TFG / Southeast Asia

TFG / SOUTHEAST ASIA: CAMBODIA, BURMA/THAILAND

Since 2001, our deployment teams have pursued a variety of initiatives such as prevention workshops, legal consultation, training, relationship building with various actors, and policy development to combat child sex tourism in Southeast Asia. The Future Group is looking to return within the next year and focus further on combating human trafficking.

Report on Cambodian Street-Based Child Exploitation (2006)

Action Pout Les Enfants (APLE) commisioned this report with the goal of providing further details on the street based child exploitation in Cambodia (specifically profiling the areas of Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville) by focussing on the victims of this abuse. The report provides insight on which children are becoming victims and what factors influence their exposure to street-based child exploitation. Click on the following link to download the report.

Street-Based Child Exploitation in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville: A Profile of Victims

Southeast Asia: Strengthening Cambodian Laws on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (2004)

Cambodia is interested in overhauling its criminal laws regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Future Group was asked by a group of local NGOs to provide feedback based on our research in this area.

Executive Director Benjamin Perrin led a team from the McGill University, Faculty of Law in making 34-pages of recommendations on substantive offences, procedural laws and rules of evidence. Aarti Kapoor, the Legal Officer for AFESIP (Agir pour les Femmes en Situations Precaires) is incorporating the feedback received for consideration by the Government of Cambodia.

Made possible with sincerest thanks to:

Southeast Asia: Cambodia (2003)

During the summer of 2003, four Canadians went to Cambodia to help the children affected by this crisis. Through the course of 100 days, the teams based in Phnom Penh worked with local organizations in all parts of the country to implement often lifesaving projects.

Cambodia - Prevention education: The Future Group was able to work with the Ministry of Education to establish standards for warning at-risk children as part of the national curriculum. We also co-hosted a forum that brought together more than three dozen youth facilitators from an array of NGOs from Phnom Penh and five provinces. This forum increased the effectiveness of our local partners in reaching our goal of preventing any more children from being trafficked into the sex trade.

Facilitating prosecutions of offenders with international law enforcement agencies: The Future Group worked with a leading Cambodian NGO to assist in the prosecution of foreign pedophiles and sex tourists, as well as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and US Customs agents responsible for Cambodia.

First Aid Training & Medical Supplies: In partnership with the Cambodian Red Cross, we trained close to 30 recovery shelter workers in an extensive First Aid Training seminar that is recognized by the Cambodian Ministry of Health. In addition to successfully reaching front-line personnel who work directly with victims of sex trafficking with relevant training, the deployment team was also able to distribute first-aid medical supplies sent from Canada for use in these recovery shelters.

Rehabilitation for Recovering Victims: We worked to adapt our small business training curriculum to incorporate it into a larger life-skills management program. In cooperation with Digital Divide Data (DDD) and advisors for the Cambodian Department of Social Services we developed a program for ten rescued victims at the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Centre. They are excited about starting their new lives.

Prevention Workshop - Kampong Cham, Cambodia

Southeast Asia: Burma/Thailand (2003)

Burma and Thailand: Investigation & Research: Traveling to Bangkok, Rangoon and along the Thai-Burmese Border, a deployment team member met with NGO leaders and assessed key hubs of human trafficking. This field work allowed The Future Group to gain a better understanding of the complexities of the human slave trade and identify areas where assistance is needed. Our experience in the region played an important role in sharing project ideas.

Southeast Asia: Cambodia (2001, 2002)

In May-August 2001 and 2002, highlights of The Future Group's deployment team projects were

Building Coalitions: relationships were forged with almost 40 local and international organizations to understand the challenge and critical areas where help was needed.

Prevention: Once the trafficking corridors of Cambodia where children are at greatest risk of being lured into the sex trade had been adequately mapped, more than 80,000 children were reached in a national strike never before seen in the country.

Responsible Tourism: Three national airlines, Royal Phnom Penh Airways, President Airlines and Siem Reap Airways distributed 8,000 deterrence leaflets targeting foreign sex users in flight and at ticket counters throughout Cambodia. This was part of an international deterrence campaign being planned for the region called www.youwillbecaught.com, and was reported in over 50 countries.

Recovery: a full education curriculum and medical program was implemented at a recovery centre in Phnom Penh - purchasing textbooks and training teachers as well as partnering local doctors with recovery shelters.

First Aid: In partnership with the Cambodian Red Cross, first aid training and materials were provided to two dozen organizations with personnel on the frontlines of this overwhelming challenge.

Reintegration: a three-month small business training program was taught to rescued girls to help them rebuild their lives - local teachers are continuing to expand the program.

Grassroots skills training: workshops for local NGOs on activating the community and improving advocacy work - skills were used to prepare Cambodia's submission to the Second World Congress on Commercial Child Sexual Exploitation in Yokahama, Japan in December 2001.

Regional expansion: a plan for regional NGO was developed to expand full service drop-in shelters for victims into Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar - bringing investigation, rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration to victims in these neighbouring countries.

Policy development: a comprehensive, yet succinct policy declaration was developed with local NGOs to guide their future direction and public policy efforts.

International Campaign: The Future Group published a full-page editorial in Cambodia's national newspaper, the Cambodia Daily with a highly respected Cambodian organization (LICADHO) entitled, Sex Slavery and Trafficking Victim's Bill of Rights (available under "In the News"). This landmark proposal is the beginning of a regional campaign to advance new solutions to protect individual freedom, promote justice and advance democracy.

Action Research: Based on interviews with trafficking victims and frontline workers, The Future Group published an extensive and groundbreaking 200-page report entitled, "The Future of Southeast Asia". Click here to download.

In 2002-2003, The Cambodia Project was funded by:
Private donors and contributors of The Future Group and the Wild Rose Foundation.

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