Fordham University: Speak Truth to Power: One Woman's Fight Against Human Trafficking

Program: Leitner Center for International Law and Justice

Description:

Born in poverty, sold into sexual slavery at 12 years old, tortured and exploited, Somay Mam survives to champion human rights in Cambodia and around the world.

Monday, September 8
6:30 - 8:30
McNally Auditorium, School of Law
Fordham University
Followed by reception and book signing in the Atrium
Please RSVP by September 3rd, at lamonoff@fordham.edu

See the attached PDF for more information.

About Somay Mam

Somaly Mam was born in the Mondulkiri province of Cambodia. Her family struggled through poverty and limited opportunities. Although she did not receive formal schooling, she was later trained to be a midwife after the genocidal regime. However, Somaly was sold many times by her grandfather as a slave and coerced into prostitution. She was forced to work in a brothel with many other young girls that were treated horrifically through torture, manipulation, and scare tactics. One night she watched a close friend murdered by a pimp. At this moment, Somaly realized that she was trapped in a dangerous and desperate world. She made it her mission to escape and later find a way to stop this vicious cycle. Her past is a major contributing factor regarding her passion and effort to help young children and women involved with human trafficking.

Because of poverty and the adversity young women face in Cambodia, Somaly Mam worked diligently to overcome the traumatic background in her life. She has had very diverse experiences that helped build her work ethic and job skills. At the age of 21, Somaly became a midwife at Choup district Hospital in Cambodia. A few years later, Somaly traveled to France and began to learn its language. She became the Director of Personnel at a European Restaurant in 1992-93. However, her most rewarding experiences related to social work, such as her earlier days at the Maison the Retraite in France. Somaly also met her former husband, Mr. Pierre Legros, who is dedicated to social causes such as helping the victims of human trafficking. Somaly later returned to Cambodia to bring back some of her experiences and ideas to her homeland. She began establishing an NGO in French called “Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire (AFESIP),” translated in English as “Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances.” Its goals are to save and socially reintegrate people who are victims of these kinds of hardships. Despite threats against her, Somaly Mam has been able to help thousands of young girls and teenagers who have been coerced into prostitution. She became co-founder of AFESIP and President of AFESIP Cambodia in Phnom Penh. This organization’s main cause is the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of girls forced into prostitution.

Somaly has three children. In 1998 she received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Awards for International Cooperation, in the presence of Queen Sofia of Spain. In 2006 she was one of the eight Olympic flag bearers at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Torino (Italy). Shortly afterwards, her eldest daughter Ning, aged 14, was abducted and raped in Cambodia as retaliation for the humanitarian actions of her mother. In October 2006 she was named a Glamour WOMAN OF THE YEAR at a presentation at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Her award was presented by Mariane Pearl, the journalist, who had been present in Cambodia at the time of the kidnapping of Somaly's daughter, and who reported on the incident for an article that subsequently appeared in Glamour.

In June of 2007 Somaly created the US based Somaly Mam Foundation which will officially launch in September 2007.

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