Twelve Victims of Trafficking Rescued From Brutal Cambodian Brothel
SIEM REAP, Cambodia – For months, rumors had swirled that young girls were being sold for sex in a karaoke bar tucked in the bend of a dirt road in Siem Reap. IJM investigators had been building up a case, but needed critical evidence to prove that minors were being made available to customers.
This September, the team got the lead they needed when an unexpected source came forth with incriminating information. An informant revealed that young girls were held at the bar, but brought out only for special customers. IJM investigators devised a plan to confirm the information and contacted the local branch of the Cambodian Anti-Human Trafficking Police (AHTP). The investigators made several visits to the bar between October 2 and 4, posing as customers to gain access to the youngest girls and secure evidence of their age and circumstances. Using this information, the AHTP prepared reports for the local prosecutor who then issued warrants for the perpetrators’ arrest.
The Siem Reap AHTP executed an operation on October 5, 2009, to remove 13 suspected trafficking victims from the brothel, undeterred by the fact that most of the city was underwater from a recent monsoon. The brothel owner was arrested, a trafficker was also located and arrested, and a warrant issued for a second female manager who was not present.
During victim interviews at the police station, it became apparent that the oldest of the 13 girls and young women removed was actually a suspect. The police were informed that the oldest worked under the direction of the brothel owner to prevent the other girls from leaving the facility. As soon as she was removed to another cell, a sense of relief swept through the 12 remaining victims as their stories streamed forth to IJM aftercare staff.
Many of the victims were trafficked from border regions; they were all in considerable debt to the brothel owner – false or inflated debts are a common tool to trap trafficking victims. The owners were abusive and beat the girls if they left the compound with a client without permission. The girls said they lived in “hell.” Locked up in a windowless, dirty small prison “fit for rats,” they were fed only one simple meal every day.
But this rescue brought them out of that dark place. In between interviews, the girls clung to aftercare staff and they ate and ate, overwhelmed by the menu of options now afforded to them. Of the 12 rescued victims, 8 are minors. The four trafficked women above the age of 18 also made the decision to enter aftercare. Throughout the long ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, they pressed their faces against the windows, pointing to the passing scenery, in awe of the beautiful landscape: a vivid image of newfound freedom.
All of the girls are now in IJM partner aftercare homes and doing well. IJM’s legal team continues to partner with local authorities to pursue the prosecution of their perpetrators.
