Day 2 in Phnom Penh

So, we had our second day in Phnom Penh today and this morning we visited CSARO (Community Sanitation and Recycling Organization) that works with local Khmer people on waste management projects. They have 5 main programs which consist of community organization and infrasctructure, mobile outreach education, solid waste management program, waste picker development program, and environmental awareness and hygeine. It's really a good thing to see because one of the major things we have noticed here is the amount of trash adorning the streets. In Siem Reap (and here) we noticed piles and piles of trash in the small rivers/creeks around the city -- Lily explained that in the past, they used to have bags made from bamboo and could thus dump them anywhere. The overall low education level of the majority of the population also accounts for this lack of waste management. It's really apalling to see how much trash is all around; not just trash, but how much sanitation seems to not be much of a priority. Walking through the open air market yesterday we were surprised by all the new/strange odors, the flies speckling the raw and sunkissed meats, the fish strewn about the ground, the bustle of people touching everything, and the trash filled streets. It's great that the people are realizing that this is a problem and taking steps to educate.

We also visited a Christian NGO called Chab Dai that works to fight human trafficking. They are part of a coalition of 40 organizations working on this problem. They use a few different storyboards to educate the rural people about issues of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Because many of these rural people have no education, showing these lessons in the form of simple picture books is crucial. Their director told us that if they just spoke to them, it would do nothing. It's very interesting to see these situations played out in what resembles a children's book. One of the stories tells about a young native boy who is bought by a white tourist, taken to a hotel, and raped by the older man. The director told us that many Cambodians have a very hard time understanding this story because they do not believe that things like male-male sexual exploitation occurs. Sadly, it's becoming a bigger problem in Cambodia.

In addition to education, the organization passes out educational literature, help-hotline cards, and has a 24-hour national hotline for abused children, which receives up to 100 calls a month. A few other sad truths he told us were concerning women and stigmatization. Many men believe that if they have sex with virgins they will be cured of any kind of diseases (from less serious STDs to HIV), which greatly drives up the demand for younger and younger girls. Another part of the cruel cycle is that once a girl loses her virginity--even through rape--she is considered impure and usually turned away by her family, making staying in the trade even more likely. Once in the trade, women often don't want to be rescued because, in working there--no matter how atrocious--they are earning money to help their families (many are conned into the work because the brothel owners tell them they will send money back to their families). From a very early age, children are expected to help in raising money to support the family. To stop working would disgrace their family even more. Breaking the familial bond is very serious and even trafficked victims fear breaking the bonds if they leave their slavery. They are also told that if they break the bond, they will be cut off from the family forever and experience many rebirths of pain and suffering.

A new trafficking victim we learned about was trafficked beggars. Slave traders take Cambodian children to be "contract beggars" in Vietnam. Some even mutilate or amputate limbs so that the children will have better chances of securing money through begging. It's truly unbelievable to hear about all the terrible things that go on--and human trafficking is hardly a Cambodian issue, but happens all over the world.