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Hagar Cambodiawww.hagarcambodia.orgToday, most Cambodians are living in extreme poverty; over 77% of Cambodians live on less than US$2 a day and 35% of the population live below the national poverty line. Women and children disproportionately bear the burden of intermittent employment, food insecurity, and limited access to health and education services, drastically impacting their health and wellbeing. Sexual and domestic violence is a reality within Cambodian society. One in four Cambodian women who have ever been married has experienced violence in their families. Many women are ashamed and fear speaking out as cultural and society norms dictate what happens in the private sphere should not be discussed outside and the belief that they are responsible for the violence inflicted upon them. Extreme poverty, low levels of literacy and alcoholism are all contributing factors, as well as the fact that Cambodia is a post-conflict country, recovering from decades of civil war, has normalized violence against women in Cambodian homes. Over 1,000 rapes have been reported to a local NGO over the last ten year period, but this is only a fraction of the actually number as most cases go unreported. Factors such as distrust in the justice system, the high cost of pursuing a prosecution, and victim’s fears of retaliation from their perpetrators, are all contributors to the under-reporting of rape crimes. Rape cases involving unmarried women are often silenced due to the enormous culture stigma and families reputations associated with the loss of the victim’s virginity. Cambodia experiences significant internal and cross-border trafficking, and is a country of origin, transit, and destination. Two fundamental factors facilitating human trafficking in Cambodia are poverty and migration. The majority of Cambodian victims of cross-border trafficking are sent to Thailand and Malaysia for sexual exploitation, labor exploitation (i.e. construction, fishing), and domestic work. Cambodian children are trafficked to Vietnam for begging, and Cambodian girls and women are trafficked to Taiwan and Korea for marriage. Hagar has also facilitated research on the trafficking and exploitation of young boys. Internally, victims of trafficking are sent to major tourist centers in Cambodia such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville.
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