Preventing sexual exploitation of girls in Cambodia

AusCam Freedom Project

Supported beneficiary groups within Women & Girls

Overseas communities or charities

Age Demographic

Varied Ages

Project Focus

Education

Project Area

International

Metro

Project Description

In Cambodia, gender-based violence, discrimination and unequal gender norms have caused girls and young women to be vastly undervalued. Being a young girl in a poor family in Cambodia often means she will be forced to drop out of school and find work (which is typically unsafe and exploitative) when her family’s household income is at stake; contributing to the disproportionately high number of adolescent girls excluded from formal education. When a girl is not in school, her risk of being exploited increases dramatically so we aim to identify girls at high risk and ensure they stay in school, and understand the risks of exploitation online and in their communities so they can protect themselves.

This project will provide girls and young women with the support they need to resist the gendered risks and barriers that limit their opportunities. We will use tailored support to keep hundreds of girls in school, increase their academic performance, and build their leadership skills and confidence to build a remarkable future. Your support will fund tutoring, homework clubs, and material scholarships for girls who have been identified as vulnerable to trafficking.

By developing opportunities for girls to learn and unlock their potential, we are building a long-term resistance to exploitation.

Expected Outcomes

The goal of this project is to identify vulnerable girls, increase their educational performance, and build their self efficacy for the future. Our outcome will be measured by:

Key risk factors among vulnerable girls are identified (% of girls by types of risk factors)
Girls attend school regularly (% of chronic absenteeism decreased)
Girls perform well in class lessons (% of girls who passed to next grade)
Girls are strongly motivated and enthusiastic about their study (% of scholarship girls who demonstrate positive viewpoints about their school and teachers)

Project Data & Lessons

An initial assessment will be performed upon a girl’s first contact, then we will re-measure in regular (3-month) intervals in order to determine a girl’s progress over time as her risk score lowers. This will allow us to tailor the intervention to what a girl needs in real time, as her indicators reflect her progress and challenges. Rather than offering every girl the same programming, we can be specific and intentional about matching our strategic intervention to their specific needs. Supporters of this project will receive a quarterly impact report from the field and direct access to our Executive Director for questions and input.

By developing opportunities for girls to learn and unlock their potential, we are building a long-term resistance to exploitation.

Learn More

Project Dates

Update
This project is ongoing while we mitigate the vulnerabilities of girls in Cambodia

Funding Details

$54,280
Funding Needed

$0
Current Funding

$54,280
Total Project Costs

Approved Deductible Gift Recipient

Approved Tax Concession Charity

Other Funding Sources

Other Support Opportunities
Pro bono services

Organisation Details

AusCam Freedom Project

ABN: 44 501 205 715

ACNC Registration Link

Contact Details

Jessie Teerman

email: [email protected]

phone: 0450266043

About AusCam Freedom Project

In Cambodia, girls are often trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, most often by someone they know. They can be groomed by a trafficker posing as a boyfriend, recruited to a brothel posing as a karaoke bar, or sold into early marriage. We know that when a girl is not in school, her risk of being trafficked increases dramatically. But there are gendered risks and barriers that limit their opportunities, causing an unacceptably high number of adolescent girls excluded from formal education. Through early intervention, AusCam shuts down opportunities for trafficking to happen. Our team of social workers, educators and mentors identify and respond to girls at risk based on their risk indicators such as food insecurity, poor school performance, and exposure to domestic violence. Our impact can be seen through the lives of the young women who were once at great risk of being exploited, who are now financially and socially independent, in university or managing successful careers. By addressing the risks of trafficking at the individual, family and community level, we can sustainably end trafficking before it begins.

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Thank you for encouraging us to sharpen our foundation’s focus on gender outcomes. We naturally gravitate to philanthropy for women and children’s programs but the gender focus wasn’t as sharp as it could be.

Paula McLean, McLean Foundation

Also known as Australian Women Donors Network (ABN: 28 141 197 471), Australians Investing in Women is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR1) under a special listing, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.