Christian Volunteer: 'There Is a Deep Fulfillment in Laying Your Life Down for Somebody Else'
By DAN HARRIS, ALMIN KARAMEHMEDOVIC, AUDE SOICHET and SIDNEY WRIGHT IV
ABC News (USA)
SVAY PAK, Cambodia, March 21, 2010 — Clay Butler, a 27-year-old evangelical Christian from California, points to a group of children playing in the street and said, "I know kids in that group who are being trafficked. I know the situations, I know the brothels that they're in."
Butler runs a community center in the village of Svay Pak, the epicenter of Cambodia's raging child sex trafficking epidemic. It's a place where, on any given night, many of the children will be sold -- by their own parents -- for sex with strangers.
He is one of many American Christians who have come to this impoverished, war-ravaged country to protect some of the world's most vulnerable children.
"I think the most exciting part of Christianity is living it out," Butler said. "This stuff is not fun at all, but there is a deep fulfillment in laying your life down for somebody else."
Other Americans Christians are practicing an even more daring version of their faith. A group called the International Justice Mission regularly sends undercover agents into the brothels to gather video evidence. The group then works with local police to bust suspected sex tourists, oftentimes American men.
They also rescue child sex slaves like Bella, a 15-year-old who says she was forced by pimps to have sex every day.
Bella was sold into slavery by her mother. In Cambodia, it can be astonishingly easy to buy a child from the family. During a recent visit to Cambodia, ABC News was able to negotiate -- in broad daylight -- with the mother of a 15-year-old girl. The mother said she was willing to sell her daughter to a foreigner for marriage.
When asked how much it would cost, the mother answered, through a translator, "It's up to you."
In response to a question about whether her daughter had been with another man before, she said, "No, no, no. If you don't trust you can take her to the hospital& for a medical examination."
So why is it so easy to buy a child on the streets of Cambodia? Poverty is one explanation, but some Christians say the ghosts of history play a role.
Pastor Has Seen Cambodian Child Sold to Pay for Superficial Items
Cambodia endured a massive genocide in the 1970s, during which children were forced to spy on and even execute their parents -- and the educated and religious communities were nearly wiped out.
Pastor Don Brewster, who runs a shelter for former child sex slaves and works with Clay Butler, said he believes that Cambodia now suffers from a moral vacuum.
"These families will take a loan to buy a TV which they can never pay," Brewster said. "They can't feed themselves, never mind buy a TV, but they know, 'Hey, I've got my ace in the whole. I can sell my daughter.'"
Bella, the 15-year-old rescued by the International Justice Mission, is now staying at Pastor Brewster's shelter, where she said she is finally getting help.
By DAN HARRIS, ALMIN KARAMEHMEDOVIC, AUDE SOICHET and SIDNEY WRIGHT IV
ABC News (USA)
SVAY PAK, Cambodia, March 21, 2010 — Clay Butler, a 27-year-old evangelical Christian from California, points to a group of children playing in the street and said, "I know kids in that group who are being trafficked. I know the situations, I know the brothels that they're in."
Butler runs a community center in the village of Svay Pak, the epicenter of Cambodia's raging child sex trafficking epidemic. It's a place where, on any given night, many of the children will be sold -- by their own parents -- for sex with strangers.
He is one of many American Christians who have come to this impoverished, war-ravaged country to protect some of the world's most vulnerable children.
"I think the most exciting part of Christianity is living it out," Butler said. "This stuff is not fun at all, but there is a deep fulfillment in laying your life down for somebody else."
Other Americans Christians are practicing an even more daring version of their faith. A group called the International Justice Mission regularly sends undercover agents into the brothels to gather video evidence. The group then works with local police to bust suspected sex tourists, oftentimes American men.
They also rescue child sex slaves like Bella, a 15-year-old who says she was forced by pimps to have sex every day.
Bella was sold into slavery by her mother. In Cambodia, it can be astonishingly easy to buy a child from the family. During a recent visit to Cambodia, ABC News was able to negotiate -- in broad daylight -- with the mother of a 15-year-old girl. The mother said she was willing to sell her daughter to a foreigner for marriage.
When asked how much it would cost, the mother answered, through a translator, "It's up to you."
In response to a question about whether her daughter had been with another man before, she said, "No, no, no. If you don't trust you can take her to the hospital& for a medical examination."
So why is it so easy to buy a child on the streets of Cambodia? Poverty is one explanation, but some Christians say the ghosts of history play a role.
Pastor Has Seen Cambodian Child Sold to Pay for Superficial Items
Cambodia endured a massive genocide in the 1970s, during which children were forced to spy on and even execute their parents -- and the educated and religious communities were nearly wiped out.
Pastor Don Brewster, who runs a shelter for former child sex slaves and works with Clay Butler, said he believes that Cambodia now suffers from a moral vacuum.
"These families will take a loan to buy a TV which they can never pay," Brewster said. "They can't feed themselves, never mind buy a TV, but they know, 'Hey, I've got my ace in the whole. I can sell my daughter.'"
Bella, the 15-year-old rescued by the International Justice Mission, is now staying at Pastor Brewster's shelter, where she said she is finally getting help.
9 comments:
Christianity focuses on welfare of humanity indiscriminately.
And where is Buddhism's' Meta'?
Can buddhism plays a role in welfare of cambodians under above context?
Is buddhism is a place to hide away for self interest?
How much influences of material world to monks and their hirrachy?
What was the Buddha's life and his intentions/principles,and his achievement?
Should the preach(Dhamma tesnana) be reviewed,for current teaching values and if effectiveness in changing life?
Loving life,helping life are common grounds,why Buddhism can't apply its META for humanity?
Look forward to hearing comments.
Thanks
Kaun Khmer
May the Lord my God bless Cambodia and its defenseless children. Amen.
Govt. - do you know that this is slave trade in the 21st century - whether women to be working on cleaning home's for foreigners (under pretext of advertizing, or a sex object to foreign men (under marriage advertizing), You are cooperating with foreigners to sale your own people that you suppose to protect!
Majority of govt. possition have many esteem title (or on top of that many gold star had been decorage for them), thus, live up to your title -- take care the people that you suppose to be governce...and protect!
most child sex invold american,when there are deman for it child sex picking up. so the fuckin american and the west are a big part to blame too,why arn't abc news have anything to say about it.
CONFIDENTIAL PROFILE PROHIBITED!
Mr.Hun sen please help our children this is our people.
Thank you!!!
If khmer don't love khmer no one in the world will. No, nation wants you to be better than them. So be careful with whatever you do, you have to think twice and think deeply. Khmer gov't needs to create a common law to protect everyone equally, e,g. zero tolerant to child sex. How to protect our children? by creating a welfare system to help the poor families so that they don't have to sale their children!. These monies could be collected from the red cross, churches, temples, through tax and others means of charity works. When families have enough to live on, they would not want to sale their children. Some of these parents would learn about the meaning of life and the value of it as well but if they are too poor they have no knowledge of what is right and what is wrong any more which is called "truamatization", it is like being on drugs. So, gov't needs to find ways to help these kinds of people as they are unable to help themselves and again, if gov't don't help their own people, no one in the world will, accept they would take advantage of our downfall instead, e.g. by stealing our men, women and children for their own purpose,e.g. working to improve their country instead. Therefore, please be smarter. Aust
well done my brothers & sisters in Christ.. thank you for coming to my country and help the defenceless even if it can cost you your lives.. i'm so grateful to God that so many of you my christian brothers share such love for my people. God bless you abundantly in your work.
9:31AM i'm sorry but can't help being amazed at your child-like innocence to put it nicely
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