Name: Alastair Hilton

Position:  Technical Advisor

Organisation: First Step Cambodia

Country/State where based: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Date: June 2012

1. Tell us a little bit about your role and how you're involved in supporting children affected by exploitation and/or trafficking?

Several years ago I was involved in carrying out the first specific research in Cambodia to focus on the sexual abuse and exploitation of boys ('I thought it could never happen to boys' 2008). The research highlighted many things - not least how common abuse of boys is, and considerable gaps in services and awareness of this issue. As a result set we set up First Step Cambodia (FSC) which provides a range of social work and support services for male victims and survivors, but also for family and supporters, including NGO staff and other professionals. We teamed up with like minded NGOs and creative donors to set up what is in many respects a unique organisation - based specifically on the research findings.

Our services focus on three main areas in social work and training - Prevention and Protection, Support (for survivors and those affected, including family and friends) and thirdly, Advocacy and Education. We are therefore very flexible in our approach, seeking to provide support individually, or in groups where there is the opportunity and need, both to children and young people already residing in institutional care, as well as community and families.

2. What activities and assistance does your organisation offer to children and their families who have been affected by sexual exploitation and/or trafficking?

A range of social work services from assessments of risk and need, through to the provision of individual tailor made service plans - so this involves one to one support and counselling for boys and young men, support for families (to help them to support their children, reduce risk and also address their own problems that contribute to the risk of abuse etc). This also involves supporting clients find work or education placements, seeking legal and medical support - and in many respects taking a holistic and strength based approach to problem solving in the short, medium and long term. Our work also means that we engage with boys and young men at risk to help prevent them falling into a cycle of neglect and abuse where the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse is therefore greater. We have also been receiving increasing numbers of referrals for children who are involved in sexually harmful and abusive behaviour of other children, so this is also an important and emerging part of our prevention and support work.

3. What are the biggest challenges in your every day work?

The list is endless in many respects... Whilst the levels of awareness of abuse of males in Cambodia and globally is growing, generally it is quite low and there are a number of significant cultural and social barriers, myths and existing beliefs that need addressing. Overwhelmingly within Cambodian society boys are considered invulnerable and even when they are abused, it is believed that they do not suffer great harm and can recover quickly. Therefore our starting point often has to be understanding these dominant perspectives, how they emerge and are reinforced and affect the behaviour of those that hold them - and then helping those people and agencies understand the seriousness and severity of the issue - building capacity, understanding, empathy and the skills to be able to provide the support that survivors so richly deserve.

This also applies to many international organisations and donors, who for a variety of reasons generally choose to focus on providing support for women and girls, ignoring boys and men, even though conservative estimates suggest as many as one in six men have experienced some form of sexual abuse in their lives. Men and boys are often viewed as potential or actual perpetrators rather than victims of sexual violence - which acts as a considerable barrier to progress. Many struggle to overcome these dominant perspectives, which leads to what some have described as the 'feminisation of victimisation' - ultimately this leaves male victims often ignored, neglected and isolated. Male survivors are in so many respects a hidden and 'invisible' population.

In addition, in my experience many professionals across the globe also share how they often find it difficult to engage men and boys and work effectively with them in relation to many issues including health, and mental health... we continue to learn all the time but there is a long way to go.

Starting a new project from scratch is a long process if you want to ensure lasting and meaningful change - whilst building trust and effective networks with other organisations and communities can be time consuming but is essential. On a local level, there are numerous issues and challenges that are well documented in relation to victims of abuse and trafficking, such as poor implementation of laws and corruption, but progress is being made in many areas. Sometimes you have to measure 'success' in small bite size pieces to keep motivated and a sense of perspective.

4. What are the highlights?

In many respects just being involved in this kind of work in any setting is a considerable highlight and a great privilege. The staff of FSC and the organisations we work closely with have such great potential and demonstrate a genuine commitment to lasting change which is admirable and awe inspiring. Observing this personal growth in our own staff and others is always very special. People often arrive at the workshops knowing very little about the issue and leave as passionate advocates for change who want to do more... its life affirming in so many respects and worth the hard work.  

Similarly, observing the growth of self belief and confidence in many of the boys and young men we work directly with is amazing. Once they understand that there are people who do believe them, who do not judge them and can provide support and empathy - the relief is clear to see. The foundation stone created by safe and genuine relationships is perhaps the first step in a long journey for many, but a very significant one. There is something very special in being part of a process that can liberate people from oppression and help them achieve social justice... it can be hard to describe, but others who work in this field will be able to relate to that for sure.

5. What do you think works well or is important for children in their recovery and why?

A very important question - many PhD theses struggle to unearth that! In my experience of working in the UK and Cambodia, whilst the context and experiences are often very different, we find similar and significant themes emerging. The importance of safety and empowerment as cornerstones in recovery should never be underestimated. We asked the boys and young men in our research this very question - and they replied by telling us the importance of being treated with respect, being believed and accepted by genuine people. They shared how trust and trusting relationships, having real choices and a say in matters that affect them and respect for their rights are also essential. Confidentiality is also a vital concept that is not always appreciated or observed, whilst having 'time' to explain and work through their problems, tell the story, and recover without being rushed is vital.

Ultimately I believe that in order to help we need to create safe opportunities and listen to those we seek to support - they can tell us what they need and we as professionals need to be wary of being prescriptive and pathologising any victim of sexual abuse or violence - male or female - with the result that they are labelled as 'victims' for the rest of their lives. We also need to be careful not to generalise and remember to treat each individual as unique in their own right, and in addition be wary of being driven by any specific model or therapeutic framework. There can be a danger in assuming that one specific model has all the answers.

I believe that where possible, the support of safe, non abusing parents, care givers and families is vital - this is echoed in global research related to resilience and recovery and this needs more consideration and greater attention. I think we can often be too quick to assume that institutional care is the preferred option and it would benefit us and those we serve if we were more creative in our approaches to recovery. This is discussed more in the research which can be downloaded from www.first-step-cambodia.org

Others I have spoken to, who have also worked in diverse settings across the globe also confirm that the key concepts described above are helpful and important. We need to ensure that we take time to reflect on each of these and consider what they really mean in any given setting, and to each individual. I remember a colleague from Survivors (Sheffield) - probably the first service for male survivors in the UK, formed in the mid 1980's - who remarked

"It's not rocket science, generally what people need more than anything is that we show them some respect and love".

 In a world where these qualities often appear to be in short supply and there is a tendency to over complicate things, I think his words can perhaps serve as useful guidance.

6. What knowledge or information would help you and your colleagues strengthen your work?

The research we carried out gave us a useful foundation for what we are doing, but we continue reflecting and learning individually and collectively through our experiences of work in this setting and equally, identifying gaps in knowledge and resources. Social work itself is a relatively new concept here in Cambodia so we are discovering all the time how various methods and strategies work, or need amending within traditional Cambodian settings. We can always learn from others more about sexual abuse, effective methods of engaging and working with boys, helping males in this setting overcome confusion about gender and sexual identity - and need to learn about more effective strategies for working with the families of the boys and young men we work with. In addition, understanding the complexities of and working with boys and young men who engage in sexually harmful behaviour is an important need. We have to be cautious and avoid assuming that what works in western settings will automatically be effective here, but are always open to new ideas, partnerships and collaboration with others. We would welcome contacts through our web site at www.first-step-cambodia.org

 

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