Jane Teo - A child prostitute at 14, an AIDS activist today

Ms Srey Mom, from Cambodia, started working at the age of seven, was abandoned at 10 and was totured into becoming a child prostitute at 14.At 16, she contracted the HIV virus.Now, at 20, she is an activist and determined to help other Cambodian girls avoid her fate.For many of the Singapore students who attended the World Vision's 30-hour Famine Camp at the Anglo-Chinese School in Barkey Road, she voiced on out the problems of human trafficking and child prostitution which affect Cambodia and other South-east Asian countries.The World Vision agency has run the camp annually since 1985 to educate and motivate Singapore youths to act on global issues such as hunger, poverty, HIV/Aids and the environment.It is estimated that up to 30,000 sex workers are estimated to be below 16 years old and about a fifth of the country's female sex workers are infected with HIV.

personal views :

I really sympathise with Ms Srey Mom and all those many other girls who were sold to become prostitutes at such a young age. I really feel that i am so fortunate to be living in Singapore as we are taught about unprotected sex. Im really glad that Ms Srey Mom is now an activist, helping other cambodian girls. i think that World Vision has also done a great job in spreading messages about unprotected sex, educating people who are less fortunate from poorer countries.