Trafficking Victims to Train Police in Cambodia

Good law enforcement takes creativity -- and unlikely partnerships.

For all of the complaining about cops I do in this space, I also have to say that there’s a great deal of effective, compassionate policing out there. The most promising developments in law enforcement come when a department, or an individual officer, breaks down barriers to connect with the community he or she is working to protect. And around the world, innovative training programs and community-based patrols are changing the impact of policing and improving the reputation of the men and women in uniform.

For this reason, I was excited to see Angela Longerbeam’s post over on Change.org's human trafficking blog, on the growing effort for trafficking victims to participate in training programs for Cambodian police. It’s critical to successful policing that officers treat victims in trafficking situations with understanding -- it could be a matter of life or death, and it could mean the difference between police treating a victim with compassion -- or as a criminal.

The incredible anti-trafficking organization Somaly Mam is working with Cambodian police to make this effort happen, and I hope we see more of this around the world. Partnerships like this aren’t unheard of in the U.S., but the practice isn’t nearly as widespread as it could be. 

Different populations have distinct needs when they come in contact with the police. People with physical and mental disabilities can have horrible encounters with police when simple situations aren’t handled expertly. Victims of domestic assault and kidnapping or trafficking must be treated by police as victims, not criminals. Police agencies are wise to consult with disabled people and victims of crimes in order to understand these issues better before they happen.

Similarly, some of the most creative -- and effective -- anti-violence initiatives in the country these days employ people with violent histories who can understand the conflicts they're trying to stop. Others aim to bring police and gang members to community meetings to stem violence before it arises.

After all, it takes a community to keep a community safe.

(Somaly Mam, the group's founder, is pictured above. Visit the group's website for stories of the former trafficking victims participating in law enforcement training.

Photo Credit: Cambodia4kids