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Women
changing lives: Theavy Mom
by Jacqueline
Kozin, Digital Freedom Network
(March 29, 2002) Besides
her mother, Theavy Mom is the only member of her family to survive
the Khmer Rouge regime. Born in Cambodia's capital city, Phnom
Penh in 1975, Mom never had the chance to get to know her father
or four siblings, who all died by the time she reached the age
of four.
Since she was young,
Mom wanted to follow in her father's footsteps by becoming a medical
doctor. Her mother, a local market vendor who sells food she prepares
at home, always encouraged Mom to pursue an education and to not
follow the traditional role of Cambodian women.
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Theavy
Mom works to prevent the commercialization of children in
Cambodia.
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"My mother always tells
me to work hard and that I should be like my father, educated
and intellectual," said Mom in an interview with the Digital Freedom
Network. "She always said that without an education, I would always
have to be dependent upon someone or in an unhappy position. She
always told me to get an education and work hard in an area I
like."
But as she got older,
she realized her family's economic situation would not allow her
to pursue medical school. So, after some thought, Mom (Theavy
Mom's name is pronounced TEH-vee MUM) decided to take her career
in a different direction, teaching. "I passed the exam at the
Royal University of Phnom Penh, which is a famous pedagogy university
in Cambodia that educates students to become teachers or lecturers
at high schools in Cambodia," said Mom. She majored in English
and also trained to teach the language to high school students
in Cambodia.
But when she was assigned
to a teaching job after graduation, she was unable to accept the
position. "I decided not to accept the job offer because I could
not survive on the modest government salary offered and the position
was in a province very far away from my mother and I am her only
daughter." So instead she applied for and received a position
as an interpreter with the Committee for Free and Fair Elections
in Cambodia (COMFREL). She was quickly promoted to the position
of educational trainer with the organization, which was more in
line with what she wanted to do. As an educational trainer, she
would teach the organization's coordinators from the provinces
about the election laws, help create strategies to get election
information to voters, and prepare lesson plans about democracy
as well as free and fair elections for the coordinators and general
public.
After receiving funds
from the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) Southeast
Asia Fund for Institutional and Legal Development (SEAFILD), Mom
went on to complete her Master's degree in the Human Rights Studies
Program at Mahidol University in Bangok, Thailand. After graduation,
she was assigned to work for Cambodian Center for Protection of
Children's Rights (CCPCR) by the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).
For the past year,
Mom has worked as a consultant for the CCPCR, which works to prevent
and protect children from commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking,
and child labor. They carry out their mission by going out to
Cambodian provinces to educate parents of young children, schoolteachers,
local authorities, and others on the United Nations' Convention
on the Rights of the Child. It is also involved with rescuing
children from high-risk conditions or from forced labor situations
and helping them reintegrate into their family and community.
CCPCR's educational
efforts are preemptive strikes against the commercialization of
children as many of them drop out of school at a young age to
get jobs in Cambodia's city centers to financially assist their
families. It is usually a trusted acquaintance that lures the
child to the city center for a "well paid" job that turns out
to be anything but. Often the acquaintance is a neighbor, a family
friend, a boyfriend, or even a parent.
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What
you can do
Cambodian
Center for Protection of Children's Rights (CCPCR)
has volunteer opportunities available. Please contact
them if you are interested in becoming a volunteer
with them or with another organization that does similar
work.
CCPCR
#08, St.311
Boeung Kork2
Khan Toul Kork, P.O.Box 2487
Phnom Penh 3
Cambodia
Phone/Fax: +(855-23) 363-316
E-mail: ccpcr@forum.org.kh
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Many times, children
are sold to brokers by their parents, who receive a considerable
sum of money and are not told the truth about the type of work
into which their children are being drafted. Children often go
by themselves to the cities in search of work and because most
Cambodian families are tight-knit, the children are starved for
emotional attachment, thus making them vulnerable to anyone who
appears willing to help them.
Mom helps explain these
dangers to children who are most susceptible to getting involved
in these situations as well as those who can help children to
avoid them. Mom also explains the risks of getting involved in
commercial sexual exploitation, such as the contraction of HIV/AIDS.
Mom has seen the success
of the organization's efforts. "Parents are more sensitive to
the needs and education of their children," she commented. "Community
members are now more aware of the needs of children at-risk of
sexual abuse and sexual exploitation and more willing to actively
help such children."
And although her line
of work is challenging, Mom finds it to be rewarding. "I enjoy
my work with CCPCR," remarked Mom. "I feel that my sensitivity
to the issues that I deal with day to day helps my work and I
am happy to continue the struggle to improve their quality of
life."
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