The Best of Cambodia & Laos

42
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO CAMBODIA
3
SAFETY
A Dark Side of Cambodia
Sex tourism is a serious issue in Cambodia. Prostitution is endemic in every
town and village, with all the attendant issues of trafficking, bonded labor,
violence, coercion, and child abuse. In Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville, there
are also districts modeled on the Thai sex tourism resort of Pattaya, with hostess
bars and gaggles of rural Khmer women trying to make a buck. AIDS is
prevalent here among sex workers, though the safe sex message has finally
begun to sink in as the sheer prevalence of the virus caused many to see
friends or family members die.
What is even more tragic is the reputation that Cambodia gained for pedophile
tourism and the stark reality it represents. Children were and are bought
and sold to both indigenous and foreign pedophiles. Sihanoukville gained a
real reputation for this. It is alleged that organized pedophile rings paid off the
police for their full cooperation.
These days, however, they often get jailed when caught and foreign governments
are proactive in prosecuting those convicted of child molestation, even
when they return home. The reality is found on billboards in Phnom Penh and
Siem Reap: “Abuse a child in this country. Go to jail in your own.” There are quite
a number of foreign pedophiles serving sentences in Cambodia for the abuse
of children. Cambodian jails are very unpleasant places indeed. The battle,
however, is not yet won.
If you have founded suspicions of child abuse, call the confidential Childsafe
Hotline on & 011/312-112 (www.childsafe-cambodia.org). There is also a
national police unit hot line at & 023/997-919. Childsafe’s advice is, “Whenever
possible, we ask the caller to stay near the child until our team arrives to
take appropriate action to protect the child.” Do not contact the local police
and do not confront the possible offender, however strong your feelings.
that unless you choose to go to more
remote regions, particularly near the border
with Thailand, then you will not be in
mined areas (though Kompong Speu close
to Phnom Penh remains a problem area).
The area around Angkor Wat is cleared. If
you do see the red “Danger. Mines!” sign,
take it very seriously. Do not cross into an
area fenced off by CMAC (Cambodian
Mines Action Center), MAG (Mines
Advisory Group), or the Halo Trust. The
mines will take decades to clear, but the
areas that are afflicted are now fairly well
defined. As a general rule, when in the
countryside stay on the path and don’t
wander into the fields or undergrowth.
Street robbery is still a problem in the
cities of Cambodia, as it is elsewhere. Bag
snatchings have been increasingly frequent.
This is dangerous if you are pulled
off the back of a motorcycle. If you are
confronted by thieves in a potentially violent
situation, do not attempt to resist.
Simply do as they ask. The adage of the
old days in Cambodia, “don’t carry it
unless you are prepared to lose it” still has
some value at night. It is a bad idea to walk
long distances by foot after dark. Don’t
leave valuables hanging from your shoulder
where they can be easily seen or
snatched. If you are in a tuk-tuk, keep
your bag in the center of the vehicle. If you