The following is a post from photographer Peter Gibson’s “Adventures in Advocacy” blog.  His insight as an artist and an abolitionist is truly inspiring. The following post is titled Room with a View which highlights the contrast of the realities and possibilities for children at risk of being trafficked.
Towards the end of our trip we had the occasion to go to the No. 1 at risk community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. That distinction doesn’t really communicate much even when you are walking around the neighborhood. It wasn’t the most poverty stricken place we visited. Actually, it was pretty developed. It had many rather nice buildings though the streets were not paved. During this time I was just shooting. The rest of the team was interviewing a group of incredible people who are doing amazing work to help transform this community into a safe place for families to live and children to grow. I listened as I worked and I was astonished by what I heard.
This was the place where Dateline NBC filmed its show about child sex trafficking. 90% of the children in this community have been sold at least once (by sold I mean rented though some have been trafficked away from their homes and families.) Typically it is the mothers that sell their children because the children are more trusting of their mothers. In fact, while we were walking around the neighborhood a woman offered us her daughter who was no more than 7 years old for $5 US. Needless to say I was speechless. There really are no words for such an experience and that girl’s face continues to both haunt me and motivate me to do my part in addressing this global tragedy.
On a positive note there is a place called Rahabs House. It is a former child brothel that now operates as a community center working with kids and families to educate them against predators and to offer refuge to those in need. Little remains of the buildings former use though they have kept one room in tact.
The youngest and the prettiest girls were kept in a room upstairs at the front of the building. The were occasionally paraded out onto the balcony to entice potential customers. This is the view from that room.
And finally, here is an image of a bed of a girl rescued out of a similar circumstance as that scene above. It is the beginning of a life being restored. As bad as this problem is there are some success stories. It is important to keep that in mind. Progress is being made.
Peter Gibson is a photographer and digital imaging specialist for Hearst Magazine in New York City, NY. Last fall Peter joined the iE team on an expedition trip to Southeast Asia where he captured innovative and provocative images. His photos and personal insights not only lead us into a glimpse of the darkness surrounding child sex trafficking but also to the hope that can obtained through passionate activism.
