Cambodia: The Virginity Trade

For those of you that have seen this film and are wondering what has happened to the beautiful girl with the large eyes, that was gang raped by 15 Cambodian men in a rice field and left to die in a ditch is alive and well. She has been my girlfriend for the past 3 years. I came across this film only 1 year ago and had no idea she was ever filmed. What is truly amazing about her she has remained a sweet and gentle human being even though living a horrific existence for 8 long years. Background - She was abducted from her Province when she was 16 years old by Vietnamese human traffickers that had befriended her while she was selling fruits and vegetables in her village. She ended up enslaved at the Bodene in Phnom Penh and was forced to give up her virginity and work as a sex worker in a brothel situation, on the streets and parks of Phnom Penh. Her every move was being controlled by those that abducted her. If she did not bring back enough money she was beaten, tortured and raped. This went on for nearly 6 years before a friend of hers was able to buy her enslavers off. For the next 2 years she worked in the bars of Phnom Penh where she first encountered foreign men. Although, still a sex worker, she was finally on her own. She lived with other friends that were also sex workers but still had unwanted encounters with corrupt police and Khmer men. I first met her at Walkabout Hotel & Pub and the rest is history. Today she lives with me in Phnom Penh and when needed takes care of her family responsibilities in her home Province. In my eyes she is a miracle from God.

I was lucky enough to see this film in Cambodia during a visit there. There was a huge crowd of both Westerners and Cambodians to see this and a second documentary "The Girls of Phnom Penh". This documentary showed that not all of the clients that come to the brothels are Westerners, but are mostly Cambodians. The parallels of what they believe and what African societies believe about sleeping with a virgin are eerie. Cambodia has a huge problem with human trafficking and sex slavery, and films like this need to be watched so that more people are informed of what is the problem and the reasons behind it. The girls who are interviewed give powerful and moving testimonies, and this is a film that is not to be missed.