Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficking

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Soi Dog
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by Soi Dog »

^ so exactly how many trafficked child sex workers do there have to be before millions of dollars of donated money being spent is considered justified in your view? How do you know that the group claiming only "a few hundred" child sex workers is seriously deluded? "Experts in the field say..."? Maybe the 15,000 is bollocks, but the "few hundred" could be total bollocks too. I doubt the money donors would be angry if their money went to help 14 year old girls instead of 11 year olds.
Last edited by Soi Dog on Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by LTO »

Soi Dog wrote:^ so exactly how many trafficked child sex workers do there have to be before millions of dollars of donated money being spent is considered justified in your view?
Unlike Somaly Mam, I wouldn't pretend to know.
Soi Dog wrote:How do you know that the group claiming only "a few hundred" child sex workers is seriously deluded? "Experts in the field say..."? Maybe the 15,000 is bollocks, but the "few hundred" could be total bollocks too.
Measuring the Number of Trafficked Women and Children in Cambodia: A Direct Observation Field Study - 2003, Thomas M. Steinfatt, USAID
Mesuring the Extent of Sex Trafficking in Cambodia - 2008, Thomas M. Steinfatt, UNIAP
Somaly Mam wrote:"Today, there are virgins for sale in every large town. To make sure of their virginity some of the girls are as young as five or six years old...In Cambodia, and throughout South-East Asia, tens of thousands of children are forced into prostitution each year. They are raped and beaten. Many are killed."
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

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This is dated (2004) but a popular American investigative TV show had no problem finding "dozens" of such places, each having "dozens" of very young girls inside. There are plenty of similar videos as this on youtube alone, some of them more recent. They all show VERY young girls on offer and plenty of them. The claim that there are only a few hundred such young sex workers in total is laughable.

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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by phuketrichard »

she exploited a situation with lies about what really goes on which brought it out to the open. Hopefully now, the government will be forced to do something even if her story is based on lies, the situation is there.

Yes, there are child sex slaves ( sold by their parents more than kidnapped, i would guess). I would also venture to guess many more enter the profession willingly or passively forced to by their families, as there are few options available to them otherwise

but what about the millions gainfully employed by the garment industry? ( or in the countryside growing rice) their slaves as well yet is not BIG news and involves big corporations, so we cant talk about them.

I would love to sit down with her and have her truthfully tell me .... why she felt the need to lie... But that wont happen
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by LTO »

phuketrichard wrote:but what about the millions gainfully employed by the garment industry? ( or in the countryside growing rice) their slaves as well yet is not BIG news and involves big corporations, so we cant talk about them.
Interestingly, Somaly's orgs reeducate 'rescued' girls and captured prostitutes to work in proper female jobs such as garment factory workers making clothes for minuscule wages, often for less than they were making as prostitutes, much of those clothes destined for cheap sale in countries where people are donating money to Somaly to 'rescue' girls and capture prostitutes. Kind of convenient that way.
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by StroppyChops »

I'd be curious to know who facilitated her first steps from poverty into the spotlight, and how much grooming was involved.
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

Post by StroppyChops »

JBTrain wrote:Julia Wallace nails it.

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201468124236117557
This is a brilliantly written piece. I hope it continues to get circulation. Sex trafficking is abhorrent - using the notion of sex trafficking to generate a personal revenue stream is equally abhorrent. Negative press like this is critical to the ongoing dialogue, but the actions of Mam and others doesn't seem to be doing the true victims (whatever the number) any favours.
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

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Of course the women/girls are making less as garment workers than as prostitutes...so what is your point? They should be left as prostitutes? Prostitution is illegal. Sewing clothes is not. Your argument is similar to saying "drug dealers make more selling drugs than they do at McDondalds. Therefore the system is failing those drug dealers by encouraging them against their will (by arresting them and re-training them while incarcerated) to work for paltry wages in a dead end job after their release from jail. They should be left alone to deal drugs so they can earn the higher wage."
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Re: Somaly Mam: The Holy Saint (and Sinner) of Sex Trafficki

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Soi Dog wrote:Of course the women/girls are making less as garment workers than as prostitutes...so what is your point? They should be left as prostitutes? Prostitution is illegal. Sewing clothes is not. Your argument is similar to saying "drug dealers make more selling drugs than they do at McDondalds. Therefore the system is failing those drug dealers by encouraging them against their will (by arresting them and re-training them while incarcerated) to work for paltry wages in a dead end job after their release from jail. They should be left alone to deal drugs so they can earn the higher wage."
We are from different planets.
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