Back in Phnom Penh, and other thoughts...

[This is another re-posting from Lauren's Tumblr. The original post date was May 29th, 2011. To see some of her great photos and to read more about her travels, please check out: http://sheshallgofree.tumblr.com]

I am back safely in Phnom Penh after a 6.5 hour ride from Siem Reap on a bus with a partially broken/collapsing floor at the back (but hey, it only costs $5...sooo worth it).

On Saturday (our last full day in Siem Reap), we decided to go visit the last two temples on our list: Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei. I visited both of these temples in 2009 as well, but they are magnificent and well worth a second visit. Ta Prohm is the temple where "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" was filmed back in 2000. Much of the temple was blocked off this time because of restoration work...but Ali and I accidentally got lost (it is a bit of a maze) and ended up in the "DANGER! DO NOT ENTER! WORK AREA! UNSAFE!" zone...oopsies. But at least we found our way back out?

I loved going back and seeing both of these sites because they are well preserved, architecturally stunning, and just beautiful all around. But going back also broke my heart--these two sights have (understandably) become major tourist hotspots. Many of the other temples we visited on this trip weren't quite as popular or well-known, and we often had entire temples to explore with no one else around. But because of the popularity (which, I believe, can partly be attributed to the constant insistence of tuk-tuk and moto drivers that "Oh no, you don't want to see Ta Keo...Ta Prohm much better! I take you there!"), it has also become a hot-spot for merchants. And specifically for the use of children to sell goods. I wrote in my previous post that young children on the street has been a decidedly absent scene compared to 2009. A few hours after that post, I was being swarmed by children at Ta Prohm and Banteay Kdei, urgently shoving bracelets and postcards and knick-knacks in my face: "Three for $1...okay lady 4 for $1...okay okay 5 for $1. Lady...5 for $1...please lady...please."

It made me angry. I kept thinking: these kids should be in school. They should not be here frantically and desperately trying to guilt tourists into purchasing cheap products so that whoever is sending them out here in the first place can get a few extra bucks. This is wrong. This is wrong!! 

Just as it did in 2009, the scene made my blood boil and brought tears to my eyes. The kids were so young. I stopped and spoke with a few of them. One girl at Banteay Kdei followed me around for a few minutes at the back of the temple, repeating the same phrases over and over. She looked at me with the saddest, most heartbreaking eyes. I knelt down in front of her and began speaking with her in my limited Khmer mixed with English.

What's your name? Srey Mam.

My name is Lauren. How old are you? I am 10 (she looked to be no older than 8, at best...but "10" or "16" are common answers when asked by tourists, regardless of how old the child really is).

You are very beautiful, Srey Mam.

She smiled and lowered her eyes. I wondered if anyone ever told her she was beautiful. Light skin is highly prized and valued in Cambodian society, and children with darker skin are often considered ugly. I have encountered this repeatedly--in Sihanoukville, I was talking with a Khmer woman named Sophie, and I pointed out a little boy (maybe 1.5 years old) running around naked in the sand. I mentioned that he was adorable. She turned her nose up in disgust and said "Ugh! No! He is so dark!" Srey Mam's skin was dark by Cambodian standards. So I wondered if people told her she was beautiful. I took her picture and showed it to her on the LCD screen of my Canon. I told her again that she was beautiful, and she smiled. I told her I couldn't buy anything, but that it was nice to meet her. I had to leave. I was kicking myself for not having anything I could give her (food, a small toy, something other than money, which would inevitably go back to the person who sent her out in the first place, instead of to school).

Seeing kids being used to guilt tourists into purchasing merchandise angers and saddens me. Seeing them run around, mostly barefoot and unwashed, chasing aftertuk-tuks and repeating the same 3-5 phrases they know in English over and over...and watching people push past them, ignoring them. Watching workers with APSARA Authority patches on their arms do nothing, say nothing. Watching everyone just let it happen...And being powerless to do anything about that. It makes me angry. These kids deserve better. And as I mentioned in my previous post, they are capable of so much more.

Just some thoughts...

Something I have noticed...

