Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Faith-based anti-trafficking day set

Faith-based anti-trafficking day set

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Representatives of major religions in Cambodia attend the 6th National Inter-Faith Forum Against Human Trafficking on September 29, themed ‘Do Not Use Cambodia as a Destination of Trafficking in Persons’. SPM

Faith-based anti-trafficking day set

Cambodia has established August 20 as National Inter-Faith Day Against Human Trafficking, to be observed from 2023 onwards.

Prime Minister Hun Sen made the announcement regarding the date and also told all government authorities and other stakeholders to join hands in preventing Cambodia from becoming a haven for organised crime groups engaged in human trafficking.

Speaking at the 6th National Inter-Faith Forum Against Human Trafficking on September 29, which was organised under the theme of “Do Not Use Cambodia as a Destination of Trafficking in Persons”, Hun Sen said that although the problem of human trafficking has increased in Cambodia in recent years the Kingdom is still far from the worst country in the world for that and other forms of transnational crime.

“If we don’t clarify this, people will see Cambodia as the worst country in the world [in terms of human trafficking]. I’m not claiming that Cambodia is the best country either, I just don’t want people to see Cambodia as being the worst,” he said.

Hun Sen said that Cambodia has lately gone from being a country where its people have been trafficked while trying to work or marry abroad to being a place where foreigners are illegally brought and cheated with false promises of high wages by organised crime groups.

He noted that even in the US the problem of illegal migration or immigration is a big issue – one that prompted former US President Donald Trump to try to build a wall along America’s border with Mexico and that crimes linked to human trafficking frequently include illegal gambling and drug trafficking.

“We must cooperate with all actors and especially we need participation from the public who can report to the authorities the crimes they have witnessed. This will prevent misfortune, because this can happen to their children and relatives if Cambodia is turned into a haven for these criminals,” he said.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen presides over the 6th National Inter-Faith Forum Against Human Trafficking on September 29. SPM

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng – who also serves as chairman of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT) – lauded the participations of religious groups in the fight against human trafficking through educational efforts.

Sar Kheng said that Cambodian people have also migrated abroad and took great risks while looking for work. They have faced forced labour, hardships and going unpaid or with lower pay than what was promised while being trafficked and exploited for their labour.

“Sadly, some of them have just disappeared and have never returned to their families. Some of them return with disabilities, both physically and mentally, or they become undocumented and illegal immigrants – who are the most vulnerable to falling into the hands of criminals – and some have even lost their lives,” Sar Kheng said.

Sar Kheng said that with the improvement of the Covid-19 situation, Cambodia has now begun to suffer from new forms of crime: Internet scamming, labour and wage exploitation and forced labour with confinement and extortion, all of which negatively affects the reputation of Cambodia on the international stage.

The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons [TIP] Report released on July 19 downgraded Cambodia from the Tier 2 Watch List in 2021 to Tier 3 this year. However, Cambodian authorities at the time argued against the move, saying it did not take into consideration the efforts Cambodia has made against these types of crimes.

Later, after meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, Vitit Muntarbhorn, and investigating reports of human trafficking further, Sar Kheng noted that he was surprised and dismayed to find that 95 per cent of the reports were true, which prompted the government to launch a broad campaign to crack down on human trafficking as well as illegal gambling.

According to Sar Kheng, from August 18 to September 29 there were 368 trafficking complaints filed with the interior ministry through the ministry’s designated Facebook page and hotline, with 249 of those complaints originating from or about Preah Sihanouk province.

He said authorities have investigated and hunted for suspects and so far rescued 361 victims and a total of 41 suspects from three nationalities have been arrested and sent to court.

“There have been hundreds of other victims who have not been involved in human trafficking per se, but were working in dangerous conditions and wanted to leave so our police officers rescued them and brought them to safety in cooperation with some foreign embassies, and they are being safely repatriated,” he said.

The interior minister said that the NCCT had recently conducted a survey in Phnom Penh and 12 other provinces asking 1,153 respondents, including 341 women, about the causes of human trafficking.

The survey results showed that people felt the number one cause that led people to take risks that made them vulnerable to trafficking was personal debt, followed by negligence from family and society and a lack of education. Lack of awareness, gambling, drug and alcohol use were also cited as causes.

Am Sam Ath, deputy director for rights group Licadho, said that to prevent Cambodia from becoming a haven for criminals, the government must be committed to combating these crimes and all law enforcement officials must resist the lure of corruption.

“If the government is committed and has a real willingness to do this then I think we can wipe out and prevent any large scale human trafficking or drug trafficking crimes from taking place, but enforcement officials must be courageous enough to implement the law no matter how high ranking the people involved might be. The most important thing is staying away from bribery,” he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Tina rebuffs ‘false claims’ over falling paddy price

    Agriculture minister Dith Tina has shed light on the trade of paddy rice in Battambang – Cambodia’s leading rice-producing province – in a bid to curb what he dubs a “social media fact distortion campaign” to destabilise the market. While acknowledging that the prices of paddy

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm