First Person Kaign Christy - October 2009 | PRINT | |
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First Person: "When these little girls walked into the courtroom, they did so with more support than their oppressor ever imagined they might have."
By Kaign Christy, IJM Director of Operations, Southeast Asia Two years ago, I came to IJM’s D.C. headquarters to become director of operations for our Southeast Asia field offices after three years as IJM’s field office director in Cambodia. When I return to the field, I am always struck with the sheer magnitude of the obstacles our teams face in bringing relief to victims. Their determination to overcome these obstacles inspires me more than anything. But, I am equally struck by the fact that there are things that we at IJM just could not do without the help of our friends and partners. A Network of StrengthEpicurus said, “It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.” IJM has many friends who we can with confidence ask for help knowing that they will readily join us in the struggle for justice for the clients that we serve. Nothing illustrates that for me more than the help we have received in bringing Malcolm Phillips* to justice. But what Phillips did not know was that his seemingly powerless victims had an incredible network of support – a network that begins with you, the friends who sent IJM’s investigators into the field through your financial partnership and prayer.Phillips, a retired U.S. Marine captain, worked as a civilian university professor in Phnom Penh. He hired a prostitute to serve as his broker; she procured young girls from their families, and Phillips kept the children at his home, where he subjected them to brutal and violent sexual abuse. Phillips may have believed that his connections – from his own position of power to the woman he employed to traffic his victims – would enable him to act with impunity. But what Phillips did not know was that his seemingly powerless victims had an incredible network of support – a network that begins with you, the friends who sent IJM’s investigators into the field through your financial partnership and prayer. Phillips’ web began to unravel when IJM investigators and local authorities rescued a 12-year-old girl from another trafficker. When this child was brought to a loving aftercare home, she shared with her counselors that this was not the first situation of violent abuse she had faced – like several other young girls, she had been a victim of Malcolm Phillips. She told how Phillips would bind and rape his victims, girls as young as nine years old, and sedate them with the "date rape drug" Rohypnol. IJM conducted an investigation to confirm these facts and then shared its findings with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which undertook its own investigation. Phillips’ unchecked abuse was coming to an end. Based on strong evidence, IJM worked with the Cambodian National Police to obtain search and arrest warrants. Victory In Court  Top:Phillips’ former victims are now in loving aftercare homes, where they attend school and receive counseling and care. Phillips was taken into custody by ICE and U.S. agents, deported and charged under the PROTECT Act, U.S. legislation that allows Americans to be tried stateside for crimes against children committed overseas. During his trial in federal court in Los Angeles, the six girls he victimized had progressed in their recovery to the point where they were able to fearlessly face Phillips and tell the court the truth about the atrocities he had committed. This was only possible because of the loving care and counseling they had received from IJM’s aftercare partners. Although the trial lasted for more than a month, straining the girls, their caregivers and the IJM investigator who had travelled with them from Cambodia to the U.S., in the end, Phillips was convicted of all counts against him. He is now awaiting sentencing, facing up to 210 years in prison. His former victims have returned to Cambodia, where they have the opportunity to go to school, pursue career training and live in the security of loving aftercare homes. Support That Changes Lives Following their rescue, two of Malcolm Phillips’ victims visit the Cambodian seaside for the first time. Because IJM’s legal team only conducts casework overseas, the U.S. trial against Phillips represented an additional challenge for IJM – and again, more friends stepped forward to stand up for these girls. IJM’s interests were represented pro bono during the proceedings by the prestigious legal team at Latham and Watkins in Los Angeles, one of the nation’s premier law firms. They helped IJM navigate difficult waters and provided invaluable direction and counsel for which my colleagues and I are deeply grateful. When these little girls walked into the courtroom, they did so with more support than their oppressor ever imagined they might have – the IJM supporters they may never meet, top-notch lawyers, committed government officials, dedicated caregivers and a God who loves them. Pope Paul VI said, “Nothing makes one feel so strong as a call for help.” As IJM faces what often seem insurmountable obstacles to breaking the violent grip of those who seek to enslave the most vulnerable, we find strength in friends and partners who show up when we call for help. Thank you for being one of those friends.
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