Unfortunate Lies

Cynic, no; skeptic, definitely, yes. One has to be when you become aware of stories such as the one about the Cambodian woman who made up a story of abuse and sex-trafficking, and became an international celebrity fighting against the so-called "white slavery." From politicians to artists and the media itself; they were all taken in by her since 2005. Apparently, everybody took her at face value and no one bothered to check the account of her life.

Until a reporter from Newsweek took the time to go to Cambodia and ask around. Not only was it all false, but also, he found out that she had instructed other women to fabricate similar stories, in order to receive donations for a foundation established to help women who have been part of the sex-slave trade.

Of course, none of this takes anything away from the real problem and the bona fide efforts to deal with it. But, it's a lesson that must be learned. People's stories must be corroborated, before they are presented to the world as "heroes" and money is given to them.

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