Channa, human trafficking survivor

Channa came across a broker in China on Facebook Messenger. He offered her an opportunity to earn US$400-500 a month and even agreed to cover her travel expenses. This job could change the lives of her typically poor, rice-farming family in Cambodia's Stung Treng province.

She was held hostage for a month in China and subsequently married off to a local family. They treated her as a slave and kept her locked up at home. Her husband raped her whenever he wanted. After she gave birth to a baby boy, the Chinese authorities arrested her as an illegal immigrant. Channa begged the police to send her back to Cambodia, and they contacted the Cambodian embassy.

She returned to Cambodia with nothing – no documents, no baggage, no money. The authorities referred Channa to HAGAR. We managed to locate her family, and Channa was devastated to learn that her mother had passed away and dad had remarried. She spiralled into a state of despair and depression.

"I lost everything. I felt hopeless and wanted to give up. But at Hagar's Home of Love, my foster mother and the staff showed me so much warmth and care. They gave me the encouragement to take back my life and my future, to be a stronger person."

Through our trauma-informed counselling and care, Channa regained her self-worth and hope for her future.

HAGAR also helped Channa set up a small business selling soft drinks and sugar cane juice. She has now expanded her business to also sell groceries.

"I am so thankful for HAGAR's support. I have a business now that can improve my life. I won't be cheated again."

Besides supporting their recovery, HAGAR empowers survivors with skills and resilience to minimise their vulnerability to re-exploitation; all they need is encouragement. When you partner with HAGAR, you invest in lives and help create opportunities that enable survivors to become independent and active contributors in their community.