Complete Facebook Conversation

[This is a conversation I posted to Facebook under a false name, asking the expats of Phnom Pehn for help when I first realised a child had gone missing]

Say you got to know a homeless person, a woman sleeping on the street with two children. Over a long period you stop to say hello if you see her, dollar for the kids to get some rice or whatever. Then one day she asks if you have any pictures of the children at all, because one of the kids (three years old) disappeared over two weeks ago, and she won’t go to the police. If you wanted to help, what would you do?

Update: I found her today. I said we’ll go to the police and we got directions, but she wanted to try an NGO first. So we walked to Friends on street 13. She talked to them for a few minutes. They took a photo of the photo I had printed, a few details and my number (she doesn’t have one obviously). I asked them if she should go to the police and they didn’t think it was necessary, but I insisted, so they said it can be reported to any police station. So we rode to one and he said no and sent us to another.
We rode there. It was empty but a policeman came when we called. The guy spoke to her and took the picture. He wrote my name and number on the back, put it on the desk and went back to the back room. That’s it. The whole thing was less than 60 seconds and there was no paperwork.
So, that’s it. It’s reported.

Michele McLellan Because the police are totally useless. Ever tried to make a police report at your local police station?

John Le Fevre Yes. The police in our village have helped us a couple of times. Once with a noisy neighbour problem and once when we chanced upon a man beating his wife.

Micele McLellan That’s handy to know. Might be different in the village.

Go to the police and report it. If you have a Khmer friend that speaks English take him/ her along.
The child protection unit might be interested too. Contact them if the police do nothing.

Jay Moon

Author
Level 1 contributor
I’ve lived in pp eight years and speak basic Khmer. I’ve known her a couple of years. Never given more than a dollar and she never asks. She asked me to make a print from the video, which I did and she used it to ask around. She distrusts the police because they go around hassling homeless people. She made a little bit of bedding for the girl and they come round in a truck taking it away, pulling down any structures they make. I saw that myself.
John Macom
How did she lose the 3 year old? Kind of a young age for the child to be off on her own (maybe if 6 or older). I assume the mother has to leave her to do some errand/begging, etc. Was the other child left together? Other child older/younger? If the child really disappeared, it sounds like something more dangerous would have had to happen (kidnapped while mother was away, etc.) and therefore, honestly, do you think the mother is going to find the child on her own, without police?
Alexander Muller
Level 1 contributor
My god. You are not long in Asia, right. You don’t know anything about them. You don’t know if this is true or a scam, if she is homeless. Why she don’t go to Police? She has probably dozens of relatives. They can help. This is trouble all over written for you.
John LeFevre
Level 1 contributor
Alexander Muller Obviously Mr Asia you are totally unaware of the human trafficking market in Asia, or the market for healthy organs, for which the Cambodian Army hospital on the Riverside is the Asian hub of illegal kidney transplants. Perhaps you need to learn more about where you actually live.
Alexander Muller
Level 1 contributor
John Le Fevre Dear Mr. Le Fevre, obviously Mr. Journalist knows nothing about me. I live 36 years in Asia, some of it in Bangladesh, India, etc., and 20 years in Cambodia. Besides, I don’t know why you are writing to me? If you are convinced there is human trafficking involved, go ahead investigate this case. Good luck.
Jay Moon Author
Level 1 contributor
OK, thanks all. I think the police is the answer. I’m going looking for her now. The child is the older one and was left with a group of homeless friends and wandered off.
David Ward
Before you do anything. STOP THINK and evaluate the scenario. It BS all day long. If it dosent make sense ir isn’t true.
Jayson Seeber
Omg .. first things first birth certificate. Anything g of this will be a good start
Level 1 contributor
Do you mind if i ask where in pp which street? Usually i see child who is younger would be accompanied by 1 elder sibling but 3yrs old would always by the mother side. Either assist her by educating her that going to the police is the only way to find her child back or print more paper to give her so she could use her own network to find.
Marinov Asen
Level 1 contributor
Or it’s not her kid, presumably you gave money at some point, means they did their job.
Kids get shifted around family all the time.
Dan Phillips
Moderator
Level 1 contributor
The kids are usually just a born or borrowed begging asset. She’ll spin the yarn to multiple caring people. The “odd dollar” you give the kid will not go on rice, it will go on dad’s beer and meth. Sorry to join all the other negativity on here – but this is life in PP.
Nigel Sheppard
Maybe you could start here. Have a chat and go from there
John Le Fevre
Level 1 contributor
Contact the Child Protection Unit. DM me if you need a phone number. You can message them on Telegram. I’ve sent them a copy of your post.
Mike Laoghaire
Level 1 contributor
Why does she want pictures if she won’t go to the police?
Hi. I just want to update about the missing boy I posted about a few days ago. TLDR I’ve got to know a homeless person over the past couple of years and she came to me and told me her three year old was missing, and it wasn’t reported.
Well I took her to the police, who just took my name and number and that was pretty much it, no paperwork, spoke to her for less than 60 seconds.
On the group here John Le Fevre DM’d me a contact for a guy at chilld protection services. I messaged him the story 8pm at night and he answered me in 10 minutes, saying he’d work on it the next day.
Next day 7am he told me he’d assinged an officer to it. Ten minutes later the officer (or whatever the job) messaged me asking to meet. So I went looking for her but couldn’t find her. Her friends took me to the NGO she sleeps at but she wasn’t there. I had to be in Sensok so I messaged them back and they asked for a picture and said they would go and look for her.
Few hour later, another message, they found her and asked for a picture of the child (from my phone, the only one that exists), which I provided.
Today, another message. They took her over to HQ, interviewed her for two hours, and are starting active investigations today. Because she has no way of communicating with her, they gave me a crime number and told me to let them know if he turns up.
So that’s basically the story. I just want to post so the group here know about the CPU, because really they couldn’t have been more concerned. As soon as they knew what was up they were on it, kept messaging me and keeping me informed the whole time. Before I did this there was no record whatsoever that this had happened and the mother was convinced that no one would care, and now it’s properly reported and people are actively looking. So, please don’t be so cynical about the homeless here, and do be aware of the cpu if you come accross anything like this because they really do care. Can’t praise them enough.
All reactions:

John Le Fevre and 75 others

Leonardo Weatherhill

Respect Jay for acually doing something when most people just turn a blind eye.
Dean Dean Rizzetti
Leonardo Weatherhill spot on
Michele McLellan
Level 1 contributor
Thank you for pursuing this and sharing. Sending best wishes for a good outcome.
Alexander Clulow
Good job Jay. The Childrens Protection Unit ( CPU) do excellent work and are very professional. You did the right thing. Unfortunately the general police are pretty hopeless in these situations but we are very lucky to have the CPU.
Keep us updated. Cheers.
Kram Nadnerb
It’s a shame there is a need for the CPU, but they are very professional, proactive and great at what they do.
Cathie McIntyre
Level 1 contributor
Thank you for this detailed information — and the hope of a good outcome for the mother and child.
Gloria Canada Elise
A good step changes a lot of wrong steps ,you still have the chance to change your tomorrow if you’re ready to do something different and good.
Take the risk and play the game.
Don’t miss the management/assistance of Susan Brunt
Carmen Toardi
Poor child 😪