At the age of 12, Somaly Mam was sold into sexual slavery in Cambodia, where for a decade she was tortured, threatened with death and raped countless times. Since escaping the brothel that imprisoned her, she has devoted her life to ending the modern-day slave trade and the trafficking of women and children into sexual slavery.

On June 11, Mam will provide a very personal glimpse into this human rights atrocity when she visits DePaul University for a program sponsored by DePaul’s School for New Learning (SNL). It begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. followed by the program from 9:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Cortelyou Commons, 2324 N. Fremont St., Chicago. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by June 9 by e-mailing snlevents@depaul.edu.

Mam is the honorary degree recipient and commencement speaker for SNL’s Commencement Ceremony June 12.

“Somaly’s personal battle against global sexual slavery and for universal rights for women continues to inspire and touch so many lives,” said SNL Dean Marisa Alicea.

In 1996, Mam established a non-governmental organization to help rescue girls, many of whom have HIV, from brothels in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and provide them with a safe haven to live and make new lives for themselves through job training and micro-financing. With the launch of the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007, she established a funding vehicle to support anti-trafficking organizations and provide victims and survivors with a platform for their voices to be heard around the world. It is estimated that more than 6,000 girls and women have been saved through Mam’s efforts.

In return, Mam and her family are under constant threat from brothel owners and organized crime. The threats prompted her to chronicle her life in a book, “The Road of Lost Innocence,” first published in 2005 in French, and subsequently published in German, English and Korean. 

Mam was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2009, and her tireless efforts to end human trafficking have been supported by the United Nations, praised by the State Department and earned her the first Roland Berger Human Dignity Award in 2008.

To view Mam’s full bio, visit the Somaly Mam Foundation website at http://www.somaly.org. For more information about this event, please contact Shannon Stone-Winding at snlevents@depaul.edu or (312) 362-6367.  

About the School for New Learning (SNL)

Established in 1972, SNL is one of the first programs in the nation expressly designed to serve the needs of adult learners balancing work, family and school. It has earned an international reputation for its competence-based approach to learning that offers innovative, adult-focused curricula and degree programs. One of SNL’s most unique features is that it allows students to receive class credit for their professional and personal experience.

About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on two Chicago campuses, four suburban campuses and three international locations. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.

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