[This is a re-posting of a blog post published on Co-Executive Director Lauren Dawson's Tumblr. Original publish date was May 27th, 2011. To see more posts from Lauren's travels in Cambodia, check out: http://sheshallgofree.tumblr.com]

Since being back in Cambodia, I have noticed a few glaring changes between now and 2009. First, I have encountered far fewer children begging in the streets. When I was here last, children as young as 5-11 would be wandering through traffic in Phnom Penh, dodging tuk-tuks, motos, and cars whizzing by on busy streets. There were often children that looked to be 7 or 8 walking barefoot and dirty, caring younger siblings on their hungry hips. There was one road in particular where there never failed to be children begging in traffic, hanging off the side of our tuk-tuk when we stopped at a light. I often cried because there was so little I could give them or do for them. My roommate and I stopped in a market and bought cookies and crackers to pass out to the kids. It was heartbreaking and infuriating. But that scene has been startlingly absent this time around. Most of the children I have encountered this time are involved in selling items like bracelets, postcards, booklets, scarves, etc. And even then, they appear to mostly be concentrated around the tourist-heavy riverfront area--and they appear to be older than the children we encountered last time. Most of them look to be teenagers, though there are younger children out selling in the streets too--just not as many, and perhaps not as young.

My memories of Siem Reap from 2009 include aggressive, desperate, persistent little girls following us around temples and insisting that we buy their bracelets and scarves, forcing merchandise into our hands and demanding money, clearly desperate to make the sale. But I knew then (as now) that those girls were sent out by someone else. They wouldn't benefit from the money I gave them. It would go back to whoever sent them out into the streets in the first place. Maybe things haven't actually changed--maybe my memory of 2009 is a bit clouded by the exhaustion I was experiencing by that point in my trip. But things do at least appear better/different this time around. Again, the girls seem older, less frantic, less demanding and aggressive.

Of course, they are just as intelligent, creative, and sharply witty as they ever were. The kids I met in 2009 and those I have met this time around are incredibly capable and strong and wonderfully intelligent. I don't want to give the impression that they are helpless (they aren't) or that they are not/cannot be agents for change in their own country (they are). But like children everywhere, they need opportunities and love. They need the chance to go to school and cultivate their natural gifts and abilities and discover their true potential. They need to be valued and respected and seen as the capable and strong individuals that they are. Cambodia is changing and (I hope) moving forward. And these children are the ones who will shape Cambodia's future. So they need to be recognized as agents of change, not as hopeless and helpless and in need of "saving" by privileged white men and women swooping down and putting a band-aid on the larger problems (of poverty, a history of genocide and conflict, exploitation of local populations by foreign corporations and manufacturing companies, environmental degradation, government corruption, etc). These kids should not be treated as powerless victims. They can and should be treated as capable, empowered change makers. I just wanted to make that clear...

I forgot where I was going with all of this...I am not sure yet what to do with these observations, but I wanted to share them. I hope it was coherent...More thoughts to come...

Lauren has been in Cambodia for about 2.5 weeks and has another 5 weeks remaining. She has been traveling around the country and is now volunteering for Child Wise Cambodia, which works on children's rights and trafficking prevention efforts. 

New SSGF shirts on sale for 25% off!!

All of the proceeds from the new BE A FORCE FOR FREEDOM campaign shirts will go to fund our two assistance programs—the Deanna Dawson Educational Scholarship Fund and the Cara Alexandra Emergency Assistance Fund—which will aid survivors of human trafficking and gender based violence in the U.S.

Freeset Bags & Tees produces the t-shirts for SHE SHALL GO FREE. The t-shirts are made by women in Kolkata, India who have escaped the sex trade. Freeset provides women a way out of poverty and prostitution by offering them skills training, job placement, access to healthcare, and more. The production of these shirts directly benefits the women of Freeset. Freeset uses fair trade, certified organic cotton and eco-friendly, water-based inks for all of the shirts they produce.

To learn more about Freeset, visit their website at http://freesetglobal.com

Below is the link to the online store for SSGF shirts and other products. If ordering online, you can pay with credit card or a Google Checkout account. If you would prefer to pay by cash or check, please contact us at ssgf.usc@gmail.com so we may assist you.

SSGF Online Store

Raise Hope for Congo...

