Somaly Mam to speak at Regis University

Renowned activist and author to talk about horrors of Southeast Asian sex-slave industry

By Ashton Do, AsiaXpress.com

Nov. 7, 2007

Photo courtesy of somaly.org Renowned activist and author Somaly Mam will speak at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 at the St. John Francis Regis Chapel.

DENVER – Somaly Mam knows the horrors of the sex-slave-trade industry. She should – she lived it.

“People laugh about prostitution being the oldest job in the world, but I’ve seen so many awful things,” she said.

The 37-year-old human activist will make an appearance at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 at the St. John Francis Regis Chapel to share her story and promote her new foundation. The majority of her U.S. visit, however, will be spent in New York City where she is advocating her cause to the United Nations.

As a young girl living in post-war Cambodia, Mam was sold to a brothel several times and forced into prostitution by her grandfather. As a child prostitute, she was abused, tortured, raped, and even witnessed the murder of her best friend.

But she was not alone. Roughly 1 million young girls are a part of the Southeast Asian sex-slave industry, which generates $12 billion annually. Some of these girls are as young as 5 years old.

Mam escaped her seemingly endless nightmare and vowed to someday put an end to the monstrosities of her childhood. Today, she is an internationally recognized author and icon in the fight against human trafficking.

Nicholas Lumpp and Jared Greenberg, both graduates of the Air Force Academy, became crucial figures in the fight within the last six months. It all began a year ago when the two discussed their astonishment over how little had been done about the horrors of sex slavery.

Talk led to action and in the summer of 2007, they bought tickets and flew to Cambodia to confront human trafficking head on.

“The name Somaly Mam meant nothing to us until a week before we had plane tickets to visit her in Cambodia. A short clip on “Anderson Cooper 360” on YouTube intrigued us enough to learn more and eventually contact her,” Lumpp wrote on yourhub.com. “ … That name began to take shape as a representation of remarkable courage and leadership, much as I had envisioned Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.”

They listened to horrific firsthand accounts of girls she had saved. Even in the wake of tragedy, the girls showed promises of hope.

“While I was in Cambodia, I met many of the girls and talked to them,” Lumpp said. “I even asked them, ‘what do you want to do in the future?’ …They wanted higher education – they wanted to be like Somaly.”

After returning from Cambodia, Greenberg and Lumpp understood Mam’s vision and wanted to help fund her effort. The need for help was great, but resources were scarce. So Greenberg and Lumpp started the Somaly Mam Foundation – a U.S.-based organization that will help fund the fight against human trafficking. Within the next year, they hope to raise more than a $1 million, Lumpp said.

With Mam as its spokesperson, the foundation will debut Nov. 7 to the United Nations in New York City. Mam will also premiere a new film about human trafficking called “Holly.”

“It’s a great honor for me to be working with such an amazing activist like Somaly Mam, her story is absolutely incredible,” Lumpp said. “ … (Human trafficking) is such a huge industry and it affects so many lives that it’s surprising to me how little has been done, and how little awareness there is in the U.S. on the topic.”

For many, the fight against sex slave trade seems daunting, and with so many lives at stake, stressful too. Outside of their work with Mam, Nicholas Lumpp and Greenberg still report to full time jobs – but to them, the challenge is worth its pressures. Lumpp recalls the hopes and aspirations of the young girls he interviewed in Cambodia.

“To be able to make things happen, to be a reality for those girls, for victims all over the world, it makes me want to get up in the morning.”

“The Road of List Innocence: The Fight Against the Sex Slave Trade with Somaly Mam” will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 at the St. John Francis Regis Chapel. Admission is free, but donations are suggested. Tickets required for entry. Call the Office of Public Affairs at 303-458-3544 to reserve tickets.

Ashton Do is an assistant editor for AsiaXpress.com. Ashton can be reached at Ashton.Do@asiaxpress.com.