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| Srey Sophal, the mother of the 27-year-old migrant worker allegedly being held in Malaysia, speaks to reporters yesterday during a press conference at the National Assembly in Phnom Penh. (Photo by: Sovan Philong) |
Tuesday, 05 April 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
I appeal ... please help to liberate my daughter
A widow who claims her daughter was raped, beaten and deprived of food over a seven-month period by two separate employers in Malaysia yesterday appealed to the Cambodian government to intervene.
Srey Sophal, 66, from Svay Rieng province, requested that government officials tell Phnom Penh-based recruitment agency Champa Manpower Group to allow her daughter to return to Cambodia.
Speaking at a press conference held by opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua, Srey Sophal said her daughter had been sent by the company to work at a house in Malaysia where she was raped twice on March 29 and 30 by her employer’s father.
“They threatened that if my daughter told someone about this, they would beat my daughter until she dies,” she said.
“I would like to appeal to the government and parliamentarians to please help to liberate my daughter. Champa Manpower Company said that if I want to have my daughter back, I must have US$1,500-$2,000 to redeem to the house owner.”
Srey Sophal said her daughter first travelled to Malaysia last September to work at a house where she claimed she was beaten and deprived of food before being sent to a second employer, where the alleged rape took place.
“My daughter called me to say that they mistreated her,” said Srey Sophal, adding that her daughter had contacted the Malaysian police.
“They beat my daughter. They locked my daughter in a room, depriving her of rice.”
Champa Manpower Group was temporarily banned from recruiting new workers by the Ministry of Labour in July last year following a raid on three villas owned by the firm in the capital’s Chroy Changvar commune, in which 232 women were discovered living in squalid conditions.
Sa Ith Nory, a representative from Champa Manpower Group, said yesterday that the woman could not return home until her two-year contract was completed.
“We must talk with my boss,” said Sa Ith Nory.
He added that the owner of Champa Manpower had flown to Malaysia to investigate the accusations.
“I am not sure that [the rape] is true or not,” he said.
“Sometimes it is created, sometimes it is real.” Mu Sochua said yesterday that she had contacted the Malaysian Embassy in Cambodia and would send letters to the Foreign Affairs and Labour ministries.
“We would like the government to withdraw the licence of the company immediately or at least suspend it,” said Mu Sochua.
The lawmaker said she was concerned at the lack of government action on the abuse of migrant workers.
“There is an investigation but it takes too long,” said Mu Sochua. “But I remain optimistic because the Malaysian embassy has taken action in the past for other cases.”
Huy Pichsovann, programme officer at the Community Legal Education Centre, said that government action against abusive practices of labour recruitment firms had been inadequate.
He said that government investigations rarely lead to appropriate punishment.
“They don’t care about the social issues – about rape, about violence, about human rights. They care about economics only,” he said.
Raja Saiful Ridzuwan, deputy head of mission at the Malaysian Embassy in Phnom Penh, yesterday declined to comment on the allegations. Representatives from the Cambodian embassy in Malaysia could not be reached for comment. Officials from the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong also could not be reached.
Firms training domestic workers bound for Malaysia have in recent weeks come under increasing scrutiny, with allegations of abuse in illegal confinement levied on trainees. One woman who was at the recruitment agency T&P broke both of her legs after trying to escape by jumping from a window last month. Another woman died at T&P from a reported heart attack. Her husband complained that she had been sick but the company would not allow her to leave for treatment.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MARY KOZLOVSKI AND THOMAS MILLER
13 comments:
This is the extent of Hun Sen economic? the rich get richer the poor get poorer..
WHO is really voting for CPPP?
Srey Sophal 66, from Svay Rieng province need to watch her kids. this is same old story...happen alot in the early 80' and 90".
We need to Vote out the kingdom government style, is failing Cambodia. Kingdom got to go..........
Why allow your daughter to go abroad for working? Why don't you help her find something in here...in our country? There's alot of things you could do in cambodia today? If people could survived pol pot's cruel regime, you know what i'm talking about?
People could learn how to make clothes for school children or working in Factory...My cousin making clohes for school children in Prek kdam market, she doing pretty good...$$$, $riel, money here and there? You don't need to go to work at somewhere else, being a maid, getting touch, rape, beaten by the Boss!
Greeds!
I would not allow my daughter to go abroad working as a maid or house's work in someone else home...noway! This is very dangerous, i would rather farming at home instead....Pol Pot's time taught me how to survived...and i'm alive til today...
Ah kwach...open your other eye, things are not working under your CPP Viet regime.
It is truely sad to see what our khmer people have to go through to make a basic living. Girls have to separate from their loving families to serve as maids in other countries...being abused, raped, killed... worst than pol pot.
The current regime is depriving people of opportunities. People are hungry. There are no job potentials in the country. People risk getting shot entering Thailand to be laborers. People risk their freedom and dignity accepting jobs abroad just to survive. Please have mercy for our Khmer poor and stop abusing us.
The government brags about the 300 or so million US dollars per year revenue from the export labor industry. This is sickening. The amount of revenue is tiny compared to the entire Cambodia GDP. It is not worth sacrificing our young Khmer workers and their lives. Please do something and help our own people. They are desperate and cannot help themselves.
Love and Peace,
Damaged Soul
គិតទៅគំនិត្តពួកអាបក្សប្រឆាំងមិនដែលមានគំនិត្តអ្វី
យកមកចំរើនប្រទេសជាតិនោះទេគឺមានតែការបំផ្លាញ
ជាតិទៅវិញ។អាពួកនេះវាមានលុយមកពីណាយកមក
ក៏សាងប្រទេសបើពួកនេះមិនត្រូវជាមួយអ្នកជិតខាងនោះ?ហើយម្យ៉ាងវិញទៀតវាដើរនិយាយថាគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជាកាន់អំណាចយូរក៏ប៉ុន្តែខ្លួនឯងធ្វើជាបក្សប្រឆាំងមិនដែលចេះឈ្នះឆ្នោតសោះហើយនៅតែ
ក្រាញរនៀលខំធ្វើមេបក្សដរដែល។និយាយឲ្យគេមិនមើលខ្លួនឯងទាល់តែសោះ។
I wanted to start a business in Cambodia to help Khmer with works but it costs too much to bride every level of government.
i would rather invest in Viet and Thai instead of Khmer, just too corrupted.
5:25 AM, you idiot. Do not blame to other people. Look at the Gov duties.
The people just want to survive. They need to do what they want to survive. The government cannot help them at all. It is different from other countries; they help their people even if in another country.
All of these cases are the government job. The government needs to find the job and help the citizen. Not just kill the people and bring the problem for them. I feel shameful to the Hun Sen Gov.
Khmer Parents need to watch theirs son and daughter. POL Pot destroyed alot of this 80's generation. alot of them dont have parent and now they have kids with no guiding to the real world.
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