This is an innovative solution to trafficking and exploitation of girls in Cambodia. It's called the Shine Centre: a one-of-a-kind centre in Phnom Penh that offers leadership opportunities, training, mentorship, and educational support so girls at risk of being trafficked can access a safe environment, then build the skills and confidence to do remarkable things.
Girls and young women have historically been undervalued in Cambodian society, often leading to them becoming collateral when their family's economic situation is vulnerable. Prior to the global pandemic, the prevalence of "quick jobs" and karaoke bars in Phnom Penh fuelled a temptation for families to pressure girls into dropping out of school to earn money, only for the girls to then be tricked, trafficked, or left traumatized for life. Since COVID-19, the risk to girls is even greater.
The Shine Centre is a first-of-it-kind centre that offers adolescent girls (ages 10-24) psychosocial counselling, leadership-building opportunities, training, mentorship and educational support to help girls overcome the barrier to education while staying safe from trafficking and safe from COVID-19.
In the long term, we plan to look back and see a generation of girls in Cambodia that was not only prevented from being trafficked, but also full of girls who were given the opportunities, choices and freedom to realise their potential. We believe the Shine Centre will massively contribute to that vision.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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