A report by the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) suggests that the global financial crisis has led to an increase of women entering the sex trafficking industry in Cambodia. The research was conducted in April and May of 2009, and focused on 357 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49. Many women entered the sex trafficking industry because the working conditions and pay in their previous jobs had been declining, which was especially common in the garment sector. In the report, women said they entered the sex trafficking industry mostly because of “difficult family circumstances,” and because they thought they could “easily earn a lot of money, in good working conditions."
In order to combat this new trend, the report recommends strengthening social safety nets, linking women seeking jobs with alternative job placement assistance, targeted awareness raising and specific information outreach on accessing social services and how to utilize safer sources of loans and credit.
Compiled from: More women in Cambodia turning to sex trade amid financial crisis – UN report, United Nations,UN News Centre (21 July 2009)