21 Feb 2007
By Or Phearith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
A couple of mother and daughter are looking for intervention to counter the accusations made by a company which is transporting laborers to work overseas.
The coupled looked for intervention after 19-year-old Tim Sok Heang, from Keng village, Chrauy Banteay commune, Prek Prosob district, said on 20 Feb that she was escaping from the premises of a company which promised to take her and three other girls to work as laborers in Malaysia. She escaped after she encountered several problems at the company, such as the company’s people making fun of the girls, forcing them to take pictures while wearing see-through clothes, etc… “Back then, what we faced was not right, they told us to dress in see-through clothes, just like being naked, they took our pictures and save it on the computer where they were viewing them… Taking such indecent photos is like turning us into prostitutes,” Sok Heang said.
Sok Heang added that during the one-month training, the company provided, she fell ill, but she was threatened and prevented from calling her parents and relatives.
Faced with hardship, Sok Heang and Srey Touch, her younger cousin, escaped the company. When they arrived home, Sok Heang said that she received a phone threat telling her to go back or else she could be arrested and she will face beating.
Sok Heang said that besides herself and her cousin who escaped, another girl, Sok Leap, had to have her family paid 200,000 riels ($50) to the company in order to be released. Currently, the family of another girl, Chuon Srey Mach, is looking for intervention for her release back from the company without having to pay the $520 fee the company contract imposed as fine, in the event these girls decide not to go to work overseas.
Sok Sen, a representative of the Ung Rithy Group based in Phnom Penh, clarified by phone that Sok Heang defames his company’s reputation. Therefore, she must pay back some of the expenses the company incurred. “In reality, I just want her to pay back my expense because she listened to other people. She is poor, she does not think about it herself, all the problems came from her own only, but she went and defamed my company’s reputation,” Sok Sen said.
Sok Sen accused Sok Heang of listening to unfounded incitements, and it made her lost an opportunity to earn money for her very poor family.
Mrs. Sa Chan Hieng, the director of the government office of women affairs, said that Sok Heang has nothing to do with the company expenses, and that she does not need to pay anything back.
Human rights officials claimed that the company’s contract was not done with the authority’s approval, therefore it can be annulled.
Sok Heang and her mother said that the reason she wanted to go to work overseas was because of their poverty.
The coupled looked for intervention after 19-year-old Tim Sok Heang, from Keng village, Chrauy Banteay commune, Prek Prosob district, said on 20 Feb that she was escaping from the premises of a company which promised to take her and three other girls to work as laborers in Malaysia. She escaped after she encountered several problems at the company, such as the company’s people making fun of the girls, forcing them to take pictures while wearing see-through clothes, etc… “Back then, what we faced was not right, they told us to dress in see-through clothes, just like being naked, they took our pictures and save it on the computer where they were viewing them… Taking such indecent photos is like turning us into prostitutes,” Sok Heang said.
Sok Heang added that during the one-month training, the company provided, she fell ill, but she was threatened and prevented from calling her parents and relatives.
Faced with hardship, Sok Heang and Srey Touch, her younger cousin, escaped the company. When they arrived home, Sok Heang said that she received a phone threat telling her to go back or else she could be arrested and she will face beating.
Sok Heang said that besides herself and her cousin who escaped, another girl, Sok Leap, had to have her family paid 200,000 riels ($50) to the company in order to be released. Currently, the family of another girl, Chuon Srey Mach, is looking for intervention for her release back from the company without having to pay the $520 fee the company contract imposed as fine, in the event these girls decide not to go to work overseas.
Sok Sen, a representative of the Ung Rithy Group based in Phnom Penh, clarified by phone that Sok Heang defames his company’s reputation. Therefore, she must pay back some of the expenses the company incurred. “In reality, I just want her to pay back my expense because she listened to other people. She is poor, she does not think about it herself, all the problems came from her own only, but she went and defamed my company’s reputation,” Sok Sen said.
Sok Sen accused Sok Heang of listening to unfounded incitements, and it made her lost an opportunity to earn money for her very poor family.
Mrs. Sa Chan Hieng, the director of the government office of women affairs, said that Sok Heang has nothing to do with the company expenses, and that she does not need to pay anything back.
Human rights officials claimed that the company’s contract was not done with the authority’s approval, therefore it can be annulled.
Sok Heang and her mother said that the reason she wanted to go to work overseas was because of their poverty.
2 comments:
Hope all Cambodian as smart as you Sok Heang!
if they come to your village let people ax them!
what the fucking oversea job they offered you. only job they will definitely offer you is to turn you into a Prostitute so they can pocket money out of you.
What else do you think they look for young women only. Why not Men? because in this business they only men are the customers.
so ladies you need to do a reality check here before you wreck yourself.
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