CASE STUDY – A Life Transformed: A Journey from Slave to Self-sufficient

Dara*, a 26-year-old man from Takeo province, who was promised by his broker that he would have a secure and decent job in Thailand, was enslaved for seven years on a fishing boat on east Malaysian waters. He was unable to leave the boat, not allowed to take breaks, and did not get enough food or sleep. He was forced to work days and nights without salary or health care and he lost all contact with his family in Cambodia. “It was so sad on the boat. And the work was very hard. We were forced to work days and nights without enough sleep”, said Dara.

(*Survivor’s real name has been changed.)