5.4 million war dead

1.9 million refugees

7 kinds of slavery

We ask for just 1 special envoy to Congo help bring peace. Find out more at FreetheCongo.org

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Half a million women in the Congo have been brutally raped in the ongoing conflict. Rape, violence against women, slavery, the weapon's trade, and the exploitation of the Congo's resources are inextricably linked. Learn more and join the efforts to stop the violence:

Raise Hope for Congo

Ten Reasons Why...

The new shirts are here!!

The new SSGF shirts arrived on Friday afternoon!! I came home to my apartment to find this at my door:

So exciting!! :) Here is a preview of the designs. I will post actual images of the shirts soon!

Printed on white shirts, available in both unisex and women's cut styles

Printed on black shirts, available in both unisex and women's cut styles

Support the Child Protection Compact Act

Did you know... that the CPCA was originally introduced in the House in early June of 2009? The bill, originally H.R. 2737, was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, but it never left the committee. No explanation was given. 

On March 25, 2010, the bill was introduced in the Senate as S. 3184. It was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it was revised and then passed unanimously on Sept. 21, 2010. 

The bill was then placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders on September 28, 2010. It was expected to pass unanimously in November. It had overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House...But the bill was never voted on. It was blocked by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), who objected to spending for foreign aid. 

Don't let this happen again. Contact your representatives today and urge them to pass the Child Protection Compact Act of 2011!

Change.Org Petition: Support the Child Protection Compact Act

About CPCA:

This legislation authorizes the Secretary of State to provide assistance through grants, cooperative agreements, and/or contracts to countries with a significant prevalence of child trafficking. In order to receive these resources, eligible countries must enter into a Child Protection Compact with the United States to support policies and programs to eradicate the trafficking of children.

The bill was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, where it is currently being reviewed. The Child Protection Compact Act will provide incentives to "Tier 2" countries and "Tier 2 Watch-List" countries (as identified in the annual U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report) to protect and rescue children subjected to severe forms of trafficking in persons. 

The Compacts will aim to:

1. address institutional weaknesses within the government that result in the failure to protect vulnerable children and to rescue and properly rehabilitate victims;

2. increase local government capacity to apprehend perpetrators who engage in severe forms of trafficking in children and bring perpetrators to justice in national courts of law; and

3. ensure transparency and accountability in achieving the goals stipulated in the Compact over the course of its three-year implementation.

Eligible countries that enter into Compacts with the U.S. could receive up to $15 million in vital funding to combat child trafficking. Contact your congressional representatives and urge them to support the Child Protection Compact Act today!

Change.Org Petition: Support the Child Protection Compact Act

Be a Force for Freedom

Check out this preview of new materials we are producing for our new Be a Force for Freedom campaign! These pocket guides are currently being printed and should be delivered soon. We are very excited and hope you are too! :)

You can click on the images to enlarge them :)

Inside panels of tri-folded pocket guide

Outside panels of the tri-folded pocket guide

Action Alerts from Change.org

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Scroll through these action alerts and help us support some great causes. :) Add your signature to the petitions you wish to support too!

Sustainable Shoes

Simple Shoes are an ethically sourced, ethically produced, sustainable line of footwear. To learn more about their production and their materials, check out the following links: Ethical Supply Chain Guidelines and Sustainable Materials. And remember that a portion of the proceeds from the products purchased through the links on our site will go to benefit SSGF. :)

Eco-Friendly Watches

Sprout watches are eco-friendly products that use materials like corn resin, organic cotton, bamboo, mineral crystal, mercury-free batteries, and recycled fiber. Plus, they are high quality and look amazing. :) Check out some of their designs below. And remember, a portion of the proceeds from products purchased through our site go to benefit SSGF. Talk about shopping for good.

Action Alerts from Change.org

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

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Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

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Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

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Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Holiday Shopping Guide, Part III

Holiday Shopping Guide, Part II

SSGF Guide to Ethical Holiday Shopping

Still looking for those perfect presents to give to your loved ones? Check out these great gift ideas! All of these items are ethically produced, and they make for great, unique gifts! Have something you want to add to this list? Let us know! :) Happy holidays!!

