Dan Poynton
The Mekong Times
Cambodia’s notorious international reputation for human trafficking is gradually improving, although both the US and Cambodian governments agree that a lot of work needs to be done before the Kingdom can truly shake off one of its worst stigmas.
On Wednesday the US government released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPR), announcing that Cambodia’s human trafficking status has improved according to the US’s official ranking system.
“The upgrade reflects our recognition that the Cambodian government is engaged in combating trafficking,” said US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Piper Campbell, speaking yesterday at a joint US Embassy and Interior Ministry press conference discussing the TIPR. “Trafficking in Cambodia is still indeed a problem. [However] it’s an international problem; it also occurs in the US,” said Campbell, adding that the US has spent over US$14 million on anti-trafficking in Cambodia since 2003.
This year, the US’s TIPR said Cambodia is not fully complying with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it is making significant efforts to do so. It ranked Cambodia as Tier 2 in its three-tiered ranking system for countries with significant numbers of trafficking victims. For the last two years, Cambodia was ranked Tier 2 Watch List, which is a probation list for Tier 2 countries which are not increasing their efforts to improve or whose number of trafficking victims is significantly increasing. In 2005 Cambodia was relegated to the most egregious level of Tier 3.
“Despite the success we have attained, we understand we have much work to do,” said Interior Minister Sar Kheng at the event. “I cannot make a guess on how many years before Cambodia reaches Tier 1 [the most favorable ranking] ... but we know we have work to do.” He said that, due to the government’s efforts, Cambodia has reached Tier 2 for the first time since 2004.
The TIPR cited the government’s new national anti-trafficking task force, increased law enforcement against traffickers, and February’s new Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation as being notable improvements in Cambodia’s anti-human trafficking stance.
The TIRP said, however, that because of the pervasive corruption in Cambodia, “it is widely believed that some individuals, including police and judicial officials, are involved in trafficking.”
On Wednesday the US government released its annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIPR), announcing that Cambodia’s human trafficking status has improved according to the US’s official ranking system.
“The upgrade reflects our recognition that the Cambodian government is engaged in combating trafficking,” said US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Piper Campbell, speaking yesterday at a joint US Embassy and Interior Ministry press conference discussing the TIPR. “Trafficking in Cambodia is still indeed a problem. [However] it’s an international problem; it also occurs in the US,” said Campbell, adding that the US has spent over US$14 million on anti-trafficking in Cambodia since 2003.
This year, the US’s TIPR said Cambodia is not fully complying with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it is making significant efforts to do so. It ranked Cambodia as Tier 2 in its three-tiered ranking system for countries with significant numbers of trafficking victims. For the last two years, Cambodia was ranked Tier 2 Watch List, which is a probation list for Tier 2 countries which are not increasing their efforts to improve or whose number of trafficking victims is significantly increasing. In 2005 Cambodia was relegated to the most egregious level of Tier 3.
“Despite the success we have attained, we understand we have much work to do,” said Interior Minister Sar Kheng at the event. “I cannot make a guess on how many years before Cambodia reaches Tier 1 [the most favorable ranking] ... but we know we have work to do.” He said that, due to the government’s efforts, Cambodia has reached Tier 2 for the first time since 2004.
The TIPR cited the government’s new national anti-trafficking task force, increased law enforcement against traffickers, and February’s new Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation as being notable improvements in Cambodia’s anti-human trafficking stance.
The TIRP said, however, that because of the pervasive corruption in Cambodia, “it is widely believed that some individuals, including police and judicial officials, are involved in trafficking.”
3 comments:
What we needed is jobs and good moral training to fix that problem and others.
If they have enough food, shelters and security, i think those wouldn't want to be sex workers..!! However, if the govn't can controll volunteer sex workers and make sure there's no illegal sex traficking, I think there's no point to ban brothels in general! Even in USA, Australia, Japan also have brothels. But they can control by get those sex workers registered and licensed. Sic
Well, we certainly don't want Cambodia to be like the internet.
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