9 beautiful children have been rescued from exploitation!
At the end of July, AIM SWAT and Siem Reap Police officers swooped in to arrest a Khmer man and rescued 9 children (8 boys and 1 girl) between the ages of 6 months to 13 years old who had been trafficked to beg on the streets of Siem Reap. The arrest and rescues were the results of a covert surveillance operation acting upon information received that children had been recruited from impoverished families. Their trafficker then forced the children to beg money for his profit and would beat them if they refused or did not earn enough money each day.
The children who were old enough to be interviewed confirmed the information and the man was then charged with child trafficking and will await trial from prison. All the children have been transferred to a partner aftercare shelter for care and our legal team will represent all victims throughout the forthcoming court proceedings.