Human trafficking in Cambodia
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Both Human Trafficking and prostitution are illegal in Cambodia.[1] 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.[2]
Cambodia has a problem of sex tourism involving children.[3][4][5][6][7] 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.[5]
Statistics
A UNICEF survey concluded that 35 percent of Cambodia's 55,000 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.
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. [8] Children are often held captive, beaten, and starved to force them into prostitution.[5]
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.[9]
Child Prostitution
Children as young as 5 years old, are being sold as slaves for sex.[5] 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.[5]
Foreign Pedophiles
The MOI reported the arrest of 31 foreign pedophiles in Cambodia in 2009.[10]
Police
There are reports that police sexually abused detained women suspected of prostitution.[11]
Laws
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.[10]
References
- ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eap/135988.htm
- ^ http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/cambodia
- ^ "The tragic tale of the Cambodian child prostitutes". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Trapping Cambodia's sex tourists". BBC. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e "Dateline goes undercover with a human rights group to expose sex trafficking in Cambodia". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Far East is perv's Paradise". The Sun. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Cambodia gets tough on child sex trade". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Asian Child Rights". Asian Human Rights Commission. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Cambodia". Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b "US Department of State: Cambodia". Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eap/135988.htm
External links
- Cambodia's child sex crackdown
- Cambodia says no to sex tourists
- Cambodia tours, hotels must adopt zero tolerance to sex tourism, advocates say