The recently passed Cambodian law includes fifty-two provisions dealing with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The law was passed to help combat the widespread problem of trafficking, especially of children. Government authorities hope the law will be applied rigorously; punishments include up to twenty years in prison and heavy fines. The new law is also hailed as a step forward in the overall reform of Cambodia’s legal system.Women and minors are often taken from Cambodia to other countries, where they are forced into marriages or sexually exploited. The country also has one of the worst problems with child trafficking and prostitution. Minors constitute 35% of trafficking victims from Cambodia, and of those, 43% are HIV positive. Poverty and corruption are seen as major reasons and barriers for the extent of the issue.
Compiled from: “Following passing of a new law, Cambodia takes steps forward in ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation,” Agenzia Fides, 18 February 2008.