Somaly Mam Dethroned

I was duped, as were millions of others, by Somaly Mam's tale. She was such a perfect hero--beautiful, selfless, fearless. When I painted her back in January of 2013, I was moved by the face that emerged from the watercolor. I felt intimately familiar with her, as if I had suddenly brought her to life in my own home, transporting her and her mission miles overseas. At my Spring 2014 art gallery featuring the portraits I have painted of change-maker women, it was Somaly Mam's portrait who I chose to stand by for photo ops. Her face was striking against the purple background, her story and presence radiating: I was proud.

Now I am ashamed. A few weeks ago, a close friend of mine brought up the Somaly Mam "scandal." A champion of human rights in Cambodia, Somaly Mam claimed to have escaped a life of sexual slavery. Her experience compelled her to help others who shared the same fate. She created a robust anti-trafficking organization with a sister organization in America. She raised millions of dollars, won a variety of awards and was recognized as a hero of our time by organizations such as CNN, Newsweek, Time and Fortune, to name a few. But years after she began to tell her tale, her story began to fall apart. 

Newsweek investigated her claims and discovered evidence of lies, the most prominent perhaps being the fabricated story of Long Pros. Long Pros was apparently rescued by Somaly's efforts. She repeatedly recited the hardships she endured in slavery including the gouging out of her eye by an angry pimp to public media. She became a poster child of Somaly Mam's local and international organizations. I remember her face distinctly from the Half the Sky documentary. After careful investigation, various sources discovered Long Pros' story to be a lie. Her eye was removed by a doctor because of a tumor, not by a pimp. 

Long Pross was just the start of many holes to be poked in Somaly's back story. Some girls in Somaly's Cambodian girls home have admitted to carefully rehearsing their sob stories for the press; previous employees have shared their skepticism of Somaly's intentions; and various locals who knew Somaly growing up surface doubt as to whether she was trafficked at all. Samaly Mam stands by her story, despite having stepped down from the Somaly Mam Foundation based in New York. 

An article by Marie Claire sheds light on Somaly's side of the scandal and casts doubt on the legitimacy of Newsweek's claims. 

Long Pros' family lied about Pros getting surgery because they were ashamed of her trafficking history. The press twisted my words about Somaly Mam when I spoke to them; I didn't hire a lawyer to clear my name because I am focused on caring for the girls. 

Lines of counter narratives fill Marie Claire's article--narratives that make me second guess my initial anger with this whole debacle. I am torn between two stories that don't line up. A main factor in my siding with Newsweek is the fact that the Somaly Mam Foundation in New York has come to the same conclusions as Newsweek after launching an independent investigation on Somaly's life. While Marie Claire's claims supporting Somaly are significant, they do not trump the case against her.

I would like to believe Somaly. I would like to believe that a person does not need to lie or exaggerate to get ahead on the international stage. I would also like to believe that a news reporter would not tear down the integrity of an international hero just for the heck of it.

Unfortunately, the cards appear to be stacked against Somaly and I am left disappointed. I now ask myself what I should do with the portrait of Somaly Mam that sits among the other portraits I have painted paying tribute to female trailblazers. Trash it? Write beneath it about the tainted hero in watercolor?

The only hope I can offer is that despite the lies, perhaps Somaly's work on the ground actually did help girls suffering in slavery. Nick Kristof believes so. My heart is torn as I am sure are those of other Somaly Mam supporters. Do some research. Prove Newsweek, the Somaly Mam Foundation and me wrong. I would love to learn that Somaly aligned with the truth and that this scandal is in fact the lie.

But until then, Somaly will not be surfacing in my collection. 

Sources:

Marie Claire

Newsweek
The Daily Beast
Nicholas Kristof