A Cambodian teenager whose virginity was sold to a man when she was a child has opened up about the horrors of the sex trade in her home country.
Dara Keo, now 17, told Marie Claire that she was just 12 when her mother Rotana sold her to a 'rich, powerful man' because she was desperate to pay off her late husband's gambling debt.
'His creditors threatened violence when I couldn't pay,' explains 62-year-old Rotana, who was earning just $1 a day at the time. 'Fear and worry about the debts made me ill. Finally, I gave in.'
Robbed of a childhood: Dara Keo (pictured), now 17, a Cambodian teenager whose virginity was sold when she was just 12, has opened up about the horrors of the sex trade in her home country
What ensued was unspeakable but by no means uncommon in Cambodia, where ancient belief derived from Taoist culture dictates that sex with virgins can prolong lifespan.
Keo was first taken to a corrupt doctor who examined her to make sure her hymen was still intact - a veritable worry for the man who purchased her, since many sex traffickers surgically heal girls' hymens to resell them multiple times.
'Then I was taken to the man who bought me,' recalls Keo. 'I had to stay with him for one week while he raped me many times without a condom.'
The man who purchased Keo was a prominent Cambodian politician, although she and her mother refuse to make his name public.
He kept her in a hotel room for a week and would visit her twice or even three times a day for sex. 'He was very forceful,' she says, recalling the pain as 'excruciating.'
After the week was up, Keo was left with tearing and bruises and she found it 'agonizing' to walk or urinate for two weeks.
Easy targets: Hostesses wait at a beer garden in August 2013, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. These girls are often targeted by rich and powerful men looking to pay for their virginity
While her case may seem dire, Keo is just one of thousands of Cambodian girls whose virginity is sold each year - mostly to prominent politicians and policeman, the only men rich enough to afford it.
Indeed, destitute families typically receive around $1,500 to sell a daughter's virginity, which is equivalent to four years' salary. Rotana was so desperate, however, she accepted just $500.
'Fear about my husband's debts made me ill. Finally, I gave in and sold my daughter's virginity'
Vannith Uy, 41, worked for years as a cook at a beer garden, where young hostesses in revealing clothes attract men looking for virgins to sleep with.
Desperate for money, she sold her own daughter Chamnan Sok's virginity when the girl was just 18, and she witnessed at least 50 young females working at the beer garden succumb to the same fate.
Despite the trauma these girls undoubtedly underwent, they don't show any outward resentment towards her mothers. Indeed, Keo says only that she feels 'sad' about what happened to her.
Video Source YouTube
Firsthand experience: Vannity Uy holds a photo of herself (right) and her daughter Chamnan Sok, whose virginity she sold when the girl was 18. As a cook in a beer garden, she witnessed many of these transactions
Her loyalty to Rotana is likely because of the attitude in Cambodia that 'children exist for their parents' benefit, not the other way around,' says Nget Thy, executive director of the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children's Rights.
'Children have a strong duty to pay back their parents for raising them,' he adds. 'The concept of child rights is very weak.'
But there are some organizations endeavoring to put an end to the vicious circle - like Riverkids, an NGO that teaches young girls skills like hairdressing and computers and encourages them to get jobs.
Rattana Chey, now 21, has Riverkids to thank for helping her escape trafficking after she discovered her mother wanted to sell her virginity when she was 15.
Seeking justice: Riverkids is an NGO endeavoring to put an end to the virgin trade by teaching young girls skills like hairdressing and computers (pictured: hostesses onstage at a beer garden)
'Riverkids offered my family rice in exchange for not selling me,' she explained, adding that the organization also taught her how to sew and helped her mother set up her own food cart.
But in an impoverished country ruled by corrupted officials, many of whom are the ones perpetuating the virgin trade, it's nearly impossible to eradicate it completely.
'There is an endless number of destitute families for the trade to prey on, and the law is very weak'
'There is an endless number of destitute families for the trade to prey on,' explained Dr Chhiv Kek Pung, the president of human rights organization Licadho. 'And the rule of law is very weak.'
Still, now that she's the breadwinner in the family and has helped her two younger sisters avoid a tragic fate, Rattana has resolved to alter attitudes in Cambodia, one step at a time.
'Thanks to my earning ability, I am the most powerful person in our family now,' she states. 'I am determined to break the pattern.'
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2 comments:
ឱ ប្អូនស្រី និងប្អូនប្រុស ដែលទទួលរងនូវអំពើដ៏ឃោរឃៅ
អយុត្តិធម៌ ពីជនពាល ទុច្ចរិត អសីលធម៌ រំលោភ បំពាន
លើរូបកាយប្អូន បងសូមឈោងដៃ អង្អែលនិងជូតទឹកភ្នែក
ចេញពីរង្វង់ភ័ក្ត្រប្អូន ដោយក្ដីអាណិតស្រលាញ់ដ៏ស្មោះ។
សូមសេចក្ដីស្រលាញ់និងសេចក្ដីសង្គ្រោះពីព្រះដ៏សុចរិត
យុត្តិធម៌ បានសម្រេចជាស្ថាពរលើផែនដីទាំងមូល។
ក្រពុំ ឈូក ស
Please don't be afraid name the wicked naughty old poli-sick man who raped you,you're already exposed your mother and yourself,why not the wicked one who tortured you? Thanks for sharing your horror story.May god bless you and keep you, you're not to be blamed for this...! Ah Kwaq regime was responsibled to enforces the laws to protect children like you,but he didn't...Ah Kwaq and his thugs were the wicked one that caused you pain and suffering,you need to expose that POLI-SICK MAN to the world.
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