Phnom Penh - Cambodia's top anti-trafficking official
Wednesday pledged an immediate investigation after sex workers
tearfully alleged a new zero tolerance policy on brothels had led to
rapes, robberies and abuses of human rights by police.
More than 100 sex workers and representatives gathered to urge the
government to ease new legislation that makes brothels illegal and
has resulted in scores of sex workers being rounded up by police.
'Among the sex workers who were detained ... some were living with
HIV/AIDS and needed treatment every day, but were unable to obtain
it,' Chan Dina from the Cambodia Prostitute Union said.
'Some were beaten and gang raped by guards, and most of the time
they did not wear condoms,' Dina said. 'How can we reduce the AIDS
epidemic if the guards keep raping women?'
Cambodia has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the region,
and rights groups said the new legislation was forcing sex workers
away from education and health services and onto the streets.
Interior Ministry Anti-Trafficking Chief Bith Kimhong said the
allegations were new to him and he doubted their veracity, but
pledged a full and immediate investigation.
He said the government was only detaining brothel owners and
managers for significant periods, and police were only 're-educating'
prostitutes and some male patrons.
Cambodia, once known as a haven for pedophiles and a hotspot in
the region's flesh trade, implemented new legislation earlier this
year which sex workers say equates consensual sex work with human
trafficking and is too broad.
Kimhong said he remained determined to close down brothels.
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