Angkor Tears

Preface

The story you are about to read is very much a work of fiction. But, sadly, even at this stage of the 21st Century, the basis for the story has its foundations in hard facts. Human trafficking affects every continent and country on Earth. At a conservative estimate, there are around 36 million people in forced labour – which includes the s*x industry – as a result of being trafficked. Twenty-two per cent of human trafficking victims are being sexually exploited for commercial gain; of that number, 55% are women or girls. Cambodia is currently ranked 14th globally for modern slavery.

More than 6% of females and 5% of males in Cambodia between the ages of 13 and 17 have reported at least one incidence of s****l abuse. The median age of r**e victims in Cambodia in 2010 was 12 years old, two years younger than it was three years previously. The vast majority of s****l abuse in Cambodia is perpetrated by locals but, despite many advances, it remains a popular destination for child s*x tourists.

At the current time, Cambodia is identified as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Traffickers can be anyone from crime syndicates to parents, relatives, friends or partners. The primary destination countries for trafficked Cambodians are Thailand, Malaysia, Macao and Taiwan. Males are normally trafficked into labour in industries such as agriculture, fishing and construction, while women are trafficked for s****l exploitation, factory work or as domestic servants. Children are trafficked for s****l exploitation or forced labour in begging rings, etc. Cambodia can also be a destination country, particularly for women or children from Vietnam or China. EPCAT Cambodia reports that around one-third of trafficking victims in the s*x industry are children.

There is also internal trafficking – from rural to urban areas – within Cambodia itself, and many of these victims believe they are going to the cities for domestic work. Another area of s****l exploitation of children in Cambodia is the selling of virginities. Many Asian cultures believe that taking a girl’s virginity has health benefits and increases virility.

It is impossible to tackle the actual incidences of trafficking and s****l exploitation without identifying and tackling the causes of trafficking. The most significant cause is poverty by far, though education, lack of employment and patterns of unsafe migration are also contributory factors. With the majority of Cambodia’s population under the age of 25, a continuing need to migrate to find employment will maintain a cycle of vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation.

These are not problems that are going to go away overnight, but by raising awareness of the problems we can hopefully begin making inroads. To learn more or to make a donation, please visit one of the following websites.

http://www.ecpatcambodia.org/

http://www.friends-international.org/index.php