Born into the poverty and chaos of Cambodia in the 1970s, Somaly Mam was sold into a life of sexual slavery as a young teenager. With other young girls, Somaly was forced to work in a brothel, suffering daily beatings, torture, rape and humiliation at the hands of her bosses and clients. After witnessing the murder of a close friend by a pimp, Somaly managed to escape from the brothels. And while others may have escaped never to look back, Somaly has returned to the brothels voluntarily and repeatedly. She has made rescuing other girls and young women from lives of sexual slavery her life’s work.

Somaly has been at the forefront of fighting human trafficking in Asia. In 1997, Somaly and her ex-husband, Pierre Legros, created the non-governmental organization AFESIP (Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire / “Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances”), which employs holistic victim services and sustained mentorship to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate girls who are forced into prostitution. By bringing attention to the scourge of human trafficking, Somaly courageously shares with the world her personal story while advocating for strengthened criminal laws, increased services for survivors, and greater cooperation among advocates and officials. Somaly has personally organized raids on brothels and brought girls as young as four to her shelters where they are given the care, education and training they need to rebuild their lives. Despite continued threats against her life and her family, Somaly has persevered in her mission, rescuing girls one by one, but also working to bring public and international pressure to punish and put brothel owners out of business. Today, AFESIP has expanded to Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

Somaly’s courage and commitment have garnered enormous international attention, including recognition as a CNN Hero and Glamour magazine’s Woman of the Year. In 2006, she was also chosen as one of eight female heroines to bear the Olympic Flag into the Torino Winter Olympic Games.

Today, Somaly continues her work through the US-based Somaly Mam Foundation.