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8 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, October 6, 2011 Local woman helps Cambodian kids heal from sex trade life By LISA TALLYN Staff Writer Last year Carin McCoy was with her daughter enjoying a latte in a local coffee shop when the sign "Free Trade Coffee" caught her eye. Unaware what it meant, she asked her daughter about it who explained that the owners of the plantations where the coffee came from didn't bring in trafficking victims to harvest the beans. Wanting to learn more, McCoy searched online for more information about trafficking. When she got home, she was shocked by what she read. Her Internet search uncovered story after story of young girls who had been forced into the sex trade against their will. The girls, aged as young as four years old, had been taken from their homes and put into brothels all over the world. Horrified by what she was reading, McCoy could not get the stories out of her mind and decided she wanted to do something to help these children. So she decided to join Not4Sale, a Canadian-based non-profit organization dedicated to the search, rescue and restoration of those children. A project manager and trauma-based counsellor, she decided to volunteer as a project director, sold her Georgetown home, and moved to Cambodia to precan return to their own pare a safe and secure homes or communihome for the children ties as productive and rescued from the brothwhole citizens. els of Cambodia. "These girls suffer "It was a perfect all kinds of abuse while match," said McCoy. held captive," said McShe said the decision Coy. "They are expectto pick up and leave her ed to service between home and head to Cam10 to 15 customers a bodia was not a tough day. They are beaten, one, she felt like she was electrocuted, starved supposed to go. and abused. Eighty per `It came together so cent of these children easy," said McCoy. have been gang-raped When she arrived in CARIN and have no hope of Cambodia she lived for MCCOY escape. They are alienapproximately three ated by their families months in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and through and abused by society. The horrors they her contact with several large organiza- experience cannot be imagined by us tions learned more about what was go- here in Georgetown." She said the good news is there are ing on in the sex trade. "I realized it was darker than I people who have left the comforts of thought. The brothels were everywhere, North America to find these children there were prostitutes everywhere. The and are working to change laws and make safe places for them. They are kids are hidden," she said. The Not4Sale home will be based in also providing proper programs for Siem Reap, where McCoy and the team them to give them the skills needed to are opening a high-risk after-care facil- support themselves and contribute to ity, which will house up to 12 girls. The their families. McCoy said two weeks before she left girls will receive the medical and psychological care they need to heal from Cambodia to come back to Georgetown their extremely abusive lifestyle while for a visit reports in the local Cambodia living in a clean and safe environment- newspapers stated 18 children under a place they can call home until they the age of 15 were rescued from broth- els in Siem Reap. It was the largest raid to date she said. She said the children are being held in safe houses where they are receiving medical and professional care. She has visited them. "All were small and frightened, but many managed to smile back at me as I entered the room," she said. During her visit here McCoy is attempting to raise awareness throughout the province and funds to finance the facility and care of the children. She plans to return to Cambodia this fall. The facility is scheduled to open early next year. She estimates they will need about $60,000 to cover the costs of the first year. "Working alongside organizations like Chab Dai, World Hope, World Vision and IJM, great strides are being taken for the protection and safety and restoration of these children," said McCoy. Not4Sale is part of Victory Children's Homes International Foundation. For more information or to make a donation to the project in Cambodia visit www.not4sale.ca or www.victorychildrenshomes.com McCoy is available to speak to local groups about the situation in Cambodia and the project. She can be contacted through carinnot4sale@gmail.com. Her blog can be found at carinnot4sale.blogspot.com Thanksgiving Savings! Maria Britto Sales Representative · BIGGEST Selection of Laminate, Hardwood, Carpet and Ceramics · THOUSANDS of sq. ft. in store ON EVERYTHING IN STOCK UNTIL SEPT. 30 ONLY X A T O N Nobody Beats the Carpet Palace Prices! C Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage A professional, dedicated Realtor for over 26 years. 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