A 16-year old Cambodian sex worker known as "Koan Roeuy" was jailed for allegedly stabbing a customer after he refused to wear a condom. Journalists on an Internews field trip uncovered evidence that resulted in her release. (Photo: Cheath Sotheacheath/Internews)Cambodian Journalists Unravel Case of Sex Worker Who Insisted on Condom
July 20, 2007
by Kathleen O’Keefe, Senior Resident Technical Advisor
Cambodia Office, Mekong Project, Internews Europe
When the Khmer press reported the case of Koan Roeuy—“Sex Worker Stabs Man Who Refused Condom”—there was undoubtedly more to the story. In this part of the world where sex workers’ requests are mostly ignored, this case is clearly unusual.
“Roeuy”, whose real name and age were withheld, as she is a minor, was being detained in one of the country’s most heavily guarded prisons in Battambang. Further investigation into Roeuy’s story revealed a long road ahead for Cambodian’s battle against HIV/AIDS.
Led by Chea Sotheacheath, Technical Advisor for Internews Europe, and veteran journalist, four reporters – two from radio, one from a magazine and one from a newspaper – spent five hours on the rough road to Battambang from the capital on a field trip organized by Internews as part of a hands-on approach to improving media coverage of HIV/AIDS.
The field trip was organized by the Cambodia office of the Internews Europe Mekong Project, and was funded by Department for International Development, a UK government body responsible for promoting development and poverty reduction.
One of many media activities Internews promotes under this training program is practical field trips. Previous Internews workshops have demonstrated that journalists, given the time and opportunity, are interested in hands-on reporting experience that exposes them more directly to stories on social issues.
The activity’s role in promoting wider coverage and its impact on changes in social attitudes is particularly significant in Cambodia, where a lack of human resources and budget constraints often bar journalists from taking field assignments even in nearby towns.
During field trips, Internews also provides new or unusual angles to the story, as many journalists find it hard to be creative due to their busy schedules. Internews also provides mentoring from more experienced reporters in small teams.
Located in northwestern Cambodia, which borders Thailand, Battambang is an epicenter for Cambodia’s AIDS epidemic, noted for the highest prevalence rate in Asia. Historically the country’s rice bowl, Battambang bears the legacy of severe fighting during the war and a highly transient population.
Inquiries through an HIV-positive network uncovered that Roeuy did not have a lawyer. The story later sparked the interest of the Cambodian Defenders Project, a non-governmental legal rights organization that agreed to take on the case on behalf of the woman.
The channels of communication were finally open. Still, it couldn’t be assumed that even experienced Cambodian journalists on the field trip knew how to gain informed consent, or understood the press law’s provisions to protect the identity of accused minors. With Internews guidance, the journalists learned these lessons, but convincing their editors to conceal Rouey’s identity would be another challenge.
The journalists raced against time, arriving already 15 days after the incident. They sought out the sources of the original story – Noeu Pang, commune police chief, and Ieng Mony, the brothel owner—who said they were not witnesses, despite being the source of the original story, but had just passed on information they heard from others. They were unable to provide a credible account of the incident. Finding out the truth behind this story had only just begun.
According to Roeuy’s lawyer, Bun Rithy, her customer, Sorn Da, was drunk that night in December. They had intercourse for almost half an hour before Da decided to stop using a condom. Roeuy then refused to continue and fled. Da followed, demanding his money back. A brawl broke out and Roeuy was knocked to the ground.
Da’s account was different. He claimed that Roeuy escaped because she was “not happy with my playing” and that “the play hurt her.” While admitting he was not thinking clearly that night because he was drunk, Da said he “knew” the person who “stabbed my abdomen wasn’t a woman. It was a man.”
But when the deputy district police chief arrived at the scene of the stabbing, an unidentified man pointed to Roeuy, accusing her of stabbing Da. Police were unable to find the unidentified man the following day. By then, the deputy chief said, the girl had confessed two times.
Roeuy’s lawyer said police forced her to confess. He said his illiterate client was not even read the confession she was told to sign. Da’s account supported Roeuy’s innocence and was corroborated by his mother, Sun Sive.
Sive did her own investigation and concluded, “It was a man” who stabbed her son. “I filed a complaint through the local authorities to find justice for my son,” she told reporters.
