Cambodia: Sex destination
Cambodia is a very beautiful country. With Angkor Wat, the soon to be voted as one of the 7 Wonders of the World, Cambodia can easily bring in tourists from all over the world if the leaders care more about the country than about their own pockets.
It's very unfortunate that sex predators and pedophiles like to go to Cambodia to satisfy their needs. This is wrong and the Cambodian government should protect our children from being sexually abused.
Statistics released this year by the NGO Violence Against Women and Children in Cambodia. The information was gathered through months of interviews and workshops with street sex workers in Phnom Penh.
54% named poverty as their reason for entering sex work
38% began working between 15 and 18 years old
42% are divorced
82.6% send money home to support family
41% have six or more siblings
79% cannot write; 50% cannot read
29.1% have between 6 and 10 clients a day.
95% work seven days a week
70.8% say they have been gang raped
100% of sex workers who say they pay protection money, say they pay it to police.
It's very unfortunate that sex predators and pedophiles like to go to Cambodia to satisfy their needs. This is wrong and the Cambodian government should protect our children from being sexually abused.
Statistics released this year by the NGO Violence Against Women and Children in Cambodia. The information was gathered through months of interviews and workshops with street sex workers in Phnom Penh.
54% named poverty as their reason for entering sex work
38% began working between 15 and 18 years old
42% are divorced
82.6% send money home to support family
41% have six or more siblings
79% cannot write; 50% cannot read
29.1% have between 6 and 10 clients a day.
95% work seven days a week
70.8% say they have been gang raped
100% of sex workers who say they pay protection money, say they pay it to police.
posted by Proleung at
1:57 PM
6 Comments:
Man arrested in child sex offense in Cambodia
By Associated Press
January 2, 2007
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A man from Tennessee has been arrested for alleged sex offenses involving two Cambodian girls aged 11 and 12, a police official said Tuesday.
Roger Dale Green, 59, was in the company of the two girls when police raided his Phnom Penh hotel room and arrested him late Monday, said Keo Thea, deputy chief of anti-human trafficking police in the Cambodian capital.
He declined to elaborate but said Green was charged by police with debauchery, a Cambodian legal term for child sex abuse punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
It was not immediately known where in Tennessee Green is from.
Green denied the allegation of child sex abuse and said "I don't understand" when asked why he was arrested.
Police took Green to his hotel room to collect his belongings today.
Lax law enforcement and poverty have made Cambodia a destination for foreigners seeking sex with minors. But police have recently stepped up their efforts to fight the crime.
By
Anonymous, at 2:05 PM
Forty-eight hours in Cambodia
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday January 1, 2007
Phnom Penh- Why Siem Reap and Phnom Penh? Siem Reap is the
gateway to the temples of Angkor, including the awesome Angkor Wat.
With the possible exception of Burma's Bagan temples, you probably
won't see anything as atmospheric and extraordinary in the region or
in your lifetime.
Unlike Bagan, Siem Reap is easily reached. It's also in the throes
of a luxury hotel building boom so there is no shortage of comfort
when you return from a hot day exploring. Fortunately, the town has
kept its laid-back charm and is an excellent place to relax. Phnom
Penh has few of the charms of Siem Reap but it's a great place for a
one-night stopover.
What is there to see and do? In short, far more than you could
possibly fit into one weekend. Angkor, the glory of the Khmer
civilisation, which shaped Cambodia from the 9th to the 14th
centuries, covers a vast area and has around 100 temples.
A two-night break may only give you one full day in Angkor in
which case you might want to limit yourself to Angkor Wat and a
second temple, probably the breathtaking Ta Prohm a temple
swallowed up in jungle with the roots of giant trees embracing its
1,000 year-old walls.
Ta Prohm gives you an idea of how Indiana Jones must have felt
hacking through the dense jungles to rediscover these mighty temples
as the French colonisers did in the 19th century. The best way to get
around the temples is on a tuk tuk-style motorbike for around 15
dollars a day. Elephant rides are available for 10 dollars each
between Angkor Thom and the Bayon temple.
