Proud to Be a Girl: Empowering Girls in Cambodia

Bopha 

Bopha is eighteen years old.  She grew up in a big family in a north-eastern province of Cambodia. Supporting six children wasn't easy for her parents, as her father was a logger and her mother was a fruit-seller, and income wasn't often stable for either of them. Bopha and her older sister decided to shoulder some of their parents financial burden by leaving behind their education and starting work themselves. Her older sister went to work in Thailand and Bopha moved to Phnom Penh to start work in a garment factory.  

Bopha started work in the factory and became friends with a woman there who told her about an opportunity in China, one that would change her life forever. She told Bopha she could help her get to China and live a better life, that she would have a better job and a higher salary. Bopha readily agreed to go to China, knowing that if she made some more money, she would be able to build a future for herself and her family.  

 “I was so happy when I got a job in China with a high salary.” shares Bopha. 

Bopha travelled to China alongside many other women who had been recruited through the same company in Phnom Penh. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when they left Cambodia, but upon their arrival in China, Bopha and the other women were forced to hand over their passports. They suspected they had been tricked, and they feared for their safety, but they had no choice but to comply. 

 After being held for a few days, a man informed them that they were not about to start new jobs, they were going to be married to Chinese men.  Bopha was taken by the marriage broker to a remote area and sold to a family as a bride. Over a number of months, Bopha was sexually abused and treated as a domestic slave. She was given limited access to food and she didn’t receive medical care. 

 Bopha says, “I felt hopeless and didn’t get support from him. He forced me to work on the farm while I was sick." 

Two months later, Bopha came across another Cambodian woman working in the same town. The woman told Bopha that she had managed to save some money, and the pair decided to escape together. They travelled for three days through the forest until they eventually reached the Cambodian Embassy, where Bopha contacted her mother. Bopha stayed at the embassy for around three months. She was brought back to Cambodia in November. Bopha was pregnant with her husband’s child and she was subsequently referred to one of Hagar's partner organizations who support women through crisis pregnancies.  

In January, Hagar's partner organization referred her to Hagar. Bopha stayed with Hagar to receive essential services. She received counselling, medical care, case management, food, and safe accommodation. Bopha gave birth to a heathy baby boy in February and moved back to her home community in the north-east of Cambodia, to be supported by family.  

Throughout Bopha’s reintegration, Hagar’s team of counsellors worked with her family to ensure that both Bopha and her family had the support that they needed.  

Working closely with Hagar and our partner organization, Bopha and her son are healthy and happy, and she's looking forward to the future with hope. Bopha is interested in the hospitality industry and Hagar are helping her reach her goal of working within it.