What happens to the children of mums working in Cambodia’s red-light districts at night? Read how one mother found an unexpected lifeline.
Chantrea* has a five-year old daughter and is her sole provider. Chantrea works in the red-light districts of Cambodia that are overrun with violence, drugs and abuse where neither she nor Bora*, her daughter, are ever safe.
“I could not bring my daughter to work at night, but I needed to work for the beer garden owner and entertain the customers. I could not take her along with me anymore.”
Trapped in this industry, Chantrea feared Bora would be abused, kidnapped or trafficked when she was younger because she had no safe or consistent care for her daughter when she worked at night.
To survive and provide, mums like Chantrea, who work at night, must make heartbreaking choices. They either take their child with them (hiding them in cupboards, tying them to beds or drugging them so they stay quiet), leave them alone all night to wander the streets risking being stolen, abused or hurt, or burden family or neighbours, who are often reticent to care for the children of sex workers.
“While I was working at night, I hired a nanny to look after my daughter before. Sometimes the nanny beat her and refused to change her nappy.”
Then a friend introduced Chantrea to NightCare, but she was sceptical. “I could not take her because I was afraid they would beat my daughter. How could a free service be better than the nanny I paid for?
“But I thought, if I stay home with my daughter, I will have no money. I thought to myself, If I keep my daughter like this, it cannot be good for her future. So, I decided to bring her to NightCare.”
After just a week, Chantrea noticed that Bora became happier and soon after, healthier too.
*Names have been changed.
NightCare provides a safe shelter and loving care for the babies and toddlers of mums trapped in the sex industry in Cambodia, helping them escape horrors no child should ever experience. At Asian Aid we believe no child should face the night alone. That’s why, with your help, we provide NightCare for the little ones caught up in the red-light districts of Cambodia through no fault of their own.
With your support, this is what NightCare means for the babies and toddlers in our care:
- Secure centres where little ones can sleep peacefully and safely
- Healthy meals for their hungry tummies
- Clean clothes they can take home in the mornings
- Playtime for fun and learning, and so that they can be children again
- Nannies who are trained, supportive and empathetic
- Literacy and numeracy support so the little ones can be ready for school.
