Rehabilitation
Mural painted by residents on Savannakhet shelter
AFESIP's two rehabilitation centres not only respond to the needs of sex trafficking victims by providing a safe refuge and psychological support, but also provide residents with the skills necessary to make a living for themselves.
AFESIP Savannakhet Centre
In January 2009, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, a new rehabilitation centre opened in Savanakhet to support girls and women from the central and southern provinces of Laos.
The centre will give direct victim support to up to 40 residents at one time through secure and protected accommodation, on-site juridical, social, psychological and medical services and vocational training.
Through vocational training activities, AFESIP hopes to ensure centre residents are equipped with the necessary skills to integrate back into society.
The current level of development in many provinces does not require skills beyond agriculture and simple business management, so to provide realistic aid, training will be tailored towards:
- Basic business management, focussing on finance;
- Employable skills like beauty services and hairdressing;
- Cultivation of organic herbs and plants for production of organic beauty products in cooperation with the Lao Organic Product Promotion Association;
- Handicraft production, such as giftcards and silk/lotus fibre flowers to be sold at souvenir shops;
- Farming (this includes education on fishing, agriculture, market ventures and various plantations);
- Sewing and weaving;
- Basic elementary education in Lao language to provide reading and writing skills;
- Basic English language training.
It is hoped the new project in Savannakhet will allow AFESIP to implement a far more localised and direct approach to victim support in Laos' four southernmost provinces, increasing AFESIP's reach and the efficiency of support services.
AFESIP Vientiane Centre
AFESIP Lao PDR opened its rehabilitation centre in Vientiane in 2007, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
The centre, which can accomodate up to 16 residents at one time, aims to care for and prepare trafficking victims for reintegration by providing:
- Safe accommodation, food, clothing, hygienic care and necessary daily items;
- Healthcare through clinics and hospitals;
- Psychological and counseling services;
- Educational and occupational training courses or internships (sewing, weaving, hairdressing & beauty, organic beauty product production, handicrafts and cooking);
- Life skills training.
With construction of the southern centre in Savannakhet complete, the Vientiane centre can now focus its attention to cases from surrounding and Northern provinces in Laos.
The Beneficiaries
In addition to victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, AFESIP's rehabilitation project hopes to benefit:
- young women in prostitution who are unable to leave without external assistance
- young women who are at risk of contracting aids and other sexually transmitted diseases
- young women in precarious situations who are vulnerable to being trafficked into prostitution
- the families of victims and their communities
AFESIP also hopes the rehabilitation of victims through vocational skills training will stimulate economic growth and capacity building in victims' communities.