap after going to the toilet and eating food; and finally, drinking safe water and keeping their water at home safely,” Chea Samnang, director of the Ministry of Rural Development’s rural sanitation department, told VOA Khmer by phone Thursday.
Diarrhea is still the main disease caused by a lack of sanitation and clean water and is a leading cause of death in Cambodia and other countries around the world.
So said poor health, disease and the loss of tourists who won’t come to a country without proper sanitation cost Cambodia $488 million a year.
“With this information the government could truly understand that in addition to providing sanitation for every household and every citizen of Cambodia…they could not afford not to provide that sanitation, because without sanitation Cambodia was losing seven percent of GDP,” So told VOA Khmer.
Experts estimate that the lack of sanitation and clean water kills some 1.5 million children every year worldwide, while even small investments to counter the problem can save lives.
In a discussion titled, “Water is Medicine,” Jaehyang So, manager of the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, said that a study commissioned by the organization on economic impacts caused by the lack of water and sanitation shows that Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam lose around $9 billion every year.
“All of a sudden, the lack of sanitation became not a problem of the poor person that doesn’t have access to sanitation, but it became a real constraint to economic growth in the country,” she told an audience of health experts and policymakers last week in Washington.
In Cambodia, knowledge and access to sanitation and clean water are limited, while less than 30 percent of rural population has decent latrines. But advocates say their knowledge about sanitation has increased in the past year due to many campaigns to raise their awareness.
“Nowadays we focus our campaign on three points: firstly, building rural toilets; secondly, washing hands with soap after going to the toilet and eating food; and finally, drinking safe water and keeping their water at home safely,” Chea Samnang, director of the Ministry of Rural Development’s rural sanitation department, told VOA Khmer by phone Thursday.
Diarrhea is still the main disease caused by a lack of sanitation and clean water and is a leading cause of death in Cambodia and other countries around the world.
So said poor health, disease and the loss of tourists who won’t come to a country without proper sanitation cost Cambodia $488 million a year.
“With this information the government could truly understand that in addition to providing sanitation for every household and every citizen of Cambodia…they could not afford not to provide that sanitation, because without sanitation Cambodia was losing seven percent of GDP,” So told VOA Khmer.
Experts estimate that the lack of sanitation and clean water kills some 1.5 million children every year worldwide, while even small investments to counter the problem can save lives.
Former sex slave seeks help as 4-year-old found in brothel
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
Mon Aug 3, 2009
By Belinda Goldsmith
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By Belinda Goldsmith
CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) - A former sex slave on Monday launched a global campaign against trafficking, saying the age of girls forced into prostitution keeps getting younger.
Cambodian Somaly Mam, whose eponymous foundation is dedicated to fighting the $12 billion a year sex-trafficking industry, said a four-year-old girl was found last month at a brothel in Cambodia after being reported by a male client.
The youngster had been sold to the brothel by her mother, who is also a prostitute.
She is now being cared for at one of the seven shelters run by the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam set up to protect and rehabilitate girls rescued from sex slavery. The group also has an office in Thailand dealing with repatriation.
"You just have to hold her and stay with her and show her that you love her. Children can become children again," Mam told Reuters as she launched a joint venture with cosmetics retailer The Body Shop to raise awareness of sex trafficking.
"There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls. In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger."
The United Nations estimates that two million women and children are trafficked every year, with 30 percent of these in Asia. Poor families sometimes sell a daughter to pay off debts.
PERSONAL TRAGEDY
Mam personally knows the horror of a life of slavery having been sold to a brothel at the age of 16 by an abusive elderly man whom she called "grandfather." She was sold to pay off his debts.
She managed to escape the brothel with the help of a Swiss patron who paid off the owner and has since campaigned tirelessly against forced prostitution, setting up the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007 to rescue and rehabilitate girls.
She was recently named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People."
Mam, who wrote about her journey from sex slave to crusader against prostitution in her memoir "The Road of Lost Innocence," has faced threats from pimps and organized crime syndicates over the years while her shelters have come under armed attack.
In 2006, Mam's teenage daughter was kidnapped. She was eventually rescued, but Mam still refuses to leave her work.
"All my family is safe now. We have bodyguards for my children," said Mam who refuses to give details about where her family lives.
She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.
She also hoped this would lead to an increase in funds available to set up shelters were former sex workers could be trained in other industries such as sewing, weaving and even micro-finance so that they could set up their own businesses.
Over the next three years The Body Shop will campaign for governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and to dedicate more resources to this cause.
"I need everyone to help our work, to open everyone's eyes to what is going on with trafficking children and what is going on in Cambodia, Asia and around the world," said Mam.
"It is not easy to get funding ... and the more people get involved the more we can stop trafficking."
Cambodian Somaly Mam, whose eponymous foundation is dedicated to fighting the $12 billion a year sex-trafficking industry, said a four-year-old girl was found last month at a brothel in Cambodia after being reported by a male client.
The youngster had been sold to the brothel by her mother, who is also a prostitute.
She is now being cared for at one of the seven shelters run by the Somaly Mam Foundation in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam set up to protect and rehabilitate girls rescued from sex slavery. The group also has an office in Thailand dealing with repatriation.
"You just have to hold her and stay with her and show her that you love her. Children can become children again," Mam told Reuters as she launched a joint venture with cosmetics retailer The Body Shop to raise awareness of sex trafficking.
"There is this belief that having sex with a virgin will cure you of HIV so there is an increasing market for younger and younger girls. In my time it was girls aged 15 or 16 but it has got younger and younger."
The United Nations estimates that two million women and children are trafficked every year, with 30 percent of these in Asia. Poor families sometimes sell a daughter to pay off debts.
PERSONAL TRAGEDY
Mam personally knows the horror of a life of slavery having been sold to a brothel at the age of 16 by an abusive elderly man whom she called "grandfather." She was sold to pay off his debts.
She managed to escape the brothel with the help of a Swiss patron who paid off the owner and has since campaigned tirelessly against forced prostitution, setting up the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007 to rescue and rehabilitate girls.
She was recently named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People."
Mam, who wrote about her journey from sex slave to crusader against prostitution in her memoir "The Road of Lost Innocence," has faced threats from pimps and organized crime syndicates over the years while her shelters have come under armed attack.
In 2006, Mam's teenage daughter was kidnapped. She was eventually rescued, but Mam still refuses to leave her work.
"All my family is safe now. We have bodyguards for my children," said Mam who refuses to give details about where her family lives.
She said global awareness about sexual slavery was extremely low and she hoped that joining forces with The Body Shop in a campaign spanning 60 nations would raise the issue's profile.
She also hoped this would lead to an increase in funds available to set up shelters were former sex workers could be trained in other industries such as sewing, weaving and even micro-finance so that they could set up their own businesses.
Over the next three years The Body Shop will campaign for governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and to dedicate more resources to this cause.
"I need everyone to help our work, to open everyone's eyes to what is going on with trafficking children and what is going on in Cambodia, Asia and around the world," said Mam.
"It is not easy to get funding ... and the more people get involved the more we can stop trafficking."