Daughters of Cambodia

Daughters has developed a unique model in Cambodia, one in which sex workers come directly to the organization from the brothels by their own choice. They come because they are already motivated to change their lives, and Daughters gives them the choices and dignity to build a different future, â€" one that is sustainable and respects their human rights. A range of Services available at Daughters, from life-skills classes to counseling sessions, provide the resources, both external and internal, for girls to make healthy choices that will be sustained in the future. We are not a shelter, but we facilitate the girls’ exit from the sex industry by providing resources and programs that enable them to set themselves free. These include educational and social support services in life-skills that equip them to change their lifestyles. Unlike other approaches, girls are not kept by force in a shelter, where NGO dependence is modeled. At Daughters, girls must learn to be responsible for their own lives and accommodation and provide for their staple needs out of their salaries, in order to foster sustainability and long-term outcomes. Girls are offered salaried jobs at our businesses, along with supplementary services such as medical treatment, counselling, educational opportunities, a range of therapeutic creative classes, and a number of other services tailored to their needs but intended to avoid NGO dependence. Our approach is to empower girls to change their own lives by giving them tools and skills to do so. Since February 2010, Daughters has been working with male transsexual sex workers under a new program called Sons of Cambodia. As with girls in Daughters, the boys in Sons are similarly offered a job and life-changing opportunities at Daughters Day Centre. The boys commence in the Sewing Room trainee program, and upon graduation from there, they join Sons' Wood Shop or Screen Printing Workshop. We currently have 15 boys employed by the Sons program. Daughters opened a Visitor Centre in Phnom Penh in June 2010 to provide additional jobs in the businesses there (a shop, cafe and spa), while enabling the public to learn about Daughters and support our work.