| The
Past
Svay Pak, also known as K11, is a notorious brothel
district located 11 km from the center of Phnom Penh,
Cambodia. For the past two
decades, the collection of shanties, brothels and karaoke bars that formed the basis of this district has represented the
epicenter of the child sex trade in Southeast Asia.
Lax laws and rampant poverty have created an environment
perfect for gross human rights violations and exploitative
acts of violence against children.
 Pressure on the Cambodian government in the past five
years has resulted in numerous closures and crackdowns
in this area. Historical precedent combined with current
experience by local NGOs suggests that similar to previous
closures, the 2005 raid and shutdown will not be permanent.
Although the visibility of commercial sex activity has
been drastically reduced, sex work, particularly acts
involving underage sex workers, remains a cornerstone
of the local economy.
At any one time, it is estimated that over 300 commercial
sex workers live and work in the brothels within the
Svay Pak area. The age of these workers ranges from
six years old to thirty, with sixteen representing the
documented median.
The Present
 The Svay Pak district currently suffers from a severe
lack of social and health related infrastructure. Fee
for use schools make it impossible for the majority
of impoverished children to obtain an education. Health
care facilities are resource depleted, undependable,
and often charge fee-for-service care that many cannot
afford. Partly as a consequence of ineffective health
education programs, the HIV rate amongst commercial
sex workers is believed to be over 40%. The residents
of Svay Pak are trapped by poverty, with little opportunity
to move up.
The Future
 Building on the success of our partner group's elementary
schooling program, Action to End Exploitation is committed
to bringing an increased array of educational and social
programs to this truly impoverished district. In partnership
with Aid to Children Without Parents, the construction
of a three level community center will allow the housing
of educational, vocational, and social services designed
to provide alternatives for women and children who are
otherwise likely to be exploited by the commercial sex
industry. The center will have an open doors policy
and will encourage active sex workers to participate in job
training programs. Trained counselors will be on staff
to manage the complex needs of abuse victims who are also chemical dependent. Infectious disease education and a condom distribution
program will be integrated into the center's agenda, thus
providing a measure of risk reduction for women and
children currently engaged in sex work.
A Project in Collaboration with
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