From 1975-1979, the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge subjected the entire population of Cambodia to slave labour, mass execution, unchecked disease and starvation. An estimated 3 million people died – over a third of the country’s population.

Cambodians are vibrant and resilient. Despite the lasting impacts of its trauma-filled recent history, Cambodia has taken many steps forward in rebuilding the social and economic structures that were systematically dismantled during the genocide and civil war periods. As these systems are gradually being developed, there are still many people who live in extreme poverty, with generational trauma and limited social supports, leaving them very vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.

Young men and women who are desperate for a stable income are deceived into offers for good jobs overseas, only to become trapped in forced “marriage” or slave labour. Young women from the country-side villages move to the cities to find work to support their families and are recruited to work as entertainment hostesses in bars and beer gardens, many of which experience sexual exploitation, sexual assault and physical violence with few places to turn for help. 

Ratanak works together with skilled and passionate Cambodians in this fight for hope, freedom and God-given dignity in the lives of Cambodia’s most vulnerable. Together through your support, we see survivors who are experiencing healing and overcoming the horrors of trafficking and exploitation. Your compassion and generosity are making a lasting difference and changing lives.