‘Defamed’ Pailin man held on rape charges - គ្រួសារ​ក្មេងស្រី​ត្រូវគេ​រំលោភ​នៅប៉ៃលិន​ពឹងឲ្យ​អាដហុក​ជួយ

Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post

“It is unjust that the 8-year-old’s family is ordered to pay compensation after she was raped”

«​វា​អយុត្តិធម៌​សម្រាប់​គ្រួសារនេះ​ណាស់​។ គេ​រំលោភ​ហើយ​ត្រូវគេប្តឹង​ឲ្យបង់លុយ​ថែមទៀត​»

A man whose family successfully sued a woman last Tuesday for accusing him of raping her 8-year-old daughter was charged with the alleged rape on Friday, a Pailin provincial court prosecutor said yesterday.

Provincial prosecutor Chum Sensithea confirmed that 23-year-old Sam Ra was arrested and charged on Friday, just days after the court ordered the alleged victim’s family to pay Sam Ra’s family 8 million riel (US$2,000) in compensation for defaming him.

“The suspect was charged with rape and placed into pro­visional detention at the provincial prison last Friday,” Chum Sensithea said.

The family had initially complained to village and commune officials in Pailin town that their daughter had been raped more than once in August and September; however, the complaint was not kept confidential and they were accused of defaming Sam Ra.

CCHR Press Release - To mark Internatio​nal Children’s Day, CCHR urges Cambodia to reflect on the child victims of rape

http://www.box.net/shared/dr7mv5ggdz


http://www.box.net/shared/e7bu6bqdma

Press Release - Phnom Penh, 1 June 2011

To mark International Children’s Day, CCHR urges Cambodia to reflect on the child victims of rape

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), a non-aligned, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights in Cambodia, marks International Children’s Day, held today, by launching the findings of a study into rape cases in Cambodia on the Cambodian Human Rights Portal, www.sithi.org. The study presents information on all forms of rape committed throughout the Kingdom including, and of particular interest to International Children’s Day, those perpetrated against child victims.

The CCHR study covered the period from May 2010 to May 2011 during which time 250 cases of rape were reported in the Khmer and English language press. Our data shows that in 72% of reported cases over the time period the victim was under the age of 18. The study also showed that in cases where the relationship between the victim and the alleged perpetrator was stated, 29% of rapes victims under the age of 18 were alleged to have been perpetrated by a member of the victim’s family while 31% of rapes of minors involved a neighbour as the alleged perpetrator.

Other key findings of the investigation included:

• 13%of the cases recorded involved more than 1 perpetrator. 6% of these rape cases involved 3 or more perpetrators.
• In 11% of rape cases recorded the perpetrator was under 18 years of age.
• The most reported rape cases that CCHR recorded were in Phnom Penh with 18% occurring in Cambodia’s capital and largest city. Phnom Penh was followed by Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city, where 12% of reported rape cases occurred.
• The youngest known victim as recorded by CCHR was a two year old girl who was allegedly raped by her sixteen year old neighbour in Kandal Province. The oldest victim recorded by CCHR was a 85 year old woman from Banteay Meanchey who was allegedly raped by her son in law.

Ou Virak, President of CCHR, commented on the investigation: “International Children’s Day provides an opportunity for us to reflect upon children whose youth is stolen by the commission upon them of the heinous crime of rape. All Cambodians should unite to call on the government to act to ensure that our children are protected from the horror of rape and the perpetrators of that most cowardly crime are brought to justice. The issue of crimes against children and the way that the criminal justice system deals with such crimes must receive due attention at the Committee on the Rights of the Child when it addresses Cambodia this Friday”.

The information presented by CCHR was collected from media reports in the Khmer and English press. CCHR does not contend that the information presented is conclusive. On the contrary, it is expected that this information represents only a small proportion of rape cases that occur in Cambodia. The information is presented to offer an indication of the nature of the cases that occur and that are reported, and the manner in which they are dealt with by the authorities. CCHR encourages other organizations and institutions – government and non-government – to publish similar information to increase the material available and to enhance the public’s understanding of this issue and help the authorities to better manage there response.

For full details please visit the new sithi.org webpage please click here.

- End -

For more information, please contact Ou Virak via telephone at +855 (0) 12 40 40 51 or e-mail at ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org.

