ACWP founded SCIC program after discovering a small village in Cambodia that was formed by a group of poor Vietnamese immigrants whose families migrate to Cambodia in search for work. For some desperate families, parents resulted to selling their children to brothels.

ACWP aims to help children who may be lured into sex trafficking. As a result, ACWP has developed various programs to provide immediate solution and long-term commitment to preventing children from being a victim of human trafficking crime; i.e., ranges from providing education, or vocational training and financial assistance.

By employing "Preventive Solutions" with a philosophy of not being limited to just giving money or scholarships, but also committing to guiding each child through various phases of their young life and giving them a glimmer of hope for a better future.

Status
In recent years, child trafficking in Southeast Asia has emerged as a globally recognized phenomenon and a major concern to many human rights advocates. The number of young girls being sold to brothels in Cambodia and trafficked from Viet Nam has increased significantly during this period. Several factors have combined to produce the effects of such atrocious crimes in this area including: high rates of unemployment, low incomes for working families, lack of education and job training, and legislation.

Added to these factors is the lack of enforcement by the local jurisdiction for children protection throughout the South East Asia. Moreover, reduction in government funding has also weakened families’ abilities to provide its basic food, lodging needs. As a result, Cambodia had become an easy target for sexual predators to prey on young and innocent children.

To better understand the silent tragedy incurred by these children, ACWP members had made trips (out-of-pocket expense) to Cambodia every year since 2004 such as Phnom Penh and Svay Pak. As ACWP members traveled further into these regions, the staff witnessed severe conditions such as young girls providing sex services, being victims of sexual abuse and sexual transmitted disease (STD) such as HIV/AIDS.

Svay Pak is a notorious brothel village in Kampuchea, where very young girls are often sold or trafficked from the Southwest regions of Vietnam. Virgin girls between ages 7 and 12 are being paid very high by demand. Many foreign businessmen are willing to pay as high as $500-600 USD per week for the possession of these girls. For this reason, prostitution becomes the only source of income and survival for families who lives in the surrounding areas. Based on ACWP quick survey, the majority of these children are of Vietnamese descent.

The predominant key factors to this extreme form of child labor appear to be: children who born into poverty are sold to brothel owners by their families, while others become victims of hoax job offers.

Many Vietnamese families residing in remote villages in Kampuchea struggle under mass poverty and have limited access to job opportunities. Children are often malnourished and are forced to use their bodies as a solution to crises spawned by family poverty, either by being sold into prostitution or being hoaxed into thinking that they have legitimate job offers, as simple as serving coffee and working in restaurants. These young girls are often being beaten and physically abused by their pimps and brothel owners when they refuse to provide sex services to grown men.

Among these young girls, many of them want to escape extreme poverty and violence at home, or voluntarily but temporarily give up their freedom to meet a debt or other unfulfilled obligation to their families. These families frequently have alcoholic parents, gamblers, drug addicts and/or one or both parents absent from the family structure due to divorce, death or separation.

ACWP members also visited a school nearby Svay Pak village. With current shortages of funding in Cambodia as a whole, finding an affordable classroom has become challenging. There are approximately 90 children packed into a small classroom with only one instructor available. Even so, the result has been positive. Being involved with school and work, many young girls have been prevented from being sold to brothels or becoming victims to the sex industry and are being helped to break away from prostitution for good.

Not being able to obtain Cambodian citizenship, Vietnamese refugees have become victims of discrimination, prejudice and are targets of violent hate crimes perpetrated by native Cambodians, such as fire assaults, physical threats and demands of bribery from corrupt local police. There is no existing law enforcement system to protect the children’s rights. As a result, Kampuchea easily becomes a target for sexual predators, such as child traffickers, perpetrators of sexual abuse and many other illegal sexual practices. In the early 1990s, the percentage of child prostitution increased tremendously, reaching rates three times higher than in previous years. With the absence of legal support combined with their illegal status, these young girls are at hazardous risk of extreme sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as psychological and physical threats.

Major obstacles that led these children to prostitution are their limited opportunities for education and vocational training. Primary contributing factors that hinder the children’s education are: lack of citizenship privileges, illiteracy among parents and obligation to family debt, lack guidance, negligence, and social exclusion.

The three main cases in which the children become victims of child trafficking are:

1) Extreme poverty - the parents/guardians sell their own children for a few hundred dollars.

2) Extreme poverty - the children are tricked and lured into thinking they will work for a coffee shop but instead they are sold into brothels to become sex slaves to grown men (included are American tourists according Dateline NBC investigations).

