Nominated for the 2011 Indradevi Hope Award, which recognises significant contributions made by women to their community, business expert Sophea Chenda Chhun is one of Cambodia’s most prolific human rights advocates. As a dedicated conflict mediator, she features prominently on the boards of various NGOs, including street children organisation Friends International and disability prevention programme to alleviate poverty impact. In addition, Sophea is the Public Relations Manager for the Cambodian Acid Survivor Charity.

“I want to give something back to the community and help those less fortunate than myself. I have come close to death many times and lost many loved ones so I know exactly who I am and how I can best help others,” she explained. “I believe in prevention and by helping the poor and the needy I am preventing them from falling even further, from desperate acts like selling their own children or being trafficked.”

Like so many of their fellow countrymen, Sophea and her family severely suffered under Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge leadership. The ultra-communist regime killed an estimated two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979 in its paranoia-fuelled efforts to create a primitive agrarian utopia.

Barely eight months after the KR invaded Phnom Penh, 11-year old Sophea had a rifle pointed at her and was forced to watch while her father was beaten up and dragged away at gunpoint never to be seen again. Afterwards, the remaining family members were torn apart and placed in separate labour camps. Crushed under the weight of a life turned unbearable, Sophea’s grandmother committed suicide. “She put on her Sunday dress before hanging herself,” remembers Sophea. “She couldn’t cope with what Pol Pot was doing to us.”

Against all odds Sophea, along with her mother and siblings, survived the KR era and migrated to Australia in the early 1980s. A decade later, Sophea moved back to Phnom Penh to help manage the return of the country’s refugees. In 1991, she met former sex slave Somaly Mam and learnt about prostitution, child trafficking and the horrible treatment of girls in brothels. Cambodia, ranked among the world’s poorest nation, is both a source and destination country for human trafficking. Every year, hundreds of girls are sold into brothels where they are coerced to work as sex slaves. 
Feeling the pain and suffering of her people, Sophea then joined in the fight against sexual slavery.

Then, two years and seven months ago, the unspeakable happened: one of Sophea’s own daughters, 22-year old Sokny vanished and remains missing. Although she cannot be sure, Sophea strongly believes that Sokny’s disappearance may be due to her dedication to her anti-human trafficking efforts, which includes travelling overseas to raise funds.

Despite the personal hardship and suffering, Sophea continues her tireless battle to promote social issues and empower Cambodian victims from all walks of life. A firm believer in peaceful conflict resolution, she is constantly engaged in dialogue with government officials to obtain their support for human rights causes. “Anger is not useful in obtaining positive results,” she says. “For me, the only way forward is through positive and peaceful communication.”