Origins of The Somaly Mam Foundation
The following excerpt was take directly from the Somaly Mam Foundation website (http://www.somaly.org/whoweare/history):
In 2007, Jared Greenberg and Nicholas Lumpp, two graduates of the United States Air Force Academy, learned of a growing international crisis — human trafficking. The sex slave trade had developed into the third most profitable criminal industry, behind only narcotics and weapons. Governments had yet to effectively handle the problem, and funding for organizations fighting the illegal trade was minimal. Disturbed by the public's lack of awareness of these ongoing atrocities, Greenberg and Lumpp decided it was time to take action and help put an end to sexual slavery, once and for all. But with an industry that generates $12 billion a year, enslaves millions of young women and children, and is protected by corrupt government and law enforcement officials, they had their work cut out for them.
A few months later Greenberg and Lumpp viewed an online video clip of Anderson Cooper 360 and saw a show spotlighting a woman by the name of Somaly Mam. Sold into slavery at the age of 12, she later escaped and made it her mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate survivors of this heinous crime. The result was AFESIP, an organization that has transformed the lives of thousands of victims of the illegal trade since its inception in 1996. Mam is now regarded as one of the most prolific activists fighting sexual slavery. Greenberg and Lumpp traveled to Cambodia into the center of the sex slave industry. They met with Somaly Mam, toured shelters, and met some of the young women who had been rescued. The experience changed their lives. They realized that too many people around the world do not know that slavery still exists. Increasing awareness and funding organizations like AFESIP seemed paramount to combating the illegal trade. During a car ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Mam explained her vision for a U.S. based organization that would take her life's passion to the next level. Thus, the Somaly Mam Foundation was born.
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