CCHR is a leading non-political, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights – primarily civil and political rights - in Cambodia. We empower civil society to claim its rights and drive change; and through detailed research and analysis we develop innovative policy, and advocate for its implementation. Our logo – a dove flying in a circle of blue sky – symbolizes Cambodia’s claim for freedom.

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The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) is a non-political, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout Cambodia. For more information, please visit www.cchrcambodia.org.

A Song Dedicated for March 8

Dear KI Team,

In order to celebrate and in order to dedicate for the International Women's Day on March 8, I would like send this song through your team to Khmer people around the world.

Regards,

SOURN SEREY RATHA
President of KPPM
Khmer People Power Movement: Website: www.kppmradio.org
Political Analyzer of Cambodia Politics www.thekhmerpost.com
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Contact Address:
3 Fountain Ave. Cranston, RI 02920, or
2579 S. Vagedes Ave. Fresno, CA 93706, or
P.O.Box: 8074 Cranston, RI 02920 U.S.A

Morality Song (Traditional Yiké music)

Click here to download this song in MP3

Number of Reported Rapes Jumped Again in 2010 [-That's a BIG shame for Cambodia!]

In Cambodia, the total number of rapes reported was up 9 percent from 2009 and up 20 percent from 2008.

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer

Phnom Penh Monday, 03 January 2011

"Other measures should include treatment of psychological diseases, stronger punishment for rapists, suppression of pornography, and elimination of illegal drugs."

Police and rights groups said Monday the country needs a new plan for moral values, as the number of reported rapes, including of underage girls, climbed again in 2010.

Adhoc recorded 501 rapes last year, including 76 where the victims were under the age of 10 and 33 where the victims were younger than 5 years old. Nearly three quarters of all the rapes involved girls under the age of 18.

The total number of rapes reported was up 9 percent from 2009 and up 20 percent from 2008.

Responding to the release of the report on Monday, national police spokesman Kirth Chantarith said the central department of the judicial police were studying the reasons behind the increase to find a “strategic plan” to curb the crime.

“I think that the strong and important measures for preventing the rape cases include, firstly, education for the public and promotion of understanding for social mores and social values,” he said. “Secondly, strong measures for the suppression of the rape cases; and thirdly, strong and absolute law enforcement.”

Other crimes have been reduced in the past two years, he said, but rapes remained a concern.

Adhoc President Thun Saray said the crime can't be curtailed through law enforcement alone.

Other measures should include treatment of psychological diseases, stronger punishment for rapists, suppression of pornography, and elimination of illegal drugs, he said. Social problems related to unemployment, poverty and social injustice were also contributing factors, he said.

Court Upholds Sentence in Rape of Minor

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21 August 2008

The Appeals Court ruled Thursday to uphold the decision of a Kampong Cham provincial court sentencing two minors to eight years in prison for the rape of a 7-year-old girl.

The court also upheld a decision that 8 million riel in compensation be paid to the victim by the defendants, Kheng Seang Hay and Chhim Pisey.

The case, which highlights a continued problem of minors sexually assaulting minors, has centered around the age of the boys, not their guilt, because Cambodian law stipulates minors under 14 cannot be imprisoned.

If the two were under 14 years old at the time of the crime, they should not be sentenced to jail, said Touch Chiva, a program manager for Legal Aid of Cambodia, which is defending the boys.

Both courts maintain Kheng Seang Hay was 14 at the time of the crime, in September 2006, but his father, Eng Kheng, says he was 11, a claim corroborated by several documents.

"We have a certificate from the school, police and a birth certificate indicating that [Keng Seang Hay] was 11," Touch Chiva said.

The courts also maintain that Chhim Pisey was 15 at the time of the crime; no one has disputed his age.

Kampong Cham provincial court found the two boys guilty in October 2007, for a rape that occurred in September 2006. The two have been in Kampong Cham prison since the verdict and were not present at Thursday's appeal hearing.

Kin Rourn, 50, mother of the victim, told reporters in a brief statement Thursday the two defendants persuaded her daughter to enter a rubber plantation near her home in Or Raing Ov district, where the crime took place.

Kek Galabru, president of the rights group Licadho, said Cambodia has seen a number of cases of teenagers below the age of 14 sexually assaulting young girls.

Pornography, drug use and a culture of impunity all contribute to sexual assaults in the countryside, Kek Galabru said.