USAID shutdown cut shelter funding
The Trump administration shut down USAID in July 2025, forcing the only trafficking shelter in Cambodia to lay off staff and scale back operations.
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Darah Meets Shoaib: A Lifeline Formed
At 17:40 · chapter starts 16:50
The moment Mek Darah met Shoaib outside the immigration office changed the trajectory of Shoaib's ordeal. Darah, who was there looking for stranded migrants to speak with, bought the group lunch without hesitation — a small act with an outsized impact on men who had been turned away everywhere else. Over the following weeks, Darah became the one constant in Shoaib's fragile existence in Phnom Penh. He drove Shoaib around in his tuk-tuk for free, helped him print documents, and when Shoaib told him he had no money for food, Darah would show up the next morning at his door with provisions. For Shoaib, who had spent a year watching people extract things from him, this was almost incomprehensible — someone who gave without taking, at grave personal risk. Darah is still required to check in with police every month; the case against him has never been formally dropped.
USAID Shutdown Gutted Cambodia's Only Trafficking Shelter
The Trump administration shut down USAID in July 2025, forcing Cambodia's only human trafficking shelter to cut staff and scale back. The shelter now holds just 120 people and has been turning away hundreds of migrants per week since January 2026.
Only shelter: capacity 120 people
The only trafficking shelter in Cambodia could accommodate just 120 people, and had to turn away hundreds of migrants per week after USAID funding was cut.
Indonesian Warehouse vs. Streets: No Good Option
The Indonesian government rented a warehouse in Phnom Penh to provide food and medical support for its citizens. But when Shibani Mahtani visited in March, it was overcrowded, dirty, and reeking of cigarettes — so many Indonesians preferred to sleep on the street outside the embassy.
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