Cambodia's Daughters - Documentary 2017

'Cambodia's Daughters' is a short documentary exploring the complex and virtually inescapable word of sex slavery in Cambodia.

In October 2015 Nomad Films travelled to Phnom Penh to document the half hidden world of trafficking girls and boys for sex. In a country still traumatised by the brutal regime of Pol Pot and suffering incredible poverty the sale of children and young adults for sex is an oft pursued option

From a side street in Phnom Penh Australian based organisation Connecting Hands is working to eradicate this abuse. The work being done by Australian based not-for-profit organisation Connecting Hands is holistic, heartfelt and effective.

Completed in 2016 the film travels into the back streets and brothels of Phnom Penh to offer a glimpse into the forces at play in a country whose brutal history under the Pol Pot regime has shaped the sex industry into one of the most violent in existence today. Underpinned by the voices of sex workers and those who are dedicated to helping them.

'Cambodia's Daughters' is both a cry for change and a message of hope from those who have been given a chance to escape the industry.


Trafficking in Cambodia

There are many reasons why human trafficking exists in Cambodia. Human trafficking in Cambodia has increased because of many factors including poverty, social and economic imbalances between rural and urban areas, increased tourism, lack of employment, education, and poverty being the most significant cause of trafficking.

The aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970’s is still felt both psychologically and economically throughout Cambodia and plays a direct role in labor and sexual exploitation / trafficking.

The upheaval caused by the Khmer Rouge conflict and lack of opportunities in rural areas has sparked a need for people to return to the cities and urban areas for work, areas that were once emptied by the Khmer rouge regime.

With well over half the population below the age of 20, Cambodia faces a growing problem of providing decent work for its young population, further increasing the drive toward cross-border migration for employment which heightens the vulnerability to human trafficking.


The Virginity Trade

Virgins in Cambodia, who have been sold to brothels by trafficking agents, are confined to the brothel or a hotel room until the first client comes. This client is charged a much higher amount, due to the belief that having sex with a virgin has rejuvenating properties, such as acquiring pure white skin and attractive youthful appearance. Many Cambodians believe that having sex with a virgin can also cure aids, HIV and other diseases.

Advertised as “special commodities,” virgins, some children as young as 3 years old are attractive to clients because they are less likely to have AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.

The customers can pay as little as a few hundred dollars to have sex with the young woman or child for one week in a local hotel chosen by the brothel owner.

The enslaved girls must remain at the brothel until the debt to their purchaser is paid off, or else they face beatings. It is difficult, if not impossible to pay off this debt, since the owners consider the girls indebted to them for their ever-increasing expenses for food, clothing, medical costs and abortions. As a result, a brothel owner will often hold a girl prisoner until she becomes too old or too ill to attract customers.

Visit "Connecting Hands" for more information and donation: http://connectinghands.com.au/