The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 617
“Phnom Penh: The 2009 report of the US Department of State shows that this year Cambodia stays in the Second Tier [of three] in the assessment on human trafficking. Though, in general the Cambodian government has improved in responding to trafficking, last year the efforts to fight human trafficking declined, especially in the prosecution of human trafficking crimes.
“The report of US Department of State gives some details that Cambodia is a transit country and is targeted for the trafficking of men, women, and children who are victimized by trafficking for sexual exploitation and for forced labor. Children and women are trafficked to Thailand and Malaysia to exploit their labor and for forced prostitution. Some Cambodian men who migrate to Thailand by themselves and to Malaysia to seek jobs are forced to do hard work as fishermen on fishing boats, as construction workers, and as agro-industrial workers. Cambodian women and men sent back to Cambodia recount that they were forced to work hard there, after they had left Cambodia to work there through Cambodian worker recruiting companies. Cambodian children were trafficked to Thailand and Vietnam to do begging and to sell candy or flowers, or to shine shoes. Sometimes, parents sell their children to work as servants or to beg, or they sold them to brothels for sexual exploitation, or to force them to work as house servants. In Cambodia children are trafficked to become beggars. They become scavengers or work at salt fields, at brick and tiles kilns, and at quarries.
The Cambodian government has not fully met the minimum standards of trafficking elimination. Although the government is making remarkable efforts to fight trafficking, the government has not really proven that there are improvements in the prosecution and punishment of human trafficking perpetrators as well as officials who had colluded with those perpetrators, and it has not shown how it is protecting human trafficking victims. Therefore, Cambodia is ranked second in the observation list. To improve this rank, Cambodia should do more to bring human traffickers and colluding officials to be prosecuted and punished.
“Based on the adoption of a law to protect victims of human trafficking in 2000, which was later amended, the US parliament requires the US Department of Sate to send annual reports to the US parliament. These reports on 164 countries are the most comprehensive reports worldwide about the efforts of various governments to fight human trafficking. The reports aim at encouraging activities and stepping up partnership arrangements worldwide to fight this new form of slavery. Countries defined as having many human trafficking victims will be included in any of the three following ranks. Countries evaluated as meeting “the minimum standard to eliminate serous human trafficking” as stated in the law will be put in the first tier. Countries assessed of not meeting the minimum standard but making significant efforts will be included in the second tier. Countries assessed as not meeting the standard and not making any significant efforts will be placed in the third tier.
“This report continues that the law even requires the US Department of State to deliver a special watch list for countries that have been assessed again temporarily for the report by 1 February every year. In addition to the assessments of various countries with improving ranks from third to second to fist, this special watch list even creates a fourth rank. This ranks includes countries in the third tier defined as (1) not making any efforts a year ago and (2) being able to avoid the third rank because of commitments to conduct reforms against human trafficking in the future or (3) having fairly many victims of human trafficking or having fairly increasing rates of human trafficking victims.
“The US Embassy waits to cooperate more with the Royal Government of Cambodia next years in order to achieve success to bring Cambodia to the first tier at last. It should be noted that in 2008, Cambodia was in the second tier also.” Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6679-6680, 18-19.6.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 19 June 2009
Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #214, 19.6.2009
- There Is No Case of A/H1N1 in Cambodia while in Thailand There Have Been 518 Cases
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1973-1974, 18-19.6.2009
- [Prime Minister] Hun Sen: [Thai Prime Minister] Abhisit’s Ambition Will Fail [Mr. Abhisit wants to revise the inclusion of the Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage site so that this temple can be jointly listed by both Cambodia and Thailand]
- The Final Hearing of [former Tuol Sleng Prison chief] Kaing Kek Eav, alias Duch, Is Delayed Three Months More [until October]
- The Prime Minister Announces that the Anti-Corruption Law Will Be Adopted Soon
- The Cambodian Mine Action Center Will Train Deminers from Colombia [for three years]
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #428, 19.6.2009
- A Civil Society Organizatio [the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association]: If the Government Just Had the Real Intention, even without an Anti-Corruption Law, Corruption Could Be Eliminated
Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6680, 19.6.2009
- Cambodia Is Ranked in the Second Tier for Human Trafficking in the 2009 US Report
- Police Arrested [23] Nigerian People and Confiscated 684 kg of Heroin [Phnom Penh]
- Duch: Women Prisoners Were Raped during Interrogations; I Once Created Female Interrogator Groups [to avoid rapes by male interrogators]
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3787, 18.6.2009
- Duch Claims [former president of the National Assembly] Nuon Chea and [Khmer Rouge top leader] Pol Pot Ordered the Cremation of Western Prisoners
- The Prime Minister Tells Funcinpec to Stop Asking for Public Affairs Positions for Their Officials
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4924, 19.6.2009
- Samdech Hun Sen Asks the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Study the Reason for an Effort [of the UN Office of Human Rights] to Take Duch Abroad [10 years ago]
- A Man, a Reporter of Meul Phlov, and His Niece Were Shot Dead [in Preah Vihear, and three or four prsons escaped with the victim’s car and disappeared in Odor Meanchey, leaving that car on the road]
- Cambodian Gems and Jewelry Are Exhibited [for the first time at the Intercontinental Hotel from 18 to 21 June 2009]
- Fishermen at the Tonle Sap Lake Can Earn US$215 Million from Fish [according to the Fishery Administration]
Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.16, #1732, 18.6.2009
- [Prime Minister] Hun Sen Warns He Might Use a Counter-Demonstration to Stand against [the president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association] Rong Chhun’s Demonstration
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