Child sex trafficking continues in Cambodia

As a child, life in Cambodia was very hard for Ka*. “My parents were so poor. When I was young, we didn’t even have a house,” she recalls. While many children were going to school, Ka helped her siblings scavenge for cans and beg for money on the streets.

But even amid these desperate circumstances, never did she imagine that one day she would become a victim of sexual trafficking.

Very few options

On the street with very few options, Ka continued to find herself working in different clubs or brothels.

In one instance, she was indebted to her employer for $6 -- an amount that kept her captive for two years, forced into prostitution, serving between five and 10 men each night. Eventually, a police raid on the brothel set her free, only to put her on the street alone, yet again.

In her desperate state, she was forced to work in another brothel. There, they beat the girls regularly. At one point, the brothel owners forced her to have an abortion. She and the other girls were never allowed to leave. Ka’s hopes for her future were extinguished. “All I could think about was that I would be dead someday because I wasn’t allowed to go out,” she says.

Once more, Ka mustered up the courage to escape. She traded a customer a condom for a cell phone. Ka passed the cell phone to one of the other girls and distracted the customer while the other girl called the police.

Finally, two days later, the police came. “We felt like we have a new day,” remembers Ka.

A massive problem

No one knows exactly how many children are involved in prostitution in Cambodia, but data indicates that the problem is significant.

“Child sex tourism here is massive,” says Joshua Pepall, technical advisor to World Vision’s Trauma Recovery Project.“Anywhere from 30,000-60,000 children [are] possibly involved in the sex trade.”

The sex industry is especially harmful to children, who are in high demand. Pepall says that children are seen as cleaner. They are also believed to be more complacent and easier to control and manipulate. “Their families are poor,” says Pepall. “They come from the provinces and they get into this cycle of debt, and actually all they want to do is help their family.”

The Child Protection Compact Act

Unfortunately, Cambodia is not the only country known to be a hotspot for sex trafficking and other forms of child exploitation. Trafficking in persons takes on many guises and occurs within countries and across borders. There are an estimated 2 million children in trapped sexual slavery around the world.

While the numbers may seem staggering, trafficking practices can be prevented and squelched. And the United States can use its influence and resources to continue to battle trafficking around the world.

ACT NOW: A bill before Congress, the Child Protection Compact Act (HR 2737 and S 3184) is one way for the United States to contribute to the fight. This bill would create a strategic partnership with countries that have shown the political will to combat trafficking, but lack the knowledge and resources to enforce the law. It works to build the capacity of countries to protect victims and prosecute traffickers.

”While the problem may seem hopeless and so far away, this legislation provides a meaningful way for the American public and the U.S. government to help address this abuse,” says Jesse Eaves, child protection policy advisor for World Vision. “Helping to equip governments abroad to tackle problems within their own borders is a good investment and the right thing to do.”
A new day

Upon Ka’s release, instead of simply being put out on the street again, she was taken to World Vision’s Trauma Recovery Project.

Ka is one of more than 800 girls and women who have gone through this program. She received physical, psychological, and spiritual counseling, as well as skills training to prepare her for a proper occupation.

“I can see light coming into my life and I can think about the future,” says Ka, now 20. “I am sure I will work in sewing things. I could even teach the other [girls] in the community how to sew,” she says with a confident smile.

Unfortunately, there are still many girls who are not so fortunate. Papall says this is only the tip of the iceberg.