As part of their recovery program, former sex workers learn sewing, weaving and other skills. An estimated 80,000 women and children are involved in the sex industry. Many are beaten into submission so they’ll provide services for 10 to 20 customers a day. This shelter for trafficked girls, partly funded by World Vision, provides up to two years of accommodation, plus counseling and livelihood training. These girls are learning to work as hairdressers.

World Vision Canada is currently supporting a three-year anti-trafficking project in the Mekong Delta (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam). The work takes a three-pronged approach, aimed at preventative, protective and prosecutorial measures.

Preventative

World Vision supports community-based solutions, to address the root causes that make children vulnerable to involvement in the sex trade. Examples include vocational and educational programs that highlight the danger of trafficking, while equipping individuals with the skills to earn an adequate income.

Protective

World Vision works with children who have been victims of child sex tourism. Where possible, World Vision works to reintegrate these children with their families. Together with community health centres, World Vision provides medical care and counseling, easing victims’ reintegration into their communities.

Prosecutorial

World Vision is pursuing effective collaborations with national police forces, or other appropriate authorities. These collaborations, already active in many countries within Asia, are already improving prosecutorial conditions for victims of human trafficking.