If you spend a night in Phnom Penh en route to Siem Reap, take
time to see a darker side of Cambodian history by visiting the Tuol
Sleng Museum a high school that became the largest centre for
detention and torture under the murderous reign of Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge. The killing fields of Choeung Ek, with its monument of
8,000 skulls, is 15 kilometres from central Phnom Penh.
Where should I stay? If you are coming via one of Asia's hubs
consider picking up a package which are the best value, if you are
planning to stay in a mid to top-range hotel. A two-night, three-day
package (including hotel and return fare) from Hong Kong will cost
around 250 to 600 dollars. The Grand Hotel d'Angkor, oozes colonial
charm and would cost 300 dollars a night upwards, if you arrived
independently, but is included as the top-end option in most
packages.
If you prefer somewhere less formal, the Angkor Villa and La
Residence d'Angkor are good options. In Phnom Penh, stay at the
Raffles if you can, or the Billabong if you want a cheaper option.
What shouldn't I miss? You'll only ever see Angkor Wat once and
it's a memorable sight so make the most of it. Catch your first
glimpse at sunrise before the crowds arrive. Save your shopping for
Phnom Penh and visit the huge Psar Tuoi Tom Pong, commonly known as
the Russian Market and it has everything.
What one piece of advice would you give to a first timer? Be
prepared for beggars, particularly children in Siem Reap. Have one
pocket stuffed with small notes so that you can buy something
inexpensive without attracting a hoard of hangers-on by pulling out a
wad of 100 dollar bills to buy a postcard.
How do I get there? Flights to Cambodia will most likely involve
a change-over, if you are coming longhaul. In that case, it may be
worthwhile shopping for a cheap deal to Bangkok, Hong Kong or
Singapore and arranging an onward flight or package to either Phnom
Penh or Siem Reap from there.
Dragonair (Hong Kong), Thai International, Bangkok Airlines,
Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Malaysia Air all fly into
Phnom Penh.
Vietnam Air and Bangkok Airways also fly to Siem Reap while Siem
Reap Airways operates between Hong Kong and Siem Reap. You can hop
between the two Cambodian cities via a domestic flights or take a
fast boat for around 25 dollars each way. Cambodian Embassies are few
and far between so visas can be issued on arrival.
By
Anonymous, at 10:37 PM
PHNOM PENH: An American man has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two Cambodian girls, police said on Tuesday.
Roger Green, 59, was detained on Monday evening when police raided his hotel room and discovered the girls, aged 11 and 12, authorities said.
Stuffed toy animals were also found in the hotel room.
He is being held under Cambodia's debauchery law, a statute which covers a broad range of sex offences, said Keo Thea, deputy chief of the municipal police's anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection unit.
Green, from the US state of Tennessee, is expected to be formally charged in court on Wednesday.
Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for paedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes or deporting them to face trial in their home countries since 2003.
At least 10 foreigners were arrested last year in a widespread crackdown on paedophiles, doubling the total number detained in 2005.
In October, American Donald Ramirez, a 50-year-old policeman from the US city of San Francisco, killed himself in his jail cell after being arrested for sexually abusing two underage Cambodian girls. - AFP/so
By
Anonymous, at 2:35 PM
Girl, 6, embodies Cambodia's sex industry
POSTED: 4:30 p.m. EST, January 24, 2007
By Dan Rivers
CNN
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (CNN) -- At an age when most children might be preparing for their first day of school, Srey, 6, already has undergone trauma that is almost unspeakable.
She was sold to a brothel by her parents when she was 5. It is not known how much her family got for Srey, but other girls talk of being sold for $100; one was sold for $10.
Before she was rescued, Srey endured months of abuse at the hands of pimps and sex tourists.
Passed from man to man, often drugged to make her compliant, Srey was a commodity at the heart of a massive, multimillion-dollar sex industry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
"It is huge," said Mu Sochua, a former minister of women's and veteran's affairs who is an anti-sex trade activist.
