Meghan Hamilton

May 9, 2016
Mrs. Poremski
English Final Project
Creative Piece
Jorani / female / sex trafficking victim
Age: 13
Location: a brothel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Day 47
I had six clients today but Narith, the owner, says I have one more coming.
------------I was moved into a new room today. This one was larger and had a bigger cot for clients,
however there was a tiny window, so the nights of gazing at the moon and stars were limited. I
missed my old room where the window was right next to my cot and I had a perfect view of the
sky. I always felt close to my mother while I was watching the stars and moon twinkle because
even if I was trapped in this brothel, we still shared the same sky. Remembering my mother
brings back horrific memories of the day I was stolen. I was playing outside with other kids in
our village as this rundown, maroon truck rolled into where we were playing. We all knew what
the truck meant because four other children were taken by the same truck before I was. All of the
kids fled but my legs seemed to be frozen and I couldnt move. A man began to get out of the
truck and he advanced towards me. He was wearing green pants that had holes in the knees and a
ratty black tank top with sweat stains under his arms. The last thing he was wearing was a
sinister grin, stretching from ear to ear. That grin was the face of an evil man, the face of a man
who didnt care about how families would feel or the pain he was going to cause on them and the
girls he was using. He was one that only saw the dollar signs, rather than the little girl that was

screaming and kicking as he picked her up and threw her into the back of the truck. That girl was
me.

Today was one of the worse days in the brothel. One of my close friends, Mao, died today and I
didnt even get to say goodbye. She had been suffering from an unknown disease but Narith
refused to take her to the doctor and forced her to take clients even though she could barely
move. All the girls hoped she could fight through it, but we all knew it would be too much for
her. Every chance we could we would sneak her more food and try to care for her, but with the
small two meals we get a day and being locked in our rooms, it was very difficult. It feels like
jail in here.

Yesterday was just as awful as today was, but in reality, there is never a good day here. I think
nine men came into my room but I lost track after six. I have given up on screaming and crying
because it doesnt make a difference to the men or anyone outside. I have tried to fight back and
hurt the clients, but my weak child arms are no match for their rock hard fists. I hate them. One
must be evil to do what they do to young girls like us. I just lay there like a rag doll as they use
us for their disgusting desires.

I hear the familiar sound of Nariths voice and heavy steps on the dirt outside. It keeps getting
closer. Now there are two voices; however, they are whispering and I cant make the words out.
Now I cant hear any more talking. One two three I count in my head. I count to 17.
Thats normally the amount of time it takes before a client comes in. I assume Narith is counting
his new wad of cash before he allows client to unlock the door. The lock on my door is rattling
and I can see the shadow of feet underneath the small crack of the door. When will this misery

end? When can I go home? When can I be free again? I wish I was home playing in the village
with all my friends, without a care in the world. I wish I could feel my mothers embrace again
or smell the sweet scent of her hair. I wish I could feel my fathers rough, work hands as they
hold mine while we walk through the fields at sunset. I feel sweat dripping down my face and
Im feeling sick. I want to cry but the ocean that once was in my eyes seemed to dry up from the
waves of tears that crashed to shore earlier in the day. The door is creaking open now, help m...

Analytical Piece
The most significant gender rights issue in Cambodia is sex trafficking and how it is
becoming accepted into the Cambodian culture rather than being looked down upon and
restricted against. Cambodia has a growing population of 15.1 million and out of those citizens,
1.2 million children are sex trafficked for profit. 64 percent of Cambodian children said that they
are aware of someone or knew a child that has been abused (Facts and Statistics). Sex
trafficking is primarily seen in poor communities because it is the easiest way for the people to
make quick money and pay off debt. Girls are sold by their parents or lured by brothels and
forced into performing sexual activities with men. The article, The Women Who Sold Their
Daughters Into Sex Slavery, by Tim Hume, Lisa Cohen and Mira Sorvino discusses the life of
Kieu, a 12 year old girl, who was sold into slavery by her mother. It states that, its not that she
was stolen from her mother -- her mother gave the keys to the people to rape her, (The Women
Who Sold). The phrase, mother gave the keys demonstrates how parents are opening up the
doors for their children to get abused and not thinking twice about it. Parents believe its the only
way to support their family and that they must do it. The selling of children is very significant as
the issue is continuously growing and children as young as five are being sold for sex. Finally the
words, rape her, reveals how brutal the lives of the prostitutes are. Young girls are raped
multiple times a day by men that are substantially older than they are. These rapes are common
occurrences and sometimes lead to injury and at the worst, death. If a girl resists against the
rapist, he or the brothel owner will often beat her. Girls are contracting diseases such as
HIV/AIDS, due to the lack of protection used while they are being abused. Sex trafficking in
Cambodia has become a massive and uncontrollable cancer that has taken over communities and
groups throughout the country. This evil act has begun to be accepted into the culture of

Cambodia because many people see it as a source of income, rather than abuse of girls of all
ages. Girls are losing their lives to diseases they have gotten from being raped, or they are being
murdered by the rapists. If this major issue continues to develop, there will no way to end the
madness because the majority of the country will be participating in the sex trafficking. One can
only hope that these girls that are being used for these heinous crimes, soon will be freed by the
Cambodian government or outside organizations and take back their lives as women in society,
rather than prostitutes that are stripped of their identity every day.

Reflective Piece

Over the course of English 2, learning about gender issues around the world truly made
an impact of my global perspective because it opened my eyes to more than just the United
States issues and taught me about various cultures around the globe. In English class, we
watched a video called Marriage Market Takeover. This ad was created by the makeup brand
SK-II and gave a good look into the lives of many Chinese women, primarily the ones that were
not married. In the Chinese culture, women are seen as worthless if they have not been married
by their early twenties and if they are not, they are referred to by the name leftover women. In
the ad it explains that in Chinese society an unmarried woman is incomplete. One aspect of the
movie that truly shocked me was that it is completely normal to attend marriage markets in
China. At these markets, parents advertize their daughters and try to pair them up with a man that
they believe will be a good fit and can provide for a family. Often times women will not have
any say in who their spouse might be or what kind of person they will marry. Before watching
the ad, I had no clue there were events such as marriage markets or that chinese women were
only valued if they were married. This information saddened me as I learned more about what
was expected from a chinese woman. It was sad to hear the leftover women from the film say
things like that they should give up on someone they love for someone suitable, or that there is
so much, social pressure just to be the ideal daughter and chinese woman. These woman are
conforming to what their society thinks is perfect. Women's self esteem is plummeting because
of these strict views and several feel as though they are disappointments to their family if they do
not transform into these women and get married. Learning about this gender issue in China
impacted my global perspective because I am now able to understand more about culture in
China and possibly help women who are affected by these issues in the future. Instead of falling
into societal stereotypes, I will support

gender equality around the world. This topic has been a difficult subject to explore and accept.
As a global citizen, I try to understand the cultures of other nations but the hatred towards these
women in China, I cannot accept. As a human, I cannot look past the mistreatment of another
person. My problems now seem very small compared to these women. I used to feel pressure to
look a certain way and to fit the form of the perfect high school girl. However, after learning
about what these chinese women go through just to feel accepted by their parents, my worrying
is gone. I know that no matter what I wear or the way I look, the people who are close to me love
me for me, instead of my appearance. Society is affecting women and men around the world and
causing them to change who they are just to feel accepted by their peers. Learning about the
gender issues in China truly changed my global perspective and how I perceive beauty. I see
beauty as what shines within a person, rather what is on the outside. I think the only way for
these societal pressures in China to end is for people to see the beauty of a woman from her
personality and what she has to offer to the world, rather than if she is married or not.