The Working World: Fair Trade Shoes & Shirts

To see the full line of shoes, click here: The Working World: Fair Trade Shoes

  

  

Taraluna: Fair Trade Bags

  

Fair Trade Sports
For more, check out: RESPECT, Fair Trade Sports
  

Fun Stocking Stuffers!

         
       

For more great gift ideas, check out some of these product lines:

From The Earth

Globally Cute
Silver Peace Jewelry
Global Girlfriend, Fair Trade Jewelry
Maggie's Organics, Clothing

Two powerful poems by Andrea Gibson

I just wanted to share these with you. Please let me know what you think...

In honor of election day, we need your votes! :)

We are still in the running a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project (http://www.refresheverything.com/ssgf). 

Grant winners are selected based on votes from the public--the top ten project ideas in the $25k category will receive the grant! Right now, we are #1 but we need your help to stay there!! We were hoping you could help get the word out about our project and encourage your supporters to vote for our idea. Here is the breakdown for how SSGF plans to use the grant:

$9,500 will be used to print 1,000 t-shirts for their ongoing awareness and fundraising campaign. SSGF t-shirts are produced by women who have escaped from the sex trade. They are FAIRTRADE certified, made from 100% organic cotton, and printed with eco-friendly water based dyes. The t-shirt campaign is designed to raise awareness about the realities of human trafficking. The profits from the sale of these shirts will be used to fund other SSGF initiatives. So, not only is the initial production of the shirts benefiting survivors of sex trafficking, but the sale of these shirts will also go to benefit survivors and help fight human trafficking.


$6,000 will be used to create a scholarship fund to help survivors cover the cost of job training or basic education courses. These scholarships are intended to help empower survivors and help women stay out of poverty. It will provide women the opportunity to tap into their potential and improve their socio-economic opportunities as they rebuild their lives.


$6,000 will be used to establish a second fund to provide emergency financial assistance for women in need. These funds may be used to help cover basic needs during acute crises, cover expenses related to urgent medical needs such as medication, or other urgent needs that may arise. These funds will be distributed on a case by case basis.


$3,000 will go towards purchasing urgently needed items for local shelters and organizations that serve survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence. We are specifically interested in assisting with direct client services by providing items such as clean clothing, toiletries, bed linens, basic medical supplies, etc. We hope to fill in some of the gaps in donations and resources created by the ongoing economic recession.

An additional $500 will go towards maintenance costs for the organization.

You can vote every day for the whole month of November--and every vote counts. We would greatly appreciate any support you could offer...

You can vote by using the following link: http://www.refresheverything.com/ssgf

You may ALSO vote by Texting "102193" to Pepsi (73774)! And by logging in via Facebook!! That is THREE different ways to vote each day!

Why We Love Ben & Jerry's

Other than the amazing flavors (like Cinnamon Buns--did I mention amazing?)...

We love Ben & Jerry's because...

They pay their workers a livable wage. 

All full time manufacturing employees are paid enough to allow for a quality of life that includes decent housing, health care, transportation, food, recreation, savings, and miscellaneous expenses. In recent years, Ben & Jerry's livable wage has been more than twice the national minimum wage.

They are committed to community service.

In recent years, they have cooked, boxed, and planted food for the Vermont Food Bank, rebuilt houses in New Orleans, and built a playground in a low-income neighborhood in Berlin, Germany. In company-owned Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops, they have also created programs with nonprofit partners to help young people facing big challenges to learn job and life skills. Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen once said, “Business has a responsibility to give back to the community.” And we agree.

They give $1.8 million to nonprofit organizations every year through the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. 

This philanthropy is employee-led by non-management, employee advisory groups who consider proposals and recommend grants. Some of the funded organizations include the Center for Immigrant Families, the United Workers Association, Farm Worker Pesticide Project, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.

They have a PartnerShop program that offer job and entrepreneurial training to youth and young adults that may face barriers to employment. 

PartnerShops help people build better lives. They are independently owned and operated by community-based nonprofit organizations. And Ben & Jerry's waives the standard franchise fees and provides additional support to help nonprofits operate strong businesses. As PartnerShop operators, nonprofits retain their business proceeds to support their programs.

They work to reduce their impact on the environment. 

