Content warning:
Please be advised that today's episode discusses topics including human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and suicide. If anything from today's chat brings up feelings of distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
As a former police officer and private investigator, Glen Hulley has seen a lot of awful things in his lifetime. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to witness on a seemingly ordinary night in 2013.
As Glen sat in a Cambodian bar, enjoying a drink while on holiday, he was approached by a local who asked him if he was interested in paying for sex with a local. Declining, Glen thought that would be the end of it. The man then turned to him, and in a quiet voice, asked if he would be interested in a 'younger' prostitute... specifically, a child.
Although horrified, Glen was curious to investigate whether these claims were legitimate, and on a whim, decided to play along. What he discovered, not only shocked him to his core but also changed the entire direction of his life.
Some months later, Glen sold most of his belongings and moved to South East Asia to do whatever he could to fight child trafficking. Eventually, this led him to create Project Karma, a not for profit who work alongside - and educate - South East Asian Governments, Police, and Communities, to identify vulnerable children, rescue and rehabilitate victims, and catch perpetrators.
As you'll learn in our interview, there are some key things that set Project Karma apart from other anti-trafficking organisations.
Glen Hulley is one of the bravest people I know, and I'm proud to bring you this chat.
To find out more about Project Karma and lend your support, visit: www.projectkarma.org.au
