During a 2-hour site seeing break from meetings in DC a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the FDR Memorial by happenstance as I journeyed between the Jefferson and MLK Jr. Memorials. While there, I was struck by several FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt quotes, but one in particular inspired me and rings true all these years later. In 1932, in the midst of many national challenges, FDR said, “In these days of
In the next month Hagar will celebrate our 24th birthday, a remarkable feat in the world of international development. I am proud to have celebrated the past 4 of those with Hagar, both in Cambodia and in the USA. You may be asking “What has sustained the organization through the years?” I believe there are a number of factors that I’d like to highlight for you below. Hagar has: – a clear
Two weeks ago I was startled awake from a nightmare in which I had been in a room where adults were buying dozens of children like they were every day commodities. Many races, nationalities and ethnicities were represented among the traffickers and those being trafficked. I remember feeling a sense of great danger in the environment and I was deeply troubled by what I saw happening to the children. Sadly, I had
After working as a social worker in the fields of mental health and child welfare for 20 years, and most recently with Hagar Cambodia, I recognize that a staggering number of individuals in the USA and globally suffer violence at the hands of their intimate partners. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence there are an average of 20 victims of physical abuse in the USA every minute and hotlines receive
When I think of the word “Hope” I am reminded of the season in my life many years ago in which I felt hopeless, full of wandering, and struggling to find what I needed. It was during that time in the desert that I discovered faith and embarked on a new path toward hope, trusting in something bigger than me for the first time. By definition, hope is “a feeling of expectation
Two sisters find justice. Makara is seven, and her big sister Sopheak is nine. They live in a rural province in Cambodia with their grandmother, who they moved in with a couple of years ago when their parents moved away. In the months that followed their move, both Makara and Sopheak were raped by a relative. The girls had experienced severe trauma and were referred to Hagar for comprehensive care. Our case
Hoa was at University when she met her husband, Lanh. He was a single father who was taking care of his six year old son, at the same time as running an IT center for students. She told her parents she wanted to marry Lanh, but her parents weren’t supportive of the relationship. Hoa married Lanh anyway. Within a week of being married to him, she discovered why his first wife had
Justice after seven years. In February 2009, the Cambodian authorities arrested Erik Leonardus Peeters, a 48-year-old American citizen, on suspicion of sexual contact with children. Peeters had arrived in Cambodia in 2008 and within two months had started to look for young boys. He particularly targeted children who were destitute or disabled, paying them $5 to $10 for sex. After being expelled from Cambodia, Peeters was charged in the United States under
Last year, as the TIP report for 2017 was released, we echoed the sentiments of former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, “The scale of human trafficking is atrocious. The silence that conceals this crime is disgraceful. We have to speak out because the victims are living in fear for their lives. We have to raise our voices for them. That means confronting the social and economic conditions that abet this crime. It
(Re)Integration of Cambodian Trafficked Men: Trends in Trafficking and Available Aftercare Services Published: March 2015 Cambodian men and boys are trafficked into a variety of sectors, including fishing, construction, agriculture, and factory work, and often subjected to physical and psychological abuse at the hands of their employers. This research explores the trends in trafficking of Cambodian men, the needs of survivors, and the extent of reintegration assistance available. Download PDF
By partnering with Hagar, you answer the cries of human suffering. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.
By partnering with Hagar, you help survivors heal from trauma and severe abuse. Our work depends on the generosity of people like you.