The Internews-trained journalists headed for the provincial capital to confront the lawyer with their findings. Rithy said his client’s case was “complicated” because she was not close to members of the community. He said it was hard to find a witness “in an area where she does not have any supporters,” and where people did not know her.
The only hope, he said, was “if there is any official record to prove she is 16 years old,” but the lawyer didn’t seem to know where to begin. Eager to find firsthand sources to complete their profile of the accused, some of the journalists in the team traversed three provincial borders in search of Roeuy’s family, taxing their investigative skills.
Roeuy’s mother sobbed when she heard the news of her imprisoned child, and said, “I will visit her when I earn enough money for the trip.” The journalists left the village with photos of documents – proof of her age – to send to the lawyer.
Roeuy was finally released in early February, following wide coverage on the radio and newspaper and magazine articles. They sent strong messages about the difficult lives of sex workers, featuring this girl who bravely stood up against HIV/AIDS transmission, only to be detained unjustly.
According to the brothel owner, sex workers always ask clients to wear condoms because they are afraid of contracting HIV/AIDS, noting that most people in this area have received information on the issue from NGOs and others.
He said only a few of his customers refuse to use condoms. “These men often force the girls to have sex without a condom. When the girls refuse, quarrels often erupt.” He claimed quarrels are usually “solved peacefully” but the girls still have little protection against those who refuse.
“The government and NGOs teach us to use condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV, but when we follow instruction we often have arguments with clients. When we have arguments with clients, the government and NGOs ignore us…I’m afraid HIV will spread in this area because clients like to have sex without a condom,” he said.
Roeuy chose not to tell her full story on the record. But coverage by journalists provided unique accounts of a woman striving, against all odds, to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. Color and investigative skills combined to free a woman unjustly imprisoned and to spark important debate in the community on an issue that is a key driver of the transmission of the virus.
The journalists’ field trip changed Roeuy’s life by bringing her freedom. It also changed journalists’ perspectives on reporting on HIV/AIDS: they learned that when a “human face” is used to tell a story, the public responds powerfully to the story.
“Roeuy”, whose real name and age were withheld, as she is a minor, was being detained in one of the country’s most heavily guarded prisons in Battambang. Further investigation into Roeuy’s story revealed a long road ahead for Cambodian’s battle against HIV/AIDS.
Led by Chea Sotheacheath, Technical Advisor for Internews Europe, and veteran journalist, four reporters – two from radio, one from a magazine and one from a newspaper – spent five hours on the rough road to Battambang from the capital on a field trip organized by Internews as part of a hands-on approach to improving media coverage of HIV/AIDS.
The field trip was organized by the Cambodia office of the Internews Europe Mekong Project, and was funded by Department for International Development, a UK government body responsible for promoting development and poverty reduction.
One of many media activities Internews promotes under this training program is practical field trips. Previous Internews workshops have demonstrated that journalists, given the time and opportunity, are interested in hands-on reporting experience that exposes them more directly to stories on social issues.
The activity’s role in promoting wider coverage and its impact on changes in social attitudes is particularly significant in Cambodia, where a lack of human resources and budget constraints often bar journalists from taking field assignments even in nearby towns.
During field trips, Internews also provides new or unusual angles to the story, as many journalists find it hard to be creative due to their busy schedules. Internews also provides mentoring from more experienced reporters in small teams.
Located in northwestern Cambodia, which borders Thailand, Battambang is an epicenter for Cambodia’s AIDS epidemic, noted for the highest prevalence rate in Asia. Historically the country’s rice bowl, Battambang bears the legacy of severe fighting during the war and a highly transient population.
Inquiries through an HIV-positive network uncovered that Roeuy did not have a lawyer. The story later sparked the interest of the Cambodian Defenders Project, a non-governmental legal rights organization that agreed to take on the case on behalf of the woman.
The channels of communication were finally open. Still, it couldn’t be assumed that even experienced Cambodian journalists on the field trip knew how to gain informed consent, or understood the press law’s provisions to protect the identity of accused minors. With Internews guidance, the journalists learned these lessons, but convincing their editors to conceal Rouey’s identity would be another challenge.
