Farewell for now

Obviously it's been a while since my last blog.

I'm sorry if you're a diehard fan and have been refreshing your browser regularly in the hope that I would update this little site with my fabulous thoughts BUT it seems blogging really doesn't come naturally to me (and to be honest I'd forgotten to log on).

I've now left Cambodia. What an amazing country and incredible experience I had there. I'm so grateful to my colleagues at Chab Dai and Indonchina Starfish Foundation and all of my gorgeous friends for sharing Phnom Penh with me. I met amazing people, heard incredible stories and learnt much more than I ever imagined I would about poverty, education, human trafficking and prostitution. My 4 months were jam packed and fast paced, not to mention sweaty as hell. 

I'm now off for a couple of months to explore Europe before finishing my travels abroad in Washington DC where I'll be volunteering with the Salvation Army's Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking. 

I've just spent the last week in Amsterdam where I visited the 3 Army buildings in the red light district and truly fell in love with the city. Very rarely can I say I'd be happy to live somewhere other than Melbourne, but Amsterdam is a strong competitor. 

Now that I've parted with my beloved laptop (thanks Sar and Ben) and I have only my little iPad - I can't see my blogging going much further (I never knew how much I loved a normal keyboard). I'll be offline until at least August as I galavant around France, Ireland (for my cousin Nanda's wedding) and England - but perhaps I'll get this up and rolling again from the states (no promises).

I don't know if I have a new found respect for bloggers who devote so much time to their writing - or if I simply think they have too much time on their hands! Surely emails, Instagram and Facebook is enough!

I've loved sharing my thoughts with you but I'm sorry to say - I'll be keeping them to myself for now.

xx Miranda 

Red Shield Appeal

I love the Salvos.

This weekend (May 25-26) is the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal and even though I won't miss the feeling of my fingers freezing around the collection 'can', the blank stares or convenient need to turn the other way when approached by a fluro collector at the traffic lights OR the dirty hands after counting all of the grubby coins at the end of the day...I will absolutely miss being a part of something so worthwhile and important in our community.

So, when I had the chance to meet with the new Salvation Army officers here in Phnom Penh - I was pretty excited! For the last few months, I'd been trying to get in contact with the two Korean officers that had recently started the first Cambodian Corps here. Finally (through the help of the wonderful Ian Lingard back home), I was able to meet with the officers last week at the Russian Market. They speak no English (and I, no Korean) so luckily they brought with them a Korean friend who was able to translate for me. We discussed their vision here and I shared with them the connections I'd made through Chab Dai. Captain Jin-Kyun Shin and his wife Captain Hyang Lim have been busily setting up programs to assist single mothers and their children in a slum just 20 minutes from the city. They told me that they have more than 250 children attend a church service they run on Sundays where the children also receive lunch, and I was invited along.

I took with me my gorgeous friend Amanda Liddell who has been volunteering here in Phnom Penh for the last 3 months and was keen to see more of what the salvos were getting up to.

It was an incredible experience, meeting all of these children and 6 young men recently enrolled as soldiers. The Corps building is in the middle of a slum and the back door remains open at all times, inviting families across the field into the building where they join in the fellowship. The Army is still in the first stages of planting the corps here, but after just 5 months - an attendance of 300 ain't bad right?

This little guy fell asleep 20 minutes in

With the Captains

Felt like I was at commissioning doing this!

The Corps is built just beside this slum

'Dream Happy'

Good luck to everyone back home collecting this weekend - and if you're keen to get out and join a collecting team, it's not too late! Hop onto www.salvos.org.au to find out more. A special shout out to my wonderful ladies for their help last year at our intersection in Kew; Prue, Emma, Nicola and Jemma...you're welcome to man the post again without me! 

xx

How Good Is Porn?

How's this for a conservation starter?

This domain was purchased by a group of men in Manchester - England,  passionate about exposing the truth behind pornography.

They had stickers (see below) printed and plastered them all over the city. The simple design and viral presence got the people of Manchester talking pretty quickly.

Have a look for yourself here

If nothing else, the How Good Is Porn project forces you to reassess exactly how much of a growing concern porn is. Everybody knows at the very back of their minds that so much of pornography is morally questionable to say the least, but we rarely mention it or act upon it. There is a misconception in some feminist circles that porn is just another form of sexual freedom that should be tolerated without comment. This shouldn't be the case - if there is an area where we should be as critical as possible it is sex work. Romanticized images of Billie Piper in 'Secret Diary Of A Call Girl' aside, there are real dangers in the world of prostitution and porn that cannot be ignored, and the How Good Is Porn project is one small step towards bringing these into the public consciousness.

(Lucy Uprichard, huffingtonpost.co.uk)

10 things I hate about Prostitution

Today I've been busily reading resources from the Chab Dai Library and uploading them in preparation for the release of our online database later this year - providing research and tools about trafficking worldwide. 

One of the books that has somewhat distracted me from work is 'Prostitution, Trafficking and Traumatic Stress' by Melissa Farley. It extensively documents the violence that runs throughout all types of prostitution, including escort, brothel, trafficking, strip club, pornography, and street prostitution. 