3) The children are kidnapped by sexual predators and become commodities to exchange for cash.

Once the children are placed in the brothels, they are often beaten and sold from one brothel to the next. They fear for their lives and live day-by-day, not knowing if they will ever see their families again. Despite the hardships they already have endured, some of these children also contracted sexual diseases and illness as a result of their forced work.

There are approximately 14 villages surrounding Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia that we have identified as areas containing Vietnamese families on the verge of losing a child to prostitution. Each village has 200-400 families and most families have more than one child. Any family living in these villages with more than one daugther will be tempted to sell one to a brothel owner in Svay Pak. Svay Pak is the most notorious of the 14 villages and will be a primary focus for our staff. Our goal is to stop the crime before it happens by placing a selected number of girls into one of our Preventative Solutions Programs. Currently, we have a team conducting interviews with families within the mentioned region. These interviews will allow us to determine the specific needs of a child. ACWP will evaluate all cases collected by our staff to see which cases require the most immediate assistance.

A child that qualifies for our assistance will participate in one of the following Preventative Solutions Programs (1-7) below. Donations will go toward one or more of the following solutions based on the request of the donor to sponsor a particular case, the amount of the donation, and/or the priority level of each Preventative Solutions as decided on by our Board.

The purpose of the job training programs is to provide the children practical tools and materials in learning specific skills so they can market themselves in the real working world. Most children living in poverty are very motivated and hard working. But since they lack education and skills, no one is willing to give them an opportunity for advancement. For instance, children can be taught to sew, fix motorcycles, repair watches, cut hair, or cook in a restaurant. We have identified various job-training programs in Phnom Penh (Cambodia). The job training facilities will feed and house the children for the length of the program.

Children will be selected to attend a job-training program in Phnom Penh. Want to Help? Click Here

The children we are targeting are a part of families who are barely making enough money to eat and the option of sending their children to school does not exist. Most villages are so poor that they do not have a functioning school in place. Without any education, children in these villages cannot escape a life of poverty and become increasingly vulnerable to influences of brother owners. We have located a school in Phnom Penh that will teach, feed, and house the children for the entire duration of their schooling.

Children will be selected to attend schooling programs in Phnom Penh. Want to Help? Click Here

ACWP has renovated an existing school in Svay Pak and will continue to keep the maintenance of this school a priority.  The school now has a new coat of paint, a new bathroom, and a brand new library.  The school is currently managed by Soeur Sina a Catholic Nun.  There are 4 classes for the 100 students attending this school, 2 morning classes and 2 afternoon classes.  The 2 morning classes are taught by 2 teachers and are mainly for the younger children (100 kids). The 2 afternoon classes are taught by another 2 teachers and are for the older children (20 kids).

Even with limited budget ACWP continues to operate and maintain operation for the school.  Want to Help? Click Here

ACWP would like to expand the school in Svay Pak to include a youth center for after school activities.  Such activities might include reading books, learning how to use a computer, or just simply exchanging ideas/knowledge with other students.  The cost for this project will be approximately $30K - $40K USD.

Not all children are old enough to attend schools in Phnom Penh. These children typically have never had any educational instruction. For these children, will we hire traveling teachers that will teach very young children in villages surrounding Phnom Penh basic reading and writing skills. Four teachers will try and teach in as many of the villages as possible. Schools can be set up in churches, temples, homes, outside, or in any existing structure safe enough for the children to learn in. Four teachers will teach as many as 300 very young children during their rotation.

Even with limited budget ACWP plans to hire 4 traveling teachers to teach 200 - 300 very young children.  Want to Help? Click Here

Not all children will qualify to attend schools in Phnom Penh. These children will fall slightly under the Board's requirements for determining the 30 students that will attend school in Phnom Penh. For these children, will we hire traveling teachers that will teach these children in villages surrounding Phnom Penh advanced reading, writing, and math skills. Two to four teachers will try and teach in as many of the villages as possible. Schools can be set up in churches, temples, homes, outside, or in any existing structure safe enough for students to learn in. Two teachers will teach as many as 100-200 children during their rotation.

Even with limited budget, ACWP plans to hire 2 - 4 traveling teachers to serve roughly 100-200 children. 

6. Head of Household Fund

In some cases, there are 17 to 20 year olds that do not fall into the age range that our organization wishes to focus on. However, in some of these cases, these young adults are the "head of the household" and are expected to take care of their younger siblings and other family members. We wish to provide one time assistance, schooling, training, or emergency relief to children with multiple siblings, typically more than 2 younger siblings, in villages surrounding Phnom Penh.

