IDs, schooling and the true cost of having your humanity erased
Have you ever thought about the practical impact of having your identity taken away?
We welcomed a new girl into our SHE Rescue Home last month. She is only 11 years old. She hasn’t lived with her mother for years and can’t remember where her family lives. We know finding her family is important for her emotionally but it is also necessary for practical reasons. Without knowing where her family is or where she was born we cannot get her birth certificate or any official identification. She cannot attend school or officially/legally exist in Cambodia without ID.
Her social worker knows how difficult this process will be as finding a girl’s family has been struggling for previous girls in our care as well.
Children born in Cambodia are required to be registered with their local authority within 30 days of their birth. Their name, birthday and gender are recorded in their family book. The families can then request a birth certificate from the local commune/sangkat. There is no central database for registered births. This means unless we can locate the local commune where her family book is registered, we cannot get a birth certificate for her. It will be a long process for her social worker to search for her family and local commune.
It is just one of many essential roles our social workers play in helping these survivors of human human trafficking and sexual exploitation regain their lives.
We need your help to raise the final funds we need for this first half of this year.
Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to give these girls the chance to find healing and hope?