One of the contributors is Janice G. Raymond (Co-Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women). Her work 'Ten Reasons for Not Legalising Prostitution and a Legal Response to the Demand for Prostitution' outlines research that has been performed throughout the globe in countries where prostitution is legal, illegal and/or tolerated. 

Certainly an interesting read for those of you concerned with the legalisation of prostitution - particularly those of us from Victoria, Australia where prostitution remains legal and (whether you know it or not) human trafficking is a reality. 

Here are the 10 things I hate about the legalisation/decriminalisation of prostitution:

1. It's a gift to pimps, traffickers and the sex industry
2. It promotes sex trafficking
3. It doesn't control the sex industry: it expands it
4. It increases underground, illegal and street prostitution
5. It increases child prostitution
6. It doesn't protect the women in prostitution
7. It increases the demand for prostitution and encourages men to buy women for sex in a wider and more permissible range of socially acceptable settings
8. It doesn't promote women's health
9. It doesn't enhance women's choice          AND finally...
10. Research shows that women in systems of prostitution don't want the sex industry legalised or decriminalised 

(Based on the research of Janice G. Raymond)

Gym Junk

When I first arrived in Phnom Penh, I decided to treat myself to a 3 month membership at a swanky gym in the nice part of town. It was expensive (I wouldn't normally pay as much as I have even for a top gym in Melbourne) BUT I did it, knowing I'd get cranky not being able to exercise outside where it's too hot, too busy and simply 'not done'.

So - almost every day in the last 3 months I have sweated it out in the comfort of my gorgeous big air-conditioned gym. There are 4 floors of new machines, weights, sparkly chandeliers, cold water and a pretty extensive timetable of group classes. 

You could say (and my housemate would say) that I've turned into a bit of a gym junkie, totally dedicated and obsessed. The gym has become my safe place, where I forget all of the crazy things that I see outside and stories that I hear about life here - and I love it.

BUT after all the spinning, weights, running, swimming, yoga, pilates, stretching, walking and sweaaaaaaaaaating - I hopped onto the scales this morning and discovered that somehow, in this developing country (where it seems everything I do is at the top of a staircase) I have somehow GAINED weight. A whole flippin kilo.

This is not something that I'd typically share with just anyone (what 26 year old single female admits to gaining weight with anyone but her girlfriends on a Sunday night over take away and wine with the hopes that it will all change with the new 'clean eating plan' on Monday?) - but I figured it was OK to share as it's just one of the many difficulties I'm facing living here in Phnom Penh!

I had big plans to shed a few kg's before my next stop in Europe (where I'm hoping the wine and cheese will magically do no damage...), but it seems that is not the case. 

Almost every ex-pat that I've met here has admitted to 'putting on a few' since their arrival, and none of us can really explain why! I'm hoping it's a whole lot of fluid retention in this crazy tropical climate and that it will fall off the minute I step off the plane in PARIS in 3 weeks. 

As much as I love zoning out in my safe (cold) space - it does really trouble me and stir up all sorts of guilt that I have the option of escaping Cambodia's daily grind. One way that I'm reminded of my wealth and freedom - is when I'm sourcing new clothes to endure the sweat. 

I've recently been trying to look into ethical clothing production in Cambodia for one of my girlfriends Sarah (who will BE here in 2 weeks!) and took a little interest in the clothing I regularly see at the Russian Market, just around the corner from my house.

At the market - I can find all sorts of gym gear produced by Lululemon, Nike, Adidas, Converse and more. I picked up a pair of Nike runners when I first arrived and paid $15 for them. Since then I've found a number of Lulu shorts, Nike shorts and H&M sportswear tops that I've paid between $3 and $5 for. 

So many sportswear companies produce here in Cambodia and from my research...very few do this ethically. 

When I pay $5 for Lulu running shorts that would set me back closer to $60 at home, it's a little win for me - but certainly not for the woman who made them. 

Women here work 15 hours shifts in garment factories and receive a monthly wage of just $61.

I was happy to see that Lululemon as a company are committed to producing their garments in factories that support their workers' rights to safe, healthy and fair conditions. 

On their website - they describe their 5 step process to ensure the factories in which Lulu garments are made uphold their ethical standards. 

'A small manufacturing base allows us to have greater visibility to the factory environments. In addition to our formal third party audits which occur twice a year, the factories are visited multiple times within the year by our compliance team, our commercialization team, our lululemon liaison office, and our quality assurance team'. 

I'm not certain that a couple of visits to the factory each year really means that the women are ensured the working standards they deserve, but it's impressive to see the policy and commitment to the ethical production of clothing by this company as none of the other big brands available at my beloved Russian Market do. 

To be honest, I don't really know how the products end up at the market. They may have some faults, may have been stolen or are considered excess. It's comical to see all of the ex-pats and tourists sweating and digging their way around the cramped, stuffy isles asking for 'Lulu? Lulu?' - and then magically stumbling upon a little stall with a plastic bag of brightly coloured running singlets that won't be seen again tomorrow. 

