PHNOM PENH: The challenge of eradicating human and sex trafficking has been an uphill battle. It was reported by AIDemocracy that in Cambodia there were 2.5 million people trafficked with 98% of those being women and children. Even worse, this dark, trafficking industry seems to be growing substantially.
Activists and campaigners who wish to promote change continue to battle a variety of serious social challenges, but in Cambodia, they also have to deal with a horrifying tradition of parents selling their children for income. The problem is particularly prominent in Svay Pak where child prostitution is rife, and families receive a sum of money in exchange for handing over their daughters, most of them underage, to brothels.
After hearing about Agape International Mission (AIM)’s valiant efforts fighting child sex trafficking in Cambodia, Malaysia’s first female MMA fighter in ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC), Ann Osman and her coach AJ Lias Mansor went on a mission to Cambodia to conduct a workshop to better prepare the undercover AIM rescue team with combat skills that they will be able to utilise in real-world scenarios.
The founder of AIM, Don Brewster built a rescue team that consists mostly of volunteers but they are not equipped with the same level of training as other similar teams around the world.
Some sex traffickers are vicious and violent, using various methods to keep their victims in captivity such as beatings, physical abuse, rape etc. It is of great importance that AIM’s rescue team is prepared with the best martial arts techniques to overpower these traffickers in their daily rescue efforts.
Together with ONE FC, both Malaysian fighters have upgraded the hand-to-hand combat skill level of the AIM rescue team via a 90-minute intense training course held today at the Nagaworld Hotel and Entertainment Complext here in Phnom Penh.
Osman and Mansor also visited the Agape Restoration Centre (ARC) and spoke to a group of young girls aged 4 to late teens, who were all survivors of humana trafficking.
Osman commented on her experience in Cambodia, “It is heart-wrenching to see how young some of these victims are. I hope that my visit to the centre has made the girls feel special. During my visit to the centre, I shared with them words of encouragement, which I hope can empower them and give them the confidence to become successful in life. The journey to completely eradicate child sex trafficking will be a long and arduous one, and I really respect the efforts by NGOs like AIM and visionary people like Don. All of us at ONE FC will also do everything in our power to assist in this fight.”
Osman added, “Martial arts should essentially be used as a means of protection of the weak. Today’s session at Nagaworld will hopefully benefit the rescue team and the girls, and help them in their upcoming battle against human trafficking.”
Osman is also looking to donate her winnings from her upcoming fight to AIM in support of the cause.
