Today we wanted to celebrate God’s continued blessing of the combined efforts of AIM SWAT (AIM Rescue Team) and Cambodia’s Anti-Trafficking Police. Together, we have experienced unprecedented success in the fight against child sex trafficking.
Last Friday evening, September 2nd, the joint forces of Phnom Penh Municipal Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Police (AHTJP) and AIM SWAT executed a raid on a brothel fronting as a massage parlor near the Phnom Penh riverfront. The raid occurred after a month-long investigation and resulted in the rescue of 10 young women and children. Two traffickers were also arrested in the raid. The children are now in AIM’s aftercare program at AIM Restoration Home and the traffickers are in prison awaiting trial.
This is something to celebrate!
10 lives rescued; countless future lives saved by the arrest of 2 traffickers.
This is a BIG DEAL.
And while we celebrate this victory, an important reminder came while searching the building following the raid.
During the sweep, various items of evidence were gathered, including a whiteboard (see photo to the left). On the whiteboard were the names of each victim. Beside their names, a tally system denoting how many men had sex with each girl that day. Each line represents one customer. If you notice, one of the girls was forced to have sex with 18 men already that day.
It was only 6:00pm, the busy part of the evening hadn’t even yet begun.
The reminder is that a sense of urgency is required when fighting the evil of sex trafficking. Even one day’s delay results in untold trauma for each and every victim.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already joined the fight and understand the urgency. Thank you for that! But we need more people to join us in our efforts. We need more people like you!
It’s our prayer that you will share the urgency of this fight with your friends and family, and that you’ll encourage them to join you in eradicating this evil.
Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging. We have the tools you need to get started, including 3 award-winning documentaries…
Share the links above and get started today!
One girl is too many; one day is too long.
For Freedom,
Don & Bridget Brewster
Co-Founders of AIM’s fight against sex trafficking