Somaly Mam
The strength of a woman is undeniable,
indescribable and unfathomable. We are built with the courage to endure, the
will to go on and the strength to not only bear but persevere and triumph. Somaly
Mam epitomizes the indestructible spirit of resilience that reigns within every
woman. She is a beacon of hope in a land where
hope seems desolate and distant.
A heroine in every sense of the word,
this woman has dedicated her life to fighting modern day slavery and human
trafficking of women in Cambodia.
As a woman that was sold into the life of slavery as a teenager, Somaly Mam
understands the plight of the women that are still in this predicament. Though
she managed to escape her misery, she never forgot those she left behind. She has dedicated her life to fighting this
fight, to bring awareness and shed light on the modern day sex trade and human
trafficking that has taken the lives of so many women around her.
A woman that is steadfast in her vision
she is undeniably the voice of a generation in Southeastern Asia, she has given hope to many. Among her many accolades she was honoured on
Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2009 and was named a CNN Hero
that same year.
I hope
introducing you to this courageous woman ignites a fire in your life. I
sincerely wish that all of you find that courage to unleash your indestructible
spirit. If anything, let this be a lesson to every woman that your life is in
your hands, be the best version of yourself everyday and on hard days remember
this woman and remember that you too have that indestructible spirit.
“Born to a
tribal minority family in the Mondulkiri province of Cambodia,
Somaly Mam began life in extreme poverty. With limited options as a severely
marginalized ethnic group, and living in unimaginable despair, her family often
resorted to desperate means to survive. This confluence of dire circumstances
led to Somaly being sold into sexual slavery by a man who posed as her
grandfather. To this day, due to the passing of time and the unreliability of a
wounded memory, Somaly still does not know who this man was to her.
Yet his
actions set her on an unimaginable path fraught with danger, desperation, and
ultimately triumph. Somaly was forced to work in a brothel along with other
women and children for many years, and was brutally tortured and raped. One
night, she was made to watch as her best friend was viciously murdered.
Deciding then that she would no longer “keep her silence,” Somaly heroically
escaped her captors and began to build a new life abroad.
But she
vowed never to forget those she left behind, and soon returned to Southeast Asia. She dedicated her life’s work to saving
victims, building shelters and programs for healing, and empowering survivors
to become agents of change. In 1996, Somaly established a Cambodian
non-governmental organization called AFESIP (Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation
Precaire).
Under Somaly's leadership, AFESIP
employs a holistic approach that ensures victims not only escape their plight,
but have the emotional and economic strength to face the future with hope. With
the launch of the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007, Somaly has established a
funding vehicle to support anti-trafficking organizations and to provide
victims and survivors with a platform from which their voices can be heard
around the world. Somaly estimates that she and her team have assisted over
7,000 victims to date”
Excerpt from:
http://www.somaly.org/somaly-mam
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