The precise scale of Cambodia's sex trade is difficult to quantify. International organizations -- such as UNICEF, ECPAT and Save the Children -- say that anywhere from from 50,000 to 100,000 women and children are involved. An estimated 30 percent of the sex workers in Phnom Penh are under the age of 18, according to the United Nations. The actual figure may be much higher, activists say.
Global sex industry
Around the world, more than one million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade each year, according to the U.S. State Department. The State Department believes Cambodia is a key transit and destination point in this trade.
"Trafficking for sexual exploitation also occurs within Cambodia's borders, from rural areas to the country's capital, Phnom Penh, and other secondary cities in the country," the State Department wrote in a 2006 report. "The Government of Cambodia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so."
Sochua said that with millions of Cambodians struggling to live on less than 50 cents a day, many women turn to the sex industry. Poverty is also often what drives parents to sell their child or themselves on the streets.
"Always a child is left behind, often a girl, who is preyed on by traffickers," Sochua added.
An unlikely saviour
Srey was rescued from the life of a sex slave by Somaly Mam, a former prostitute who runs shelters for the victims of Cambodia's sex trade. Somaly has rescued 53 children, so far. Many of them have profound psychological trauma. Some clearly are mentally ill.
"A lot of them, when they arrive, have psychological problems ... very big problems. ... And they never have love by the people, by their parents," Somaly said.
One girl at Somaly's shelter appears especially disturbed. She was rescued after being imprisoned for two years in a cage, where she was repeatedly raped.
She needs psychiatric care, but there is none available. Somaly says she does her best to give this girl love and support, but that it's not easy with so many other needy children around.
Somaly herself suffered terrible ordeals when she worked the streets, including seeing her best friend murdered. She is determined to build something positive out of so much despair.
Her work has caught the attention of world leaders, celebrities and religious figures. Her office in Phnom Penh is adorned with photos of her meeting Pope John Paul II and messages of support from governments and charities.
Despite the attention, Somaly said the situation on the street is not getting better. Gang rapes of prostitutes are becoming more common, she said, and many of the attackers don't use condoms. Instead, they share a plastic bag.
"Poor women, they have been raped by eight, 10, 20, 25 men ... they hit them. They receive a lot of violence," she said.
HIV-AIDS also remains a persistent, though declining, problem among Cambodia's female sex workers.
About 20 percent of Cambodia's female sex workers are HIV-positive, according to Cambodia's Ministry of Health. This compares with the 39 percent of sex workers who tested positive in 1996, according to the Health Ministry.
To help sex workers transition to a more normal life, Somaly is hoping to expand her refuge in the countryside outside Phnom Penh, where former sex workers attend school and learn skills like weaving and sewing.
Asked what the future holds for Srey, Somaly stroked the girl's hair and paused.
Srey is HIV-positive, she said.
In such a poor country, without decent hospitals or medical care, Srey's future is bleak. Somaly just hopes she can make this girl's life bearable for as long as it lasts.
By
Anonymous, at 2:34 PM
Good for people to know.
By
Anonymous, at 10:20 AM
This is a typical article. It starts with:
Cambodia can easily bring in TOURISTS from all over the world if the leaders care more about the country than about their own pockets.
It's very unfortunate that sex predators and pedophiles like to go to Cambodia to satisfy their needs. This is wrong and the Cambodian government should protect our children from being sexually abused
unquote.
The fact that more than 99% of child abuse in Cambodia is committed by Cambodians is not even touched upon. Somaly Mam, as tragic as her history was used the KLISCHEE of Cambodia beeing a Heaven for Pedophiles and Traffickers by telling everyone, the UN, the intl. Press and every single NGO (3.000 !!) the LIE that her daughter was kidnapped and 8 girls had beeing killed by armed thugs that had beeing "rescued" by her and afesip.org. Ban Ki Moon, the UN General Sec. repeated her story in front of the gen.assembly and intl. ngo´s in april 2004. The Cambodian Daily reported in Apr.22,23 and 27 that this was actually a lie, to which she later confessed. The sole reason for her spreading these lies where raising of funds ! From whom ? from the bad barang !!
By
Anonymous, at 8:19 AM
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