Friends, as I write this, a trial is beginning in Cambodia to prosecute a man we believe to have trafficked many girls in the town of Svay Pak, Cambodia. If you joined us at this past year’s Global Prayer Gathering, or if you were with us this past Thursday night at the DC Benefit Dinner, you heard our VP of Investigations share testimony, photos, and undercover video footage of this precise case that we have been working on since February.

Please pray, now, throughout the night, and the days ahead as this trial moves forward:

Pray for two of the trafficking victims - one aged 16 and one age 9 - who will be testifying against this man, in person, in this small Cambodia court room. Pray that God would give them extraordinary courage and would use this in their continued healing process.

Pray that no corruption would enter this trial procedure. Pray there would be no delays.

Pray for the man being prosecuted for trafficking crimes - that truth and justice would reign over his life.

Pray that this man would never abuse or exploit another human being again, and that this case would send a strong message to traffickers throughout Cambodia, SE Asia, and the globe.

Please check back for updates - we will post further details as we are able. And click “read more” below for a more indepth description of the trial at hand and specific prayer requests, as written by our social worker in the Cambodia office:

From Lisa in Cambodia:
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The trial is for the Feb 2009 Svay Pak case, and the perpetrator on trial is a trafficker who recruited and exploited countless young girls in Svay Pak. Two victims will be testifying in this trial. One is a 16year-old girl who was rescued in a different case by IJM in 2006, but who had been trafficked by _____ at a very young age in Svay Pak. When asked during the preparation time today how many times _____ took her to foreign men, she said it was “more times than I can even count.” The second victim was rescued at the time of _____ arrest in Feb and is a 9-year-old girl. Similarly, during her preparation time both yesterday and today, she talked of the many girls whom _____ trafficked, which felt to her like “all of the children” in the community. We pray that his trial tomorrow will represent justice on behalf of not only these two young girls, but the many others who were exploited by him.

Both of the girls are very strong, have experienced tremendous healing up to this point to be able to verbalize their experiences, and have shared crucial information. However, they are both very nervous about trial tomorrow. The 9-year-old is particularly worried that her mother may come to trial (her mother was complicit in her trafficking) and is afraid of talking in front of her. Please pray that the girls will be able to share the same information they did in their times of preparation, despite the added anxieties of being in the court setting in front of so many people. Pray for the 3 judges who will be presiding over the trial that they will judge with fairness and remain sensitive to the victims’ needs during the process. Pray for the APLE lawyers as they finalize preparations tonight and bring forth the evidence tomorrow. Pray for our staff and the aftercare staff involved as we seek to protect the victims and advocate as necessary.