Sustainable Freedom for Sanoh
Sustainable freedom is the ultimate goal for every child served by Rapha.
What is sustainable freedom?
How does every child served by Rapha receive sustainable freedom?
Read Sanoh’s story to see how sustainable freedom can be found in the life of a young survivor:
When she ran away from home to live with her friends, Sanoh was unaware that several of them were members of an organized gang who were skilled at using coercion to exploit underage girls online. In order to manipulate Sanoh into online sexual exploitation, a boy took a video of her being sexually assaulted and threatened to share it on social media. She felt that she had no choice but to give into his demands. It wasn’t long before Sanoh became deeply entangled in sex trafficking. Although Sanoh desperately wanted to return to her life as a normal teenager, she was trapped in fear of the gang that was exploiting her for profit.
When law enforcement finally discovered Sanoh’s situation, she was rescued and placed with Rapha International. Rapha staff immediately began working with officials to remove videos of Sanoh from the internet. Online sexual exploitation robs children of carefree childhoods, and it can also rob them of their futures.
Sanoh took part in trauma-informed therapy and received additional tutoring that enabled her to catch up to her grade level. After Sanoh caught up in school, it was time for her to start making plans for her future. Like any teenage girl, she had lots of ideas about what she wanted to be. Sanoh tried several vocational training programs at Rapha; she spent some time in both the cosmetology and sewing programs. But, she ultimately decided she wanted to be a business owner. Sanoh’s dream was to return to her village as a shop owner, providing resources for her community and earning money to support herself and to help her family. Social workers at Rapha helped Sanoh find resources to learn the skills she would need to own and operate her shop. They helped her find an appropriate location and Rapha sponsored the start up costs for her business. Sanoh’s education and access to vocational training equipped her to live out her dream.
Sanoh now lives independently, in sustainable freedom, using the skills and network of support she gained at Rapha.
Steps Towards Sustainable Freedom
We believe finding freedom that is long lasting and durable requires education, skill building, and community reintegration. Survivors must be empowered and equipped to provide for themselves and their families, to decrease their vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking. Sustainable freedom requires a safety net- a community that protects the vulnerable and has been educated on the dangers of human trafficking.
Education is a step toward sustainable freedom. Children who have experienced trauma and exploitation are manipulated into believing their voice does not matter. This could not be further from the truth.
A hallmark of treatment at Rapha International is that every survivor’s experience is tailored to her strengths, needs, and goals. Survivors are encouraged to explore their skills and aspirations regarding their future, and to choose a reintegration track accordingly.
Young survivors, like Sanoh at Rapha International, in accordance with local and national guidelines, receive a formal education, either off-site at a public or private school or on-site with the Rapha teaching staff. In addition to this formal education, all of the children benefit from computer classes, agriculture classes, and classes on life and social skills provided by Rapha staff.
Vocational training and work-study opportunities are continually sought for clients in Rapha’s care. Sewing classes are provided for survivors in Cambodia and Thailand to prepare them for jobs in Southeast Asia’s extensive textile industry. In Battambang, Cambodia there is a dedicated program for children with special needs, complete with special education teachers to work with children with barriers to learning.
Sustainable freedom can only be found outside of Rapha’s walls, when survivors return to their families and communities. Rapha continues to serve survivors through diverse reintegration programs, including support for family resilience, education, and small business management.
Sanoh’s story shows Rapha helped her take next steps toward sustainable freedom. Not only for herself but for her entire community.
