Prostitution in Cambodia
Encyclopedia
Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. The traffickers are reportedly organized crime syndicates, parents, relatives, friends, intimate partners, and neighbors.
Cambodia
has a problem of sex tourism
involving children. Some children are sold by their own parents. Others are lured by what they think are legitimate job offers like waitressing, but then are forced into prostitution. Children are often held captive, beaten, and starved to force them into prostitution. Human Trafficking in Cambodia is a crime.
The Royal Cambodian Government was placed in the Tier 2 Watch List in the 2007 U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but making significant efforts to do so.
Children are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in organized begging rings, soliciting, and street vending.
Common destinations for trafficking victims are Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville.
Children are often held captive, beaten, and starved to force them into prostitution.
ECPAT Cambodia reports that as many as one third of the trafficking victims in prostitution are children.
Sisters Naren and Sitthy, ages 10 and 12 years, lived in Phnom Penh. Their parents agreed to deliver the young girls to a German national’s rented apartment for sex in exchange for money. While at the apartment, the German man sexually abused the girls and documented the abuse on video.
In 2008, the Government introduced the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, which criminalizes all forms of trafficking. However, the country remained a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor. Children were trafficked domestically for sexual exploitation.
Cambodia is party to several international covenants prohibiting the trafficking of persons and the exploitation of women and children.
Cambodia continued to assist U.S. law enforcement authorities in the transfer to U.S. custody of Americans who have sexually exploited children in Cambodia.
. and other development partners work together to fight against human trafficking.
Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
has a problem of sex tourism
Sex tourism
Sex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary...
involving children. Some children are sold by their own parents. Others are lured by what they think are legitimate job offers like waitressing, but then are forced into prostitution. Children are often held captive, beaten, and starved to force them into prostitution. Human Trafficking in Cambodia is a crime.
The Royal Cambodian Government was placed in the Tier 2 Watch List in the 2007 U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but making significant efforts to do so.
Statistics
A UNICEF survey concluded that 35 percent of Cambodia's 15,000 prostitutes are children under the age of 16. Almost all of Cambodian brothels are Vietnamese-owned with most of its voluntary sex slaves being of Vietnamese descent and its captured sex slaves being of another ethnic group. Men are trafficked for forced labor in the agriculture, fishing, and construction industries. Women are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in factories or as domestic servants.Children are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in organized begging rings, soliciting, and street vending.
Common destinations for trafficking victims are Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville.
Conditions
Pimps are reported to imprison young children who are virgins and not put them to work until they have been presented to a series of bidders such as high-ranking military officers, politicians, businessmen and foreign tourists. Young girls working in brothels are in effect, sex slaves; they receive no money, only food, and armed guards to stop them from running away.Children are often held captive, beaten, and starved to force them into prostitution.
Cases
In 1995, a 15-year-old child that was trafficked into prostitution in a brothel in the Svay Por district of Battambang was beaten to death.Child Sex Trafficking
Children as young as 5 years old, are being sold as slaves for sex. Each year, by some estimates, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys are bought, sold or kidnapped and then forced to have sex with grown men.ECPAT Cambodia reports that as many as one third of the trafficking victims in prostitution are children.
Sisters Naren and Sitthy, ages 10 and 12 years, lived in Phnom Penh. Their parents agreed to deliver the young girls to a German national’s rented apartment for sex in exchange for money. While at the apartment, the German man sexually abused the girls and documented the abuse on video.
Foreign child molesters
The MOI reported the arrest of 31 foreign child molesters in Cambodia in 2009.Police
In 2006, the government prosecuted several police officials for trafficking-related corruption charges. The former Deputy Director of the Police Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department was convicted for complicity in trafficking and sentenced to five years' imprisonment; two officials under his supervision were also convicted and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment.Laws
A law was passed in January 1997 to curb trafficking in women, with fines of up to $12,000 and prison sentences of up to 20 years for pimps and brothel owners.In 2008, the Government introduced the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, which criminalizes all forms of trafficking. However, the country remained a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor. Children were trafficked domestically for sexual exploitation.
Cambodia is party to several international covenants prohibiting the trafficking of persons and the exploitation of women and children.
Cambodia continued to assist U.S. law enforcement authorities in the transfer to U.S. custody of Americans who have sexually exploited children in Cambodia.
Anti-Human Trafficking Day
December 12th is observed as National Anti-Human Trafficking Day in Cambodia.Non Governmental Organizations
On the ground in Cambodia, there are a number of non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations working to combat human trafficking. These include AFESIP, the Somaly Mam Foudnation, Hagar International, and ECPATECPAT
ECPAT is an international non-governmental organisation and network headquartered in Thailand which is designed to end commercial sexual exploitation of children...
. and other development partners work together to fight against human trafficking.