Time to pick up the pieces for Somaly Mam grantees

For any type of company or organization, change is never easy. Even if they are a necessary step for growth and development, transitions require sacrifice, resources, passion and a lot of commitment from qualified staff to guide the whole process through to the end. But what do you do when that transition is rooted in a controversy that has shattered your organization’s image, with the issue lying at the very core of the advocacy — and, to a certain extent, identity — of what you are fighting for? This is the dilemma that the Somaly Mam Foundation, one of the biggest anti-trafficking foundations in the world, and its affiliates have not only been tackling over the past few months but will continue to do so likely for years after its founder and figurehead resigned in May over strong allegations that parts of her story as a former child slave and sex worker in Cambodia were fabricated and exaggerated to raise more funds. Somaly Mam’s case in many ways has left a bitter aftertaste in the international development community, particularly about how donors are attracted to certain campaigns. It made people feel somehow lied to and, to a certain extent, stripped of the sympathies — and resources — they shared to help the advocacy and stories that, in the end, could very well turn out to be a fraud. On the flipside, though, the controversy also opens up an ethical conundrum and the Machiavellian debate on whether the end justifies the means: How much should it matter if a do-gooder isn’t fully honest with the people he or she is getting support from? Isn’t it enough that the deed itself not only gave new light and focus on anti-trafficking but also helped other people achieve and live a better life? The issue, however, did not stop when the famous Cambodian activist stepped down from her position at her eponymous foundation. There were quite severe consequences, the majority of which were shouldered and are still being faced by the group and its affiliates over image, brand, funding and staffing, among other issues. Looking at the bigger picture, the scandal has also, arguably, affected the way the international aid community perceives anti-trafficking efforts in general. “Maybe trafficking issues are less paid attention to than in the past,” Marin Postel, Vietnam project coordinator for Alliance Anti-Traffic, one of SMF’s grantees, told Devex. “A few years ago, trafficking was a ‘hot subject’ that people were more interested in.” So what has happened to the foundation and its affiliates? What’s their status and how do they plan to get back up, pick up the pieces and start again, if they have plans to do so? Effects Of course, the foundation itself has felt the biggest impact from the controversy, with its credibility and operations in danger — which underlines the importance that identity and branding are becoming increasingly as important as the objectives of an organization. Many statements published on the foundation’s website try to explain the current status of the organization as well as the grueling and difficult task ahead — something that Gina Reiss-Wilchins, SMF’s executive director, herself admits. “There is critical work to be done, and our commitment to our work and to the women and girls we serve has and will not waver,” Reiss-Wilchins said in a statement released in June. Despite these assurances, grantees dependent on SMF funds are still feeling the impact of the controversy. One of the most affected affiliates is AFESIP Cambodia, which in no uncertain terms noted that the foundation’s abrupt — and not very transparent — decision to pull their funding has endangered long-term anti-trafficking programs and their staff, as SMF money represents about 60 percent of the organization’s budget. “This sudden funding termination [has] caused negative [effects] on 170 residents at the 3 shelters … Additionally, AFESIP will not be able to accept any other girls and women to be placed under its cares. And this hasn’t mentioned about the staff,” Chhoeurth Sao, executive director and CEO, explained in a statement. For the other grantees and affiliates, the effect — both image-wise and financially — has been more subdued, but Postel stressed that the connection and repercussion will be a challenge moving forward. “There are always questions raised when a case like this occurs and is made known publicly. There is always a risk that everybody would suffer consequences,” he said. “In this regard, the impact is not very deep for us.” The AAT official explained that financial support by SMF to their organization is minimal compared to AFESIP Cambodia, comprising only 4.1 percent of their funding in 2014. Virith Khattignavong, AFESIP country director in Laos, meanwhile highlighted that their independent operations given SMF’s partial funding protected them from the blowback. “In Laos, the program is run independently even though [SMF] has been partly funding our organization since [2006]. AFESIP Laos is still implementing its activities in the country,” she told Devex. “We just renewed [in July] our memorandum of understanding with the Laos [government] which will allow us to work until December 2017.” Khattignavong added: “The impact of the Somaly Mam issue regarding our image is luckily quite limited. Our main donors … give us their trust. Of course, people have heard about the story and some have been asking us but the international community in Laos is small and people have known us for a long time now.” The next issue that needs to be addressed, she said, is attracting new donors on top of trying to retain the old ones. Picking up the pieces So what do these organizations plan to do to get back on their feet now? In the case of SMF, Reiss-Wilchins said they will undergo a “rebranding, renaming and re-launching” in the coming days. “We will present an expanded vision that builds on our core strengths of survivor empowerment, education and skills training, and advocacy, bringing the organization into greater alignment with our goal of eradicating trafficking and sexual exploitation in Cambodia ... with an audit coming out by November,” she said. For AFESIP Laos, it may take a long process of fundraising on top of diversifying donors, a strategy they hope will be enough to sustain the momentum of their work and efforts. “In 2013, following some shortage of funding, we already anticipated some change in our program,” Khattignavong said. “If [we’re] successful in raising money, we will be able to implement all planned activities for the current year.” The official added that apart from financial diversification, a rebranding is also likely: “Our organization has been thinking of changing its name for a while now. This was mainly to avoid confusion between the two organizations and the spontaneous link between AFESIP and Somaly.” Time will tell whether the Somaly Mam Foundation and its affiliates can turn this situation around into an opportunity to promote the very serious global issue of human trafficking. To do that, they have to stand up, pick up the pieces and begin anew. 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