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Street-Based Child Sexual Exploitation in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville: A Profile of Victims

Katherine Keane, APLE, (sponsored by the British Embassy, Phnom Penh, October 2006.

Activities involving the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in Cambodia usually occur within one of two categories: establishment-based sexual exploitation or street-based/opportunistic sexual exploitation. Establishment-based exploitation is facilitated through established sex-houses, and is the means favoured by Cambodian and other Asian nationals for access to children. Street-based or opportunistic exploitation is usually facilitated personally by the sex offender (or an intermediary), who approaches children directly on the streets, beaches, markets and other public areas in order to commence a relationship with them that will lead to sexual abuse. This type of exploitation is perpetrated largely by foreign tourists and residents and the majority of these sex offenders are Westerners.

Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) that operates to provide protection to and legal recourse for Cambodian children who have been, or are at risk of being, victims of street-based sexual exploitation. In September 2005, APLE completed a report on street-based child sexual exploitation in Phnom Penh. That report focused primarily on the behaviours and methods of offenders and sought answers to the questions of 'who, what, when, where and how?'

APLE has commissioned this current report with the objective of adding to the knowledge of street-based child sexual exploitation obtained from the 2005 report by placing focus on the victims of this type of abuse in both Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville and addressing the issues of 'who' and 'why' from the perspective of those victims. In doing so, APLE recognises that for the Cambodian government, NGOs and other organisations to effectively combat the problem of CSEC, it is necessary that an understanding exists of both the supply and demand elements of the street-based exploitation phenomenon. Although not always operating efficiently, legislation, law enforcement and judicial systems are in place in Cambodia to combat child sex offenders who represent the 'demand' factor. Substantial amounts of information are available which provide explanations of the psychology of child sex offenders and the methods and means they employ. However, little data exists about the motivations and rationales of behaviours from victims on the supply side. The limited data which is available tends to focus on establishment-based exploitation, dealing with children in brothels or children trafficked for the purpose of sexual labour. This report seeks answers to the following issues in an attempt to fill the knowledge void:

• Who are the child victims of street-based sexual exploitation?
• What factors influenced their exposure to sexual abuse?

By understanding the backgrounds, behaviours and circumstances of victims of streetbased child sexual exploitation, social services and rehabilitation techniques can be tailored to provide the necessary support and assistance required for either their reintegration into the community or alternative support. Preventative measures can be put in place to protect those children who are vulnerable to the risk of street-based sexual exploitation. This understanding can also assist in combating the demand side of child sexual exploitation by providing additional empirical information regarding the targets and techniques of child sex offenders, helping to improve the monitoring and investigation of those offenders.

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Street-Based Child Sexual Exploitation in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville: A Profile of Victims