Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: About 200 Cambodian prostitutes protested peacefully Wednesday against a police crackdown and claimed to have been physically and sexually abused in custody.
The prostitutes staged a protest in the capital, Phnom Penh, to complain that they had been unlawfully detained and to highlight the behavior of guards at the rehabilitation center where they were held.
"Some of them (the sex workers) were beaten and gang raped by the center guards, and most of the time they did not use condoms," said Chan Dina, a 31-year-old prostitute and member of the Cambodian Prostitute Union, a sex workers' advocacy group.
Police began rounding up male and female sex workers from brothels, bars and parks in March, detaining them for a week to 10 days at the Prey Speu rehabilitation center on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Cambodian law does not explicitly define prostitution as illegal, but commercial sex is frowned upon by authorities who routinely launch sweeps to clean up the streets.
"Sex workers are human beings and we have equal rights" and deserve protection from abuse, Chan Dina said.
"We do not think that sex work is wrong. It is just a means to an end," said Pich Sokchea, a 42-year-old transvestite sex worker with the Women's Network for Unity, another prostitutes' advocacy group.
Pich Sokchea urged the government to end the crackdown because it was affecting the livelihood of sex workers, many of whom were forced into the profession by poverty and debts. "We are people who sacrifice everything for the sake of our families and for our livelihood."
It was unclear what prompted the latest crackdown but some activists said an anti-trafficking law approved in March may have caused authorities to take a tougher stand against prostitution.
Police Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, the Interior Ministry's spokesman, dismissed claims that police committed violence against sex workers and said none was mistreated in the crackdown.
He defended the crackdown, calling sex work unacceptable in Cambodia.
The prostitutes staged a protest in the capital, Phnom Penh, to complain that they had been unlawfully detained and to highlight the behavior of guards at the rehabilitation center where they were held.
"Some of them (the sex workers) were beaten and gang raped by the center guards, and most of the time they did not use condoms," said Chan Dina, a 31-year-old prostitute and member of the Cambodian Prostitute Union, a sex workers' advocacy group.
Police began rounding up male and female sex workers from brothels, bars and parks in March, detaining them for a week to 10 days at the Prey Speu rehabilitation center on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
Cambodian law does not explicitly define prostitution as illegal, but commercial sex is frowned upon by authorities who routinely launch sweeps to clean up the streets.
"Sex workers are human beings and we have equal rights" and deserve protection from abuse, Chan Dina said.
"We do not think that sex work is wrong. It is just a means to an end," said Pich Sokchea, a 42-year-old transvestite sex worker with the Women's Network for Unity, another prostitutes' advocacy group.
Pich Sokchea urged the government to end the crackdown because it was affecting the livelihood of sex workers, many of whom were forced into the profession by poverty and debts. "We are people who sacrifice everything for the sake of our families and for our livelihood."
It was unclear what prompted the latest crackdown but some activists said an anti-trafficking law approved in March may have caused authorities to take a tougher stand against prostitution.
Police Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, the Interior Ministry's spokesman, dismissed claims that police committed violence against sex workers and said none was mistreated in the crackdown.
He defended the crackdown, calling sex work unacceptable in Cambodia.
5 comments:
find a real job please.
to all my srey khmer
befor they say srey khmer rumthum now what happen.? who can we blam to? goverment? or some of lazy ass do not want to get a real job.
from. real srey khmer
let me tell u my own story .20 year ago i am a homeless girl i been sleep on the side walk in phnom penh.one lucky day i got a job .be come a dishwasher in a food cost at o arsey maket i get paid ten riel a day even i am a dead brok i allway has my propeyneykhmer in my heart .when i see what the man has...that is my maried day ..how is that cool???i think i am the lucky one when i make to the chumrum sizethu .now am stay in florida ...when i see my khmer people stii poor and hungry it is make me pain in my chest .all blam is viesana ...any way good luck to all my srey khmer...
SAD and so SAD , OH KHMER ERY KHMER...
I don't mind people prostitute as a mean for a living, but not for greed.
I understand Cambodia is still lacking employment for everyone at the moment.
Even sex workers behave more civilised than those thugs called policemen who are only slaves to corrupt organisation.
Kaun Khmer
Well, that is why we must vote #4 to get rid of Ah Thug (Spam Rainxy) once and for all, enough Khmers have been abused and buried in the grave on his account.
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