Submitted by Renée Jackson
When Peter and I travelled to Cambodia with Ratanak in the fall of 2019, we had no idea what we would encounter, and how God would encounter us. What we saw and learned was both heart-wrenching and life-changing. One aspect of Ratanak’s work with re-patriating those enslaved by human trafficking is ongoing support for the survivors, back in their rural home communities, and supporting “local heroes” who help to educate the communities about human traffickers, and how to recognize and guard against them.
We were invited to the home of a beautiful grandmother, who looks after five grandchildren on her own, as the parents are off working in northern Cambodia or Thailand. She shared with us how she learned to watch out for and protect, especially her three precious granddaughters. The two most at risk of abuse from perpetrators who roam the communities are 4 and 5 years old. The one most at risk of being trafficked is the 14-year-old. Grandma now knows not to leave the young ones alone, napping on their outdoor mats, when she goes to the market. She knows not to believe the slick men who come promising education and high-level work for the teenager (they offer the family money to show their ‘sincerity’). 
The girls and their grandmother stand next to the outdoor sleeping platform, where the little ones have a nap. It is covered by a tarp. The main hut is made of wood and covered with thatch.
What happens to victims of human trafficking during “times of pandemic”? Perhaps perpetrators are in strict isolation and unable to engage in their heinous industry. Perhaps lockdowns are assisting victims with extra protection. Perhaps there is a blessed lull in the violence, pain, and trauma toward young women who are targeted.
Not one of those things is the reality.
In fact, the violence, pain, and trauma of human trafficking has ramped up.
Initially (at the start of the pandemic), there was a real lull in young people getting rescued out of slavery from China, Malaysia, etc. There were simply no flights. As well, Ratanak had a backlog of young women (and boys) that had been holed up at various embassies. However, over the summer things opened up a bit as Covid restrictions in the far east eased. Suddenly significant numbers were released to Ratanak’s care and protection. On at least one occasion, there were twenty who arrived at the same time on two flights (a major shift from the one or two that are normally escorted, under guard and protection, at one time)! 
In these two groups, there were 18 females and 2 males. As an aside: I am able to share the above photo with you because it has been cropped to show only the feet. To protect young people who are rescued, no identifying features are disclosed. The reason for this is a most unfortunate one. It turns out that perpetrators often troll church mission websites to gain information and photos about potential sites for re-victimization. Ratanak is extremely cognizant of and proactive against this reality. The Ratanak Field Office Director, Tony Posnett had this to say: “It was a stretching experience dealing with that much trauma while also running a quarantine program! But the staff did a fantastic job of coping with all the issues. Since then, things have settled down into a more usual steady, but manageable, stream of arrivals — with more coming in this week upon release from the new Government quarantine program.”
It is by longstanding honorable work and the grace of God that Ratanak holds a place of trust among government officials. These are Brian McConaghy’s words: “Work with the Government continues to amaze me – officials continue to be open and seeking our input – it is wonderful to see how 30+ years of building trust relationships is now paying off in incredible ways. In this regard, as well as training and coaching government officials re: ethical and compassionate services for those traumatized by slavery, we are fully engaged in the development of Victim Identification protocols on the Thai Cambodian border up near Poipet. This is at the Governments request! Many hundreds of people cross the border daily, among them are unidentified Human trafficking victims. So, we continue to have an impact way greater than our size would indicate and to be frank, I am thrilled by all the Lord has done in impacting so many lives”.
As Covid variants begin surging in Phnom Penh, an evening curfew is being enforced. People are not allowed to move between cities and towns through the countryside. Police are arresting people who are not wearing masks on the streets. Please pray for the Ratanak staff and their hundreds of fragile human lives, whom they are dedicated to continuing to assist and support.