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Poverty blamed for causing sex trafficking
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-03-02 15:49
Poverty, cheating, domestic violence and lack of education are the main
causes of street sex workers to become victims of sex trafficking, local media
reported on Thursday.
A study by the organization Violence against Women and Childrenof Cambodia
(VAWCC) on street sex workers showed that 58 percent of them do this kind of
work because of poverty and 38 percent attribute it to not attending school,
Rasmei Kampuchea reported.
The report was released at a workshop on "Street Sex Workers' Situation" last
week at the National Institute of Education. The research lasted from December
2005 until January 2006.
The family background research showed that over 50 percent have more than
five siblings, 42 percent are divorced, 33 percent are single, 30 percent have
one child, and 38 percent did not attend school.
Poverty accounts for 58 percent. The survey also found that, among the female
victims, 71 percent were raped by groups of gangsters.
Ek Branit, executive director of VAWCC, said the objective of the research
was to identify the background and experience of sex workers, to identify the
problems and difficulties they have faced in the occupation, to examine the view
and attitude of society toward sex workers, to issue recommendations to
government agencies and law professionals, and to find measures that
appropriately respond to the needs of sex workers.
Chan Sotheavy, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Justice, said, "The
findings are good points. We need to analyze and identify their problems to find
out why they have been flung into this situation so that we can set up policies
and legal protection for them."
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