The Russian Market

There's always someone boasting about their latest find at the market when I enter the change rooms at the gym and then just as many whinging about missing the latest stock that was available for all of 3 hours yesterday. But I don't think I've overheard anyone discussing the latest of the Prime Minister's promises to raise the minimum monthly wage for a factory worker from $61 to $73, or anyone complaining that it's still too low.

It baffles me really that even living here - and seeing first hand the harsh reality of poverty, I can so easily forget the story behind my everyday purchases and lifestyle choices. 

I can get pretty caught up in all of these thoughts and it really does begin to drain you when all you can see is the injustice around you - but it's a sobering reminder that putting on a kilo is NOT the worst thing that can happen to you in Cambodia. 

Cambodian Glam

So this isn't my usual blog post content - but I've had a few requests to see the pictures from the Cambodian glamour shoot Katherine, Jess and I did a few weeks back in Phnom Penh. 

For anyone who plans to come to Cambodia - you need to give this a go. For $15 you'll get your own make-up artist who will CAKE on the goods before teasing, curling and CRIMPING your hair. To this she'll add some sort of wig and adorn you with a tiara and jewels to compliment the traditional clothing you have on. For anyone bigger than a size 8 - just be prepared...Cambodian women can be quite blunt in their observations of your build. 

Guys...you get the same treatment (no wig) AND even get a sword to hold in your shoot!

The photographer will put you into all sorts of strange poses so make sure you speak up if you want to do something different (our photographer was very confused with our choice of tiger prop). Photoshop gets a good workout when this is all over and voila! I'm pretty confident that put in a sparkly frame - this makes the ultimate gift for all occasions (right Lucy?)

Enjoy xx

Prep...

Intense wig

Pretty keen to get back into crimping

Limited breathing ability

Our new style

The result...

 

Hardcore

I was lucky enough to have the company of a few friends with me here in Cambodia over the last few weeks - hence the lack of blog posts. Sorry! Having some of my favourite people here to experience this city was the BEST and receiving a new stock of licorice all-sorts should sustain me for the next 6 weeks ahead.

Jess and Mel in town for Easter to deliver Big Books and Literacy Assessment for ISF - thanks girls

Katherine and Jess visited and we escaped to Kep and Siem Reap for a holiday

My gorgeous friend Jess was in town at the time of a seminar I was keen to get to - so she came along. It's not your typical holiday when you attend a forum with about 20 Cambodian NGO workers based on pornography...

The forum itself was set up to connect Chab Dai partners in a discussion on pornography in Cambodia and the impact it's having on the children, women and men in the services each NGO provides. Glenn Miles (the research advisor for Chab Dai) presented research that had been conducted (mostly based on research from World Vision Cambodia) in the country over the last 10 years which included the following:

Research shows that men accessing pornography that was particularly violent, demonstrated more aggressive behaviour in attacks on women and rape of children.

There is no restriction on the sale or viewing of pornography in Cambodia. It is available for purchase at news stands on every street and without age restrictions, can be purchased by children. One third of all sales take place within close proximity to a school. 

And the most confronting fact about pornography in this country - it is used as an educational tool. Pedophiles and pimps purchase pornographic DVDs that depict children having sex and force children in their 'care' to watch this footage. They then tell these children that what they're watching is 'OK' and 'what all children do', normalising sex with adults. The really sad part of this is, quite often this will be the child's first instance of sex-education. 

The Cambodian Ministry of Education was approached in recent years with concerns that children in school needed some form of formal sex education. This was quickly denied - as the government was concerned that any talk of sex would promote it.

Mmmm...

So now, kids are left without any formal teaching on what sex is, what safe sex is and what safe sex ISN'T. 

The thought of a child taken from a rural province and brought into town, sitting frightened in an unknown room and being forced to watch explicit footage is disgusting. But knowing that having the child watch it repeatedly and being coerced into performing what they see as 'other kids do it' breaks my heart. 

I don't like pornography. I don't like the images of the perfect woman and perfect man - capable of all things in bed. It's setting normal people up to fail. But I understand that I'm a woman, and it's a little different for men (or so I'm told). Discussions with my male friends at home have led me to understand that perhaps magazines including Cosmo Bride or films like The Notebook are the girl's answer to porn setting a standard that is unrealistic and absolute fantasy. The perfect wedding which we'll never be able to replicate/afford, and Ryan Gosling - the perfect man no woman will ever meet.
But these versions of 'girl's porn' aren't being used to educate vulnerable children around the world and rope them into a life of sexual slavery. Obviously it's a certain audience that would actually watch the sort of footage that includes children or violence and I'm not suggesting that pornography is THE cause of human trafficking, sexual abuse of children and violence against women BUT - it's worth noting that the industry itself has some pretty serious and dangerous links to these crimes.

For those of you interested - here's the link to Love 146, the organisation Glenn Miles is a part of who partner with Chab Dai. An amazing, international organisation committed to the abolition of child trafficking and exploitation. 

Love 146

By the way...for anyone else visiting in Phnom Penh - licorice allsorts are always appreciated xx