To be a shelter within the slums

We work with families in seven slums in Phnom Penh. We work inside or next to the slums because it's no use trying to change people's lives unless you're willing to get right down next to them and know what their daily lives are like, to be a real neighbour.

Last week, some people in one of the slums came to our staff to ask for help for a 13 year old girl.

We are incredibly grateful for her sake that they trusted us enough to ask for help. Many of the families we work with are involved in petty crime to full-blown child trafficking. Especially for the ethnic minorities, they have little trust for 'outsiders'.

Our staff went down to talk gently to the girl and confirm the story reported. So far, at the very least we know she has been repeatedly raped and quite possibly sold for sex by her rapist as well. 

With nowhere safe, we took her back to Riverkids for a warm meal, change of clothes and somewhere she didn't have to be afraid that the rapist-predator would find her again.

We took her to a medical clinic for a check-up, and confirmed with counselling that the trauma and possibly a pre-existing condition has created significant mental problems. Slow children and those with mental illnesses are even more vulnerable to predators, something we've seen with other girls at Riverkids.

This week, she tried to escape (we have open gates, so it wasn't logical) by climbing over the walls. We are now working with her family, who have due to their own tragedies, neither the time or ability to care for her, to shelter her until we can find somewhere long-term.

We sought long-term care with her family's permission at another NGO, but it is difficult to find anywhere she can safely be at, due to her mental challenges.We will keep trying until she is truly safe.

For now, we are gently counselling her, looking to see if a case can be made against her attacked, and keeping her involved safely in activities when her family cannot.

There are some other photographs of her which cannot be posted for child safety reasons. In one, she has a shy sweet smile on her young face, but her eyes were lost in terror.

Please keep her and the other traumatised children we work with in your thoughts this holiday season.