Sep
13
2011
cambodia, Everyday Abolitionist, Hagar International, human trafficking, Khmer Rouge, modern day slavery, stop human trafficking
3
Read previous posts about Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.
Last week we looked at some information about the Khmer Rouge and the devastation the remains in Cambodia because of the genocide the Khmer Rouge carried out. If you’re like most Americans, all or part of that information came as a shock to you. As I researched, even knowing some of about the topic beforehand, I thought, This is huge. How on earth did this happen so close to my lifetime, without me having heard about it. It shocks me and makes me outraged at the lack of 20th century world history that kids in America are taught. Just because a conflict doesn’t directly affect our country doesn’t mean we should ignore it.
But a more powerful change awaits when I move past my outrage to action. That’s what everyday abolitionists do: They take their anger at injustice and direct it toward an answer.
If our schools don’t teach us about the world and show us the injustices that beg to be confronted, then it’s up to us as everyday abolitionists. As an individual, I can take control of my learning and use what I learn about the past to work toward a future that is markedly different.
In doing this, we reclaim history and we claim the future. So I’m working toward reclaiming Cambodia. I’m researching the Khmer Rouge and life in Cambodia today. I’m finding ways I can help spur and support lasting change.
Here are some places to get your own reclaimation started. (Yes, I know reclaimation isn’t a word, but I like it nonetheless.)
- Read books by survivors of the genocide in the 1970s: First They Killed My Father and Lucky Child by Luong Ung and On the Wings of a White Horse by Oni Vitandham. While these voices tell a sad, frightening story, they find hopeful futures. It can be difficult to read about the darkness, but seeing it make their hope all the more exciting.
- Learn more about the Khmer Rouge, and tell people about what you’ve learned. Here’s some online information to get you started: 1) Time Magazine 2) A super-informative slideshow.
- Invite friends over to watch the movie The Killing Fields and talk about ways the devastation is still affecting Cambodia today. It won’t be your most rockin’ party ever, but changing the world with your friends is invigorating.
- Buy StopStart bags from Stop Traffick Fashion. They’re made in Cambodia by women rescued from trafficking and domestic violence.
- Learn more about Hagar’s work on YouTube. Share the videos with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
- Come to RESTORE (if you’re in Cincinnati). If you want to support this benefit for Hagar and can’t come to the show, you can donate to Hagar online and put RESTORE in the comments on the donation page.
Stay tuned for more about Cambodia, Hagar International, and RESTORE.
About Melissa
Sep 13, 2011 7:53 pm
So glad that you posted this! As a junior in high school I spent two life changing weeks in Cambodia and I will never be the same! It is such an amazing place and I have never met more hospitable people. There is still a darkness that taints the country, something that is hard to explain, but easy to see when you are there. However it is also tangibly evident that God is working there. I’m gonna take a look at those bags, and probably spend the rest of the day wishing I was in Cincinnati, or better yet Cambodia
Sep 14, 2011 10:56 am
Also check out ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemies_of_the_People_(film) for the first account of the Killing Fields by the men and women who did it. Inspiring courageous investigation by a Cambodian man who lost his family during the Khmer Rouge.
Sep 14, 2011 9:49 pm
All the little things we do can add up to have a big impact. Thanks for breaking down the enormous (and often overwhelming) problem into bite sized steps we can take.