SOMALY MAM   Founder and PRESIDENT OF AFESIP CAMBODIA   Human’s Right Activist – Helping the victims and survivors of human trafficking, sexual abuse, rape and indenture slavery who suffering the same fate she did.

Somaly Mam is a survivor of sex slavery and a leader in the fight to end it. Born into a tribal minority family in Cambodia, she was sold at a young age and endured years of exploitation and abuse in the brothels of Phnom Penh. But she escaped, and vowed never to forget those she left behind.

In 1996, Somaly founded Cambodian NGO AFESIP, and since has aided tens of thou­sands of victims in knowing their rights and having a voice and a choice in their lives. Her center for recovery, educations and skills training takes a holistic approach to ensure these young women and children have the emotional and economic strength to face the future with hope.

Somaly Mam created the organization because of the dire situations of thousands of victims forced into exploitation in and across Cambodian borders and she would to help other girls from suffering the same fate she did. In 1998, Somaly Mam was awarded the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award and the award is presented by queen Sofia of Spain. In 2006, she was nominated as a CNN Hero and a Glamour Woman of the Year. In 2009, she is named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. UK Guardian’s 100 Women, and Fast Company’s League of Extraordinary Women; recipient of the World Children’s Prize; a Conde Nast Traveler Visionary, and recognized by the US Department of Homeland Se­curity for her work. She has spoken at the DLD Conference, the World Economic Forum at Davos, the White House’s USAID event, Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference, the Oslo Freedom Forum, the Newark Peace & Education Summit alongside His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit. Somaly Mam is an author of “The road of lost innocence”, her biograph. In 2011, she was recognized by the Royal Government of Cambodia, as an activist of anti-trafficking and bringing the best efforts to the cause that Somaly has dedicated her life’s work to helping women and girls, building shelters, and also developing programs and holistic approaches for AFESIP Cambodia.

Cambodian Government, the Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen and the first lady, visited AFESIP’s center in 2019 and 2023.  The Prime Minster and the first lady personally are deeply care of the girls at AFESIP-Cambodia. Since 2019, they granted us the new building of our center, vehicles and on-going donations to support the generation of AFESIP-Cambodia and monthly allowance to the girls.

On 4 January, 2023, 4days after the Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the center of AFESIP, the Minister of Ministry of Justice announced the instruction of the procedure enforcing with minor victim who are under 10 years old of age in criminal case should not present in court, the requested made by Somaly Mam to the highest respect Prime Minister.

She continues to live and work in Cambodia and continue her mission in helping the young women and girls who are victims and survivors of human trafficking, raped, sexual exploitation and indentured slaveries.