An Economic Problem on Our Hands
On my last blog, I looked at some events in Cambodia’s history that led to its poor economy. After reading an article on a human trafficking website, I can see how there are few incentives for Cambodians to report sex trafficking, or sex tourism, which was the main focus of the article. Sex tourism is related to sex trafficking because it causes demand for trafficked women to rise in areas and perpetuates the trafficking system.
The article shows how economics and the Cambodian sex trade are directly linked:
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There are few incentives for turning perpetrators in because Cambodia’s economy relies on tourism for revenue. Individual Cambodian’s, such as hotel operators, are less likely to report tourists for sex crimes because it would be bad for business. If Cambodians deter these tourists they are diminishing their own incomes and ways of life.
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Also, according to the article, police only earn $35 per month and are not reimbursed even for their gasoline, so they are unable to investigate reported cases of sex tourism.
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The article also describes a common situation in which children actually sell themselves for sexual service to tourists to make money.
The more I investigate sex trafficking in Cambodia, the more I am discovering that it is an economic problem just as much as it is a social and criminal problem.
Want to read the article? Here it is: http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/138
Photo from: http://www.lotusoutreach.org/images/photo_projects_cambodia6.jpg
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