Safety is Healing

Sophea’s family was not just poor, they were extremely poor. Sophea felt guilty when she saw her parents work 12-16 hours a day collecting recyclables in their village and still struggle to buy food at the market for her and her three-year-old sister.

One day Sophea’s neighbor, Toch, told her about a waitressing job she had learned about in the city that would pay enough for her living expenses and enable her to send money back to help her family.

Encouraged by the opportunity to make money, the next morning, Sophea and Toch took a taxi to the city and upon arriving at the restaurant were told that the taxi ride was three times more expensive than originally agreed upon.

The manager of the restaurant came and paid for their taxi ride, but told the girls they couldn’t leave until they repaid the entire amount plus interest. She told them if they didn’t have the money they could work at the restaurant to make it back.

Unable to contact their families and penniless, the 14 and 15 year old girls agreed to serve tables at the restaurant. After two weeks the owners forced them to have sex with male customers in the back of the restaurant. The manager took 90% of Sophea and Toch’s profits making it impossible for them to repay their debt. As weeks went by, Sophea and Toch lost hope in ever escaping or earning enough money to pay back their debt.

After six months of brutal treatment, the local police received an anonymous tip that the restaurant was forcing underage girls to have sex with customers and raided the restaurant in the middle of the night. They brought Sophea and Toch to Rapha International where they were immediately greeted by staff who told them they were safe and would be taken care of. Sophea and Toch were provided with food, medical care, a warm meal, their own beds, new clothes, and a house mother to ensure they had everything they needed.

Knowing that security guards were posted outside the campus and no one could hurt them at Rapha, Sophea and Toch slept soundly for the first time in months. Because they were safe, they could finally begin their journey of healing.

*Sophea and Toch’s story represents the experiences of thousands of girls who have received care at Rapha.