Tuesday, September 15, 2009

CAMBODIA: Men being exploited, trafficked too

Kou Channyyon was trafficked from Cambodia to Malaysia (Photo: Kounila Keo/IRIN)
The boats become virtual prisons on which the trafficking victims endure inhumane working conditions and physical abuse
PHNOM PENH, 15 September 2009 (IRIN) - Kou Channyyon's story is typical of many young Cambodian men.

Desperate for work, he was trafficked to Malaysia with the promise of earning more than US$200 a month in a coffee factory.

But after he arrived, his passport was confiscated, and he found himself working 13 hours a day, with barely enough money to cover his living costs.

Barred from leaving the factory premises, he did not know if he would ever be able to escape.

"It was exhausting ... I got very little sleep and was paid less than other workers," the 23-year-old farmer's son from southern Kandal Province, told IRIN.

According to the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP), thousands of Cambodians are trafficked annually for the purpose of labour exploitation - a figure expected to increase given the global economic downturn.

"The risk factors for an increase are certainly there," Paul Buckley, field operations coordinator for UNIAP, told IRIN in Bangkok, citing job losses, diminished remittances, and rising debt as key indicators.

Cambodian exports have been badly shaken by the global financial crisis, resulting in thousands of workers losing their jobs.

"This makes for an easier environment for traffickers to work in," Buckley said, noting the need for more quantifiable data and research.

Earlier this year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) projected that job losses may surpass 45,000 this year, with a disproportionate burden falling on young workers, who already face few employment opportunities.

"Cambodia confronts a growing problem of providing decent work for this young population," said Ya Navuth, executive director of Coordination of Action Research and Mobility (CARAM), a local NGO working to reduce illegal immigration to other countries.

"I think the government has to solve the problems of labour exploitation or illegal immigration by increasing the domestic market for labour," Ya Navuth said.

Scant research on male victims

Trafficking victims have traditionally been identified by governments in Southeast Asia as women and children. There is scant research on the problem of male trafficking for labour exploitation, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to the Cambodian government, men seek longer term work mostly in Thailand in construction, factories, transport, fishing and fish processing.

"Males continue to be another vulnerable group besides women and children," UNIAP's national project coordinator in Cambodia, Lim Tith, told IRIN.

"They suffer abuse and labour exploitation [in a bid] to support their family back home," he said.

A 2008 UNIAP report said the main destination countries for Cambodian labour migrants are Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Thailand is the top destination country for victims of human trafficking from Cambodia.

Thai fishing boats

Some of the worst exploited are men and boys who end up on Thai long-haul fishing boats that ply the South China Sea for two years or more at a time, according to a UNIAP study in April 2009.

"The boats become virtual prisons on which the trafficking victims endure inhumane working conditions and physical abuse. Death at sea is frequently reported, sometimes at the hands of Thai boat captains," the study notes.

Until mid-2008, Thailand's anti-human trafficking legislation excluded men from being acknowledged as trafficking victims, which meant that they were counted as illegal migrants instead, and consequently deported.

Some 130,000 individuals are deported to Cambodia from Thailand each year, and evidence is readily available of cases of misidentification by Thai or Cambodian authorities of victims of trafficking departed from Thailand, said the 2008 UNIAP report.

"The fact that the problem remains hidden makes it harder for the NGOs and the government to work on it," Lim Tith said.

New law

Cambodia has undertaken a series of measures to curb trafficking, including a 2008 law that recognizes men as potential trafficking victims for the first time, and provides a better legal framework to prosecute traffickers.

But given the fallout from the global economic crisis, tackling illegal immigration and trafficking may prove difficult for the Cambodian government because of its small budgets and limited human resources, said Lim Tith.

"What's important now is that the government has a political will to solve the problems, although they have very limited options," said Lim Tith.

"With the global economic crisis still continuing or [having an] effect, more men will surely continue to seek jobs abroad and be exploited by the financial crisis," he said.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah Kwack just never beleive all of these!

Anonymous said...

Some Yuon slaves, like ah New Phally, Angkorian Krohorm Kor, Phay Sipheh, etc., who have supported Hun Sen, are blind and deaf to all problems happening to poor Khmer people in general. All these dandruffed dogs have been bought off to bark by the dictator HUn Sen, the doggy puppet of Vitnam. They have never seen how suffering the Khmer people are.

Anonymous said...

All in Hun Sen accounts!

Anonymous said...

Can someone confirm for me about the Nigerians (Africa) gangs are moving into Cambodia? The motherfuckers are notorious for child abuse.

Anonymous said...

នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៧៩
ពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជារាប់ម៉ឺននាក់បានចូលមកស្រុកសៀំមហើយពួកសៀមវាបានដឹកប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាយកចាក់ចោលនៅភ្នំដងរែកដោយអ្នកខ្លះបានដើរជាន់ម៉ីនអ្នកខ្លះអត់បាយអត់ទឹកគឺពិបាកវេតនាដួចនៅក្នុងជំនន់ពលពតឥញ្ចឹង។អ្នកខ្លះឆ្លងទន្លេ(កើតកូន)នៅក្នុងព្រៃគួរឲ្យអាសូរពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជាណាស់មិនដែលបានសុខទេលុះដល់ពាក់កណ្តាលឆ្នាំ១៩៧៩ប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាលោកបានទៅនៅតាមជុំរំទល់ដែនខ្មែរ-សៀមបានរស់នៅជាមួយពួកទាហ៊ានខ្មែរដែលប្រឆាំងជាមួយរដ្ធាភិបាលបច្ចុបន្បន៍ពួកទាហ៊ានទាំងនោះបានធ្វើបាបប្រជនខ្មែរយើងដួចគ្នាមិនចេះចប់ទេដោយអង្ករអង្ការសហប្រជាជាតិបញ្ចូនមកឲ្យពលរដ្ធខ្មែរពួកគេទាំងនោះយកអង្ករមកលក់ឲ្យពលរដ្ថខ្មែរយើងទៅវិញ។ដោយលំបាកក្នុងការរស់នៅជាមួយទាហ៊ាននៅតាមទល់ដែនពេកម្នាក់ៗក៏សម្រេចចិត្តចូលមករស់នៅក្នុងជុំរំខាវអ៊ីដាងប្រទេសសៀមដោយមានអង្ការសហប្រជាជាតិដឹក
ជញ្ជូនផងដែរ។ប៉ុន្តែជាអកុសល់ម្តងទៀតពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជាមករស់នៅប្រទេសសៀមពួកសៀមវាបាន
ធ្វើបាបធ្វើកម្មមិនចេះឈប់មិនចេះហើយ។នៅក្នុងជុំរំខាវអ៊ីដាងបើកុំមានអង្ការសហប្រជាជាតិពួក
សៀមវាសម្លាប់ពលរដ្ធខ្មែរមិនដឹងអស់ប៉ុន្មាននាក់ទេមើលទៅ។ខ្ញុំបាទបានឃើញពួកទាហ៊ានសៀម
វាវាយធ្វើបាបពលរដ្ធខ្មែររហូតដល់ស្លាប់ក៏មានដែរចំណែកអ្នកទទួលខុសត្រូវជុំរំគឺជាជនជាតិស្បែក
សហើយជាស្រីទៀតលោកស្រីម្នាក់ហ្នឹងខ្ញុំបាទពុំបានចាំឈ្មោះគាត់ទេជូនកាលគាត់យកទ្រូងពាំង
ដែលទាហ៊ានសៀមចង់សម្លាប់ប្រជាជនខ្មែរយើង(ដោយគាត់និយាយទៅទាហ៊ានសៀមវិញថាបើ
អ្នកឯងចង់សម្លាប់ប្រជាជនភាសខ្លួនទាំងអស់ហ្នឹងអ្នកឯងសម្លាប់គាត់មុនទៅ)នេះគឺជាទឹកចិត្តដ៏មុត
មាំរបស់លោកស្រីយើងខ្ញុំជាប្រជាពលរដ្ធកម្ពុជាមិនភ្លេចគុណបំណាច់របស់លោកស្រីទេសូមអរគុណ។ចំពោះអង្ការសហប្រជាជាតិមួយចំនួនមិនដែលនឹកឃើញជួយប្រជាជនកម្ពុជានៅស្រុកខ្មែរទេ
ប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាដែលលោករស់នៅកម្ពុជាមិនដែលបានធ្វីទាល់តែសោះអំពីអំណោយរបស់បរទេស
នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៧៩ដួចជាថ្នាំសង្កូវ,សម្លៀកបំពាក់,។ល។មិនដែលបានទាល់តែសោះគឺរស់បានតាមកម្លាំង
ញឺសឈាមរបស់គាត់តែប៉ុណ្ណឹងឯង។បើតាមខ្ញុំដឹងខ្លះៗប៉ុន្តែមិនពិតប្រាកដទេប្រហែលជាជឿនៅជន
មួយក្តាប់តួចបានញុះញង់មិនឲ្យអង្ការសហប្រជាជាតិចូលមកស្រុកខ្មែរគឺដោយសារឥញ្ចឹងបើតាម
ខ្ញុំគិត។

Anonymous said...

the boy looks so sexy! he turned me on!

Xihamini

Anonymous said...

I love you guy my KHMER brothers/sisters out there all over the world. Keep on writing KHMER script and showed our KHMER people those who don't know how to read/write/speak. Believe me some of those kids that born abroad don't know not even 1 KHMER script. Most kids from abroad speak majority of English, French, German, nor Dutch.

I've learnt so fast every times open this up. I called my dad/mom read it for me. That how I learnt it very fast. GO to YOUTUBE and GOOGLE and you will learn alot more than you think. I taught myself from computer no class has taken.

I MISSED KHMER

Anonymous said...

yes, in today's world, both men and women are victims, not just women anymore!