Together with the Health Program celebration, AFESIP Phnom Penh Tomdy Center, on 7 March also organizes the 102nd International Women Day. The aim of this celebration is to in general empower and raise awareness the center’s residents of their fundamental rights.
Participated as panel members at the event are representatives of local authorities and ladies from AFESIP Cambodia. Somaly Mam, Founder and President of AFESIP Cambodia and the Somaly Mam Foundation, members of Voices for Change team and students from Li Po Chun Institute in Hong Kong led by Stella McCracken, the teacher. It is surprisingly noted that newly arrived victims of human trafficking who entered the center after March last year have never experienced this important day as they used to be at the brothels/sex establishments, at the public gardens or in the streets….
In his beginning speech, Mr. Mam Khon, Tomdy Center manager recalled the history of the fight of international women to gain their equal rights to men and the 1st International Women Day to be marked. He encouraged the residents to be strong like men and try to learn skills to empower themselves and to change for a better life.
Mr. Koam Phalla, the representative of District Social Affairs’ s Office praises Tomdy Center for its regular conduct of this memorable event and expresses his full support to the center for its humanitarian mission to care and provide skills training to the victims of human trafficking. Ms. Khim Sophal, representative of the commune council tells the meeting that the authorities here are ready to assist whenever required for AFESIP purpose in the fight against human trafficking for sex slavery.
Somaly Mam also shares her views over the international women’s day that the right should be at women’s side after the protracted struggle by the women in the world. She expresses her full confidence that the residents will try to empower themselves by trying to learn harder to better change their life. On that occasion, Somaly and her foreign friends distribute each resident a ROSE QUARTZ, meaning unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness so that all of them can remind of the importance of the stone and the center ends with motivation to all the residents with gift box each. In order to facilitate the center, Mr. Tom Watson, representative of Project Futures donates a large screen television set in favor of all the residents which is received loud applauds from the residents and all the participants.
Gift box donation Rose Quartz donation
TV Set donation by Project Futures ROSE QUARTZ stone
