A Change of Guard

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Sunday 14 December 2014

Protecting Cambodia’s Most Valuable Asset

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By William E. Todd, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

To begin this column, I would like to express my most sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of human rights defender Chan Soveth, who passed away on December 10, which was Human Rights Day.  I often talk about how one person has the power to make a difference, and although he died far too soon, Chan Soveth made a significant difference in the lives of many Cambodians.  
As the life of Chan Soveth demonstrates, Cambodia’s most valuable asset is its people.  When people are unable to reach their full potential, the entire country suffers.  Many people who I speak to express their concern about friends or relatives who left Cambodia in search of a better life, only to find themselves in worse situations than before.  My readers often ask me,“What can be done to help Cambodians who move abroad and can’t find their way back home?”
Despite the economic growth that has occurred in recent years, many Cambodians struggle to find jobs, leading to the rise in migration to other countries for work.  With this is the concern that this greater outflow of labor migration – especially among youth – happens largely through illegal and dangerous recruitment channels.  Migrants find these illicit operations to be faster and at a lower cost compared to the private recruitment agencies registered with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training.  However, even some of the registered agencies have poor human rights records and have been accused of sending workers into abusive situations overseas.  Despite these perils, a substantial number of Cambodians choose to look abroad for work due to the lack of jobs that are available to them in their homeland.
Cambodians joined the world this past week to commemorate international days and global campaigns – International Anti-Corruption Day, Human Rights Day, and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – which all help shine a light on the issue of human rights.  December 12 was National Anti-Trafficking Day in Cambodia, helping to increase awareness about one of the worst human rights violations in the world today.  Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery responsible for depriving more than 20 million people around the world of their dignity and basic freedoms.  Here in Cambodia, traffickers often exploit impoverished and disadvantaged families with false promises of a better life that will come with a well-paying job.  Instead, an unknown number of men, women and children are separated from their families and subjected to sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, debt bondage, and forced labor.
Like many people, I followed news reports earlier this week about two young Cambodian women who escaped from horrible marriages in China.  The women said that they were lured to China by marriage brokers but then found themselves in abusive relationships.  Both women had the courage to flee these abusive relationships, but left behind young children.  I congratulate Cambodia’s consular officials and the human rights NGO ADHOC for helping these women to return to Cambodia.  When living or traveling abroad, it is important for Cambodians to be aware of the services that the Cambodian government provides for its citizens overseas.  Under international agreements, the Cambodian Embassy has a right to provide consular assistance to you, and you have the right to utilize their services.The case of these two young women shows why it is more important than ever to have standardized procedures in place to assist vulnerable Cambodians abroad – particularly those who may have been victims of human trafficking.
The story also brought to mind the plight of Cambodian fishermen featured in a recent video by the International Organization for Migration, which you can find online.  “Trafficked at Sea”tells the story of Cambodians who migrated to Thailand seeking employment on fishing vessels, only to become victims of trafficking; subjected to forced labor with little to no wages, physical and emotional abuse, and threats on their lives.  Hoping to earn a basic living and send money to support their families back in Cambodia, these men were literally trapped at sea, with some not being able to return to land for more than 10 years.  Stories like these are heartbreaking, but I believe that it is important to learn from them to better understand the direction that trafficking in persons is taking in the region, which will enable us to more effectively assist the people of Cambodia in combating this terrible scourge.
Eradicating human trafficking is a top U.S. priority in Cambodia.The U.S. Department of State’s 2014 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report outlined many shared concerns on trafficking trends in Cambodia and around the world.  Many factors contribute to how a country becomes a source, transit, and destination for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.I believe that Cambodia can use this report as a call for action, and I encourage local, regional, and national government leaders to view the TIP Report as a challenge to implement concrete and sustainable actions that will reduce the number of trafficking victims in the country.  Reaching this goal will take a concerted effort that involves meaningful partnerships between governments, civil society organizations, and inspired individuals seeking to eradicate human trafficking in Cambodia.
One of the key challenges to combatting this issue is the insufficient number of prosecutions and convictions of those complicit in human trafficking.  More vigorous investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers send a clear message that trafficking is a crime that will not be tolerated in Cambodia. Traffickers often operate covertly, making it difficult to build evidence that can be used in investigations and in court.  Authorities must provide investigators and prosecutors with permission to use effective investigative techniques while of course respecting individual liberties.In addition, it is essential to provide services to trafficking survivors.  There are some signs that the situation in Cambodia is improving in this regard.  For instance, officials from the National Committee on the Suppression of Human Trafficking, Smuggling, Labor and Sexual Exploitation are helping victims of trafficking through vocational training and job placement assistance.  
The U.S. Embassy actively engages with the Cambodian government and civil society to explore ways to combat human trafficking, including through programs that raise awareness, support trafficking victims, and train prosecutors.  The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Program, which collaborated with the Siem Reap Provincial Committee to Combat Human Trafficking to host a National Anti-Trafficking Day event for approximately 700 participants.  These are just a few of the examples that show our strong desire to help Cambodia in its own efforts to end human trafficking.
I believe that one of the most important things that we can all do to help combat human trafficking is to pay attention and to listen when trafficking victims tell their stories.  When we do, we learn about the things that made them vulnerable to trafficking in the first place, including unemployment, low wages, and family pressure.  Governments can only do so much.  In order to effectively combat trafficking, people need to be empowered to resist the promises made by unscrupulous traffickers.
Thank you very much for reading my column this week.  If you would like me to answer your questions, please e-mail me at AskAmbToddPP@state.gov.

William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

- See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/opinion/protecting-cambodia%E2%80%99s-most-valuable-asset-1233#sthash.t3xavaIn.dpuf

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Ambassador Todd,

Thank You so much for your concerns about Cambodia's problems.

You are so kind to Khmer people.

Anonymous said...

Begin of Drgunzet's comment.

God will make the Thais to kill and abuse the Khmer some more until the Khmer learn to be grateful and worship the Vietnamese as their savior and protector.

Did you read the news, a 55-year-old Khmer woman were shot dead at the border with Thailand? She strayed 1 kilometer into Thailand and shot dead by the Thai patrol. She left behind 8 children.

What a horrible race! God must have hated the Khmer race so much, and keep punishing the Khmer.

-Drgunzet-