The Somaly Mam Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to ending sex slavery and empowering survivors as part of the solution. Our multilateral approach includes direct services for victims, survivor-driven advocacy, and eradication of slavery through strategic partnerships, grassroots activism, and social media. We focus efforts in Southeast Asia, where the trafficking of women and children is widespread.
Somaly Mam, having survived nearly a decade of sex slavery, committed her life to liberating women and children who faced a simliar fate. She is now a global leader in the anti-trafficking movement: since the founding of her own NGO, AFESIP (from the French “Acting for Women in Distressing Situations”) fifteen years ago, she and her team have rescued over 7,000 girls and have brought the issue of human trafficking to the attention of millions all over the world.
Our Vision: A world where women and children are safe from slavery.
Our Mission: To give victims and survivors a voice in their lives, liberate victims, end slavery, and empower survivors as they create and sustain lives of dignity.
Our approach rests on three pillars:
Victim Services – As Somaly says, “It can take five minutes to rescue a girl from the brothel; it can take five years to help her recover.” Our partners rescue victims from situations of slavery and offer them food, shelter, medical and psychological care, and safety in the shelters. After basic needs have been met, education and vocational training programs prepare survivors for independent and sustainable lives of dignity in trades such as hairdressing and tailoring. This holistic approach focuses on long-term success and well-being of survivors and their families. Since inception, these programs have provided comprehensive services to thousands of victims of the sex trade in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.
Survivor Empowerment – Using Somaly’s life as an example, our 14 Voices For Change leaders are training to become activists, advocates and educators. These women play a critical role in helping other victims, working alongside the team in areas from rescue to recovery to reintegration, and lending a survivor voice to local and international events, TV and radio, and anti-trafficking efforts by local police and government. They are the next generation, and they embody the strength, hope, and perspective needed to build a world safe from sex slavery.
Eradicating Slavery – SMF works with government officials, law enforcement agents, and local community members in Southeast Asia and the US to raise awareness and understanding of the complex issue of human trafficking, prevent future cases, and reduce stigmas that surround its victims and survivors. SMF also engages mass media, celebrities and online communities to promote anti-trafficking on a global level, and our PROJECT FUTURES global platform engages a passionate network of volunteers, students, and young professionals in grassroots events and campaigns.