They have created "the clean, green freezer" that use hydrocarbon gases. These freezers do not contribute to global warming or the depletion of the ozone layer. They are also a partner of the Dairy Stewardship Alliance, which promotes sustainable farming practices. They have created toolkits to helps dairy farmers assess their own practices and move toward economic, social, and environmental well-being. They also monitor their impact on global warming and invest in programs and projects that try to offset carbon emissions. Ben & Jerry's is "passionate about making their waste less wasteful" by finding creative ways to reuse or repurpose their production waste. And finally, they source all of the paperboard for their cartons from a supplier that uses pulp from sustainably managed forests, and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

They use Fair Trade certified ingredients.

Many of Ben & Jerry's ice creams use Fair Trade certified vanilla from Uganda, Fair Trade certified cocoa powder from Cote d'Ivoire, Fair Trade certified cocoa powder from the Conacado cooperative in the Dominican Republic, and/or Fair Trade certified coffee beans from the Huatusco cooperative in Mexico. They also use ethically sourced macadamia nuts from Malawi.

They use ethically sourced ingredients and support ethical businesses. 

All of the dairy used in their products come from family farms that have pledged not to treat their cows with artificial growth hormones. Plus, many of these farmers participate in their Caring Dairy programs that pursue more sustainable practices on the farms. And (one of our favorite aspects), the delicious brownies they use in many of their most popular flavors always come from the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, NY. Greyston Bakery is a model for corporate ethics--they hire and support low-income people who are making the transition towards economic self-sufficiency. They provide housing for the homeless, childcare, employment training, jobs, and comprehensive health care for people living with HIV/AIDS. Through these programs, Greyston is able to reach (and change the lives of) over 2,000 people every year.

There are many more reasons that we love and respect Ben & Jerry's. While no company is perfect, we recognize and commend Ben & Jerry's for their incredible dedication to corporate ethics. And that is why we are buying Ben & Jerry's ice creams for our upcoming film screening. :)

And did we mention that the Cinnamon Buns flavor is incredible? Rock on, Ben & Jerry's. You guys understand how to be a force for freedom.

Keep Spreading the Word!

We still need your votes and support in the Pepsi Refresh Project!! Remember you can vote everyday. Want to learn more about how the grant money will be spent? Check out this blog from our friend at The Hungry Feminist:

Hungry Feminist: Support She Shall Go Free!

To vote, go to www.refresheverything.com/ssgf

Or text 102193 to PEPSI (73774)

Pepsi Refresh Grant: How the Money Will Be Spent

We have been asked the following question, and we wanted to clarify: Why is so much money being spent on t-shirts?

$9.5k will be used to purchase 1,000 shirts for our fundraising and awareness campaign.

SSGF t-shirts are printed on fair trade, certified organic cotton using eco-friendly, water-based inks. We work with the organization Freeset Global to produce all of our shirts. The t-shirts are made by women in Kolkata, India who have escaped the sex trade. Freeset provides women a way out of poverty and prostitution by offering them skills training, job placement, access to healthcare, and more. The production of these shirts directly benefits the women of Freeset. To learn more about Freeset Global, visit their website at http://freesetglobal.com.

Money raised from the sale of the t-shirts goes to fund other SSGF initiatives. Not only is the initial production of the shirts benefiting survivors of sex trafficking, but the sale of these shirts will also benefit survivors and help fight human trafficking.

Help SSGF Win a $25,000 Grant!!

She Shall Go Free is a growing non-profit organization dedicated to fighting against sexual slavery, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation or violence against women and girls. We focus our efforts on awareness raising campaigns, fair trade and ethical consumerism, fundraising for anti-trafficking programs, and unique initiatives designed to make a visible impact in the fight against injustice.

Right now, we are in the running for a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project. 

Winners are selected based on votes from the public, so we need YOUR help to make this happen! You can vote for us EVERY DAY for the whole month of September--and making sure you vote every day will really help us!! 

You can vote by using the following link: http://pep.si/ao9gjA

You may ALSO vote by Texting 102193 to Pepsi (73774)! By voting online and via text message, you can give us two votes a day!

Remember, you can vote every day!! Please spread the word and help us make this dream a reality for our organization!

With love and freedom,

Lauren Dawson & Jessica Hinman

ssgf.usc@gmail.com

http://www.refresheverything.com/ssgf