The journalists raced against time, arriving already 15 days after the incident. They sought out the sources of the original story – Noeu Pang, commune police chief, and Ieng Mony, the brothel owner—who said they were not witnesses, despite being the source of the original story, but had just passed on information they heard from others. They were unable to provide a credible account of the incident. Finding out the truth behind this story had only just begun.
According to Roeuy’s lawyer, Bun Rithy, her customer, Sorn Da, was drunk that night in December. They had intercourse for almost half an hour before Da decided to stop using a condom. Roeuy then refused to continue and fled. Da followed, demanding his money back. A brawl broke out and Roeuy was knocked to the ground.
Da’s account was different. He claimed that Roeuy escaped because she was “not happy with my playing” and that “the play hurt her.” While admitting he was not thinking clearly that night because he was drunk, Da said he “knew” the person who “stabbed my abdomen wasn’t a woman. It was a man.”
But when the deputy district police chief arrived at the scene of the stabbing, an unidentified man pointed to Roeuy, accusing her of stabbing Da. Police were unable to find the unidentified man the following day. By then, the deputy chief said, the girl had confessed two times.
Roeuy’s lawyer said police forced her to confess. He said his illiterate client was not even read the confession she was told to sign. Da’s account supported Roeuy’s innocence and was corroborated by his mother, Sun Sive.
Sive did her own investigation and concluded, “It was a man” who stabbed her son. “I filed a complaint through the local authorities to find justice for my son,” she told reporters.
The Internews-trained journalists headed for the provincial capital to confront the lawyer with their findings. Rithy said his client’s case was “complicated” because she was not close to members of the community. He said it was hard to find a witness “in an area where she does not have any supporters,” and where people did not know her.
The only hope, he said, was “if there is any official record to prove she is 16 years old,” but the lawyer didn’t seem to know where to begin. Eager to find firsthand sources to complete their profile of the accused, some of the journalists in the team traversed three provincial borders in search of Roeuy’s family, taxing their investigative skills.
Roeuy’s mother sobbed when she heard the news of her imprisoned child, and said, “I will visit her when I earn enough money for the trip.” The journalists left the village with photos of documents – proof of her age – to send to the lawyer.
Roeuy was finally released in early February, following wide coverage on the radio and newspaper and magazine articles. They sent strong messages about the difficult lives of sex workers, featuring this girl who bravely stood up against HIV/AIDS transmission, only to be detained unjustly.
According to the brothel owner, sex workers always ask clients to wear condoms because they are afraid of contracting HIV/AIDS, noting that most people in this area have received information on the issue from NGOs and others.
He said only a few of his customers refuse to use condoms. “These men often force the girls to have sex without a condom. When the girls refuse, quarrels often erupt.” He claimed quarrels are usually “solved peacefully” but the girls still have little protection against those who refuse.
“The government and NGOs teach us to use condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV, but when we follow instruction we often have arguments with clients. When we have arguments with clients, the government and NGOs ignore us…I’m afraid HIV will spread in this area because clients like to have sex without a condom,” he said.
Roeuy chose not to tell her full story on the record. But coverage by journalists provided unique accounts of a woman striving, against all odds, to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. Color and investigative skills combined to free a woman unjustly imprisoned and to spark important debate in the community on an issue that is a key driver of the transmission of the virus.
The journalists’ field trip changed Roeuy’s life by bringing her freedom. It also changed journalists’ perspectives on reporting on HIV/AIDS: they learned that when a “human face” is used to tell a story, the public responds powerfully to the story.
5 comments:
It's so sad to see this Koun Srey Khmer who served her innocent crime in the prison.
How many of Khmer-Girls are in the trapped evil society like her ?
It won't too long this prison is the place where to lock up those Evil Criminals CPP & Hun Sen.
the most innocent is usually the women or young girls. its really important to educate ourself of the awareness of what going on back home and show support in any way to relief all kind of problems resulting of hun sen regime and the oppressor vietnam govt
oversea khmer
It was a self defense! self defense! and self defense on behalf of this young lady! She should be releasing from that ugly prison right now! That poor girl was trying to protect herself from catching Aids MF!
If were her and I would stab the mother fucker again, again, and again! I do it all over again in a heart beat! That mother fucker can die of AIDS all by himself!
halaluya!
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