August 2009 - The Police Association Victoria

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Steve Morrish (right) with ex WA Detective Sergeant Dean Lague, the Investigations Director and WA lawyer,
Laine McDonald, the Legal Director.
Raid and Rescue of 16 Trafficking
Victims from Remote Brothel
In an high profile operation conducted in October 2008, SISHA
working in conjunction with local police, rescued 16 women, including
three under the age of 18 years, who were locked in a brothel (flimsily
disguised as a restaurant) in a remote Cambodian province close
to the Thai border and sold for sex.
One of the victims, Sophea, told SISHA that she had been lured
to the district by a woman in Poipet, who promised to find her a job
as a karaoke singer. “But when I got there, I was locked in a room
with the other girls and forced to sleep with men and take yamma
drugs,” she said. “When we declined, we were tortured by the brothel
owner’s sons.”
Thanks to SISHA and its partners, the future is now brighter for
the girls and women rescued from this trafficking terror. All of those
rescued were offered legal representation facilitated by SISHA and
the trial is expected to be conducted in mid/late 2009.
Since June 2007, SISHA has
provided intelligence and assistance
to the Cambodian police that have
resulted in the rescue of 182 men,
women and children from a range
of terrible situations, including
family abuse, bonded labour and
underage locked brothels. The team
is diverse with English, Cambodian,
Thai and Vietnamese speakers
to ensure that a range of case
scenarios can be infiltrated.
The organisation’s work does
not stop at investigations; the
all-female aftercare team takes
over the minute victims have been
removed from the crime scene.
Immediately after rescue, SISHA
Aftercare staff work to reduce
victim trauma, ensure the victims’
safety and advise them of the
policing process. Each receives
a SISHA Aftercare pack which
includes a new pair of pyjamas,
shampoo, toothbrush, new flip
flops, a cuddly toy for younger
children and sanitary towels for
the older girls. The Aftercare packs
are given to the victims as the first
stage of trauma minimisation, to
restore some of their dignity, gain
their trust and to help start build
relationships. SISHA Aftercare staff
remain with the victims throughout
the entire police interview
process, sometimes sleeping with
them overnight in locked police
compounds, to ensure that there is
no police intimidation or corruptive
influence that may allow the girls
to be re-taken by the offenders or
abused by police. Something all
too common! At the completion of
the police process, the victims are
reintegrated with their families if
appropriate and safe or placed into
private, non-government aftercare
shelters where they receive
medical treatment, psychological
counselling, vocational training
and a second chance at life.
Another of SISHA’s key aims is to
provide legal representation to the
victims and their families and for
those who are courageous enough,
to prosecute offenders and reinforce
the anti trafficking and exploitation
message in the county. Working
together with the Cambodian
police department, Interpol, FBI
and other international authorities,
the organisations in-house legal
team has assisted in the prosecution
of 88 foreign and local sex offenders
and traffickers to date.
SISHA provides capacity building
to Cambodian Police and is
currently running a Criminal
Investigation Course for 120 Crime
Investigation Department police,
teaching them much needed skills
in law, crime scene investigation,
evidence and evidence collection,
victim interview techniques
and raid and rescue planning.
Dependant on further funding,
SISHA hopes to continue the police
training project so that more police
can be trained in the future.
For every child who has been
helped and can now look forward
to a life and future, there are
plenty that remain in desperate
situations. SISHA will to continue
the many investigations it receives
in Cambodia and hopes to open a
branch office in Bangkok Thailand,
where so many of these issues
are also very evident. There are
many ways in which you can
help exploited men, women and
children. Apart from the obvious
donations to SISHA, which are 100
per cent tax deductible in Australia
and the USA and greatly needed,
SISHA also offers a Foreign Intern
Program for people wishing to
work voluntarily with SISHA in the
Administration, Aftercare or Legal
Departments and an International
Police Intern Program which allows
qualified police to join the SISHA
investigations and police training
teams with a more hands on
volunteer role.
For more information on SISHA,
including how to donate, where
your money will go or any of the
volunteer programs please visit
www.sisha.org or contact SISHA
Executive Director Steve Morrish at
director@sisha.org or +855 17
609 300 (Cambodia mobile).
www.tpav.org.au The Police Association Journal August 2009