A benefit event for Ratanak International

Westpointe Christian Church, where I fellowship and am one of the elders, has been getting involved in a fight against the child sex trade -- particularly that in Asia, where a shocking number of Canadian men go for the express purpose of sexual gratification with children. What follows is the media advisory for "Beauty Beyond", a fundraiser for Ratanak, an organization dedicated to rescuing children from this nightmare. For people in the Metro Vancouver area, this event would be of great interest.

Beauty BEYOND

... a fundraising event to benefit RATANAK INTERNATIONAL

Contact: Charrisse Mae 604-813-2726

Child sex abuse. Sex slavery. Sex tourism. For many people, these expressions conjure up an unreal world in a faraway place; but for countless numbers of young women and girls – some as young as 2 years old – they denote a dark, nightmarish reality that includes abuse, degradation and horrifying living conditions.

What’s even worse, for Canadians, is that this reality is not so far away. While the brothels and back alleys are in geographically distant places like Cambodia and Thailand, a shocking proportion of “sex tourists” – men who travel to these places for the express purpose of sexual gratification – are Canadians.

For several years now, Ratanak International has been working to rescue these children from this life and help them overcome its physical, psychological and emotional effects. Ratanak’s signature project, “New Song” home in Phnom Penh, gives girls a safe home with the love they need to leave that world behind.

Westpointe Christian Church is pleased to host “Beauty Beyond”, an evening for women with professional makeup artist Charrisse Mae. Charrisse will share tips and information to help women of all ages enhance their natural beauty. Admission is by a minimum $25 donation to Ratanak. There will also be a presentation on Ratanak’s work. By taking part, women in Vancouver can help restore a different kind of beauty to lives thousands of kilometres away.

“Beauty Beyond” will take place Thursday, May 31 at 7:00 pm at Westpointe Christian Church, 2715 West 12^th Ave. (one block west of Macdonald). The event is open to all women, no matter what their religious or ethnic background may be: child sex slavery knows no religious definition, and all can play a part in fighting it.

For more information on Ratanak International, please visit www.ratanak.org.

We are grateful to Waves Coffee for supplying coffee and tea for this event.