WHY WE DO IT
"In that brothel I felt I was in hell and would never get out, I thought I would die there and never return home. It was beyond my belief that I had become a sex worker. I felt so hopeless, so worthless, without value.
I stayed locked in that brothel for one year."
Daughters of Cambodia aims to never turn away a sex worker who comes to us asking for a new life.
Our goal is that they permanently walk free from sex-work, and experience holistic healing in every area of their lives.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation : how it works
"My Life in a Brothel" drawn by a 12-year-old
Commercial sexual exploitation of children, young women and men in Cambodia has escalated in recent decades into what is now an “industry”.
In Cambodia, there are several key factors that lead to a girl entering the sex industry, and once there, it is almost impossible for her to leave:
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Social stigma and lack of education ➡ no alternative job options
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Rape destroys hope and value, often leading the victim into the sex industry
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Children want to support their families in order to pay back the debt of being born
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Loss of hope is off-set by the belief that she will earn a better re-incarnation through sacrificing her life to support her family
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Victims are unwilling to live in a shelter due to the loss of dignity/choice and the need to retain existing support networks and family relationships
Our girls come to us voluntarily because they are looking for life-change. We are not a shelter and we don't institutionalize them: the girls choose where they wish to live, and most choose to remain in the community, where they can maintain relationships with their families and support networks.
Instead of creating dependence, we empower them, building their internal capacity and providing the external resources they need to change their own lives within their cultural and social contexts.
We seek to create changes that are internal, voluntary and sustainable — not imposed.
Jesus is Light and Hope for the world
Isaiah 61: 1-3 summarizes the ministry of Jesus Christ: "The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners....to comfort all who mourn...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
It is because of Jesus' life, love, and sacrifice that we are doing what we do.
