Profiles of Courage
Somaly Mam
In Somaly’s words…
“I’ve committed my life to fighting this horrible scourge on humanity. Seeing innocent young women and children whose lives have been forever scarred leaves no doubt that they need a champion who is willing to invest all their time and energy towards eradicating the shameful practice of human trafficking. I cannot wage this fight alone and call upon anyone who cares about the innocent victims to donate their time, money and advocacy to this important cause. Each contribution means everything to the victims and know that I will be forever grateful for those who help make such an important difference.”
A native Cambodian, Somaly Mam's family struggled through poverty and limited opportunities during her childhood. Because of this, Somaly was sold into a life of sexual slavery many times by a man who posed as her "grandfather." At a very young age, she was forced to work in a brothel with many other young girls and they were all treated horrifically through torture, manipulation, and scare tactics. Her past fuels her passion to help young children and women who are victims of human trafficking. This work also has brought Somaly enormous international attention, including recognition as a CNN Hero and appearances on television specials featured on CBC, CBS, NBC and MSNBC.
In 2006, Somaly Mam was honored as Glamour magazine's Woman of the Year for her courageous work in fighting sexual slavery. This same year, Somaly was also chosen as one of eight female heroines to serve as a flag bearer for the Torino 2006 Winter Games. Shortly thereafter, Somaly was profiled as a CNN Hero in recognition of her brave fight to save so many young, innocent victims from this horrible and silent crime.