ACWP will provide schooling or job training depending on the needs of the individuals we’ve identified as needing assistance.  Want to Help? Click Here

This budget is for extreme cases where our assistance is needed. For example, there are some cases when children are kidnapped and then recovered by other non-government organizations. Often times these are Vietnamese children that were victims of sex trafficking and have no rights since they are living in Cambodia. Legal assistance would need to be provided in this case. Other instances of emergency relief would include hunger and medical relief.  Want to Help? Click Here

After just a few years of prostitution life, some of the children become very ill and are no longer useful to their pimps. They are either sent back home or sent to a remote area to avoid contact with the outside world. These children have sadly become victims of deadly sexual diseases, such as AIDS. The Wish List Program is to provide dying children their last wish. Some of these wishes are as simple as a bicycle or a basket to sell merchandise on the street. Items will be purchased in Viet Nam or Cambodia where the prices or very cheap (The children are never concerned about the price). Even a small donation will enable you to grant a dying child his/her last wish. We view the Wish List fund as a preventative solution because it gives these children hope.  Want to Help? Click Here

Facts

$8,500 was spent to purchase land to build a brand new school for the children.  The school is located an hour from Phnom Penh.  Under our guidance, the school is managed by a Buddhist nun name Giac Hanh.  The school currently has about 108 students age from 5 to 16 years old. 

ACWP renovated an existing school in Svay Pak.  The school now has a new coat of paint, a new bathroom, and a brand new library.  The school is managed by a Catholic nun name Soeur Sina.  There are 4 classes for the 100 students attending this school, 2 morning classes and 2 afternoon classes.  The 2 morning classes are taught by 2 teachers and are mainly for the younger children (100 kids). The 2 afternoon classes are taught by another 2 teachers and are for the older children (20 kids).

ACWP has sent 30 children in Svay Pak and other area to vocational training programs.  Such programs include car mechanics, hairdresser, seamstress, and etc.  These are older children who need professional skills to support themselves and their families immediately.  The cost is about $5,000/year depending on the vocational training classes.

In 2006, a group of staff and volunteers from USA along with three doctors traveled to Cambodia to give free health care and medicine to more than 800 people from three Vietnamese villages, including Svay Pak in Cambodia. More than 500 kids and 300 elderly people were helped throughout the 3 days.

In 2006, ACWP staff went to South Vietnam (Tan Hong –near Cambodia border) to implement the SCIC program. Our target is to build three elementary schools will be built this year and the vocational training program will be put in place. Additionally, 50 scholarships will be hand picked in this rural area. Want to Help? Click Here

Did You Know…

· On January 30, 2004, Dateline NBC sent undercover investigators to explore this issue further by posing as sex predators themselves. Dateline’s report stated that there are more than 30,000 child prostitutes between the ages of 7 and 14 in Phnom Penh; as many as 72% of these are unable to attend school.

· Unofficial estimates say that there are as many as 15,000 prostituted persons in Phnom Penh, and that up to 35% of them have been smuggled into Cambodia from China or Vietnam, mostly from the southwestern provinces of Vietnam (Long An, An Giang, Song Be, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City). Brothel owners pay traffickers from US$350 to $450 (8,750 to 11,250 baht) for each attractive Vietnamese virgin 16 years or younger. Non-virgins and those considered less beautiful are sold from $150 to $170 each (3,750 to 4,250 baht).

· Many of the prostituted women and children in Cambodia are from Vietnam. One third of 55,000 prostitutes in Cambodia are under 18 and most are Vietnamese.

· Prostituted girls, most of them aged 15 to18 years of age, are found in the Svay Pak red-light district of Cambodia. Many girls are much younger. Most of them are smuggled in from Vietnam and all are bound by contracts, which last from six months to over a year. Svay Pak has the largest number of prostituted Vietnamese girls.

· Many of the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 prostitutes in Phnom Penh are believed to be Vietnamese GIRLS and WOMEN. (UNICEF, Children on the Edge, citing, UN ESCAP (2000), UNICEF East Asia and Pacific)

· 3,000 Vietnamese women and children are trafficked to Cambodia for prostitution and China for domestic work. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999)

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Report a Case of Abuse Involving a Victim(s) Outside of the United States:

Phone: 703- 465-5495

Fax: 703.465.5499

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://www.catwinternational.org/fb/Vietnam.html   

http://www.globalmarch.org/worstformsreport/world/vietnam.html   

http://www.ipsnews.net/migration/stories/trading.html  

http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2003/issue2/0203p34.html