Once upon a time, long before Angelina Jolie got a mastectomy, she adopted a Cambodian child. As a result, privileged Westerners of all nationalities flocked to the country’s orphanages in the hope of simultaneously nurturing a child and their own sense of self-worth. In 2012 alone, Cambodia was visited by 3.5 million tourists, so I…
Arbitrary restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly continued. A law came into force severely threatening the right to freedom of association. Impunity continued for human rights violations in the policing of demonstrations in 2013 and 2014, including deaths resulting from the unnecessary and excessive use of force. Political activists and…
Recent developments in Cambodia merit attention as the country’s political leaders appear to be returning to their respective corners in what would be a lengthy lead-up to the national elections in July 2018. If this is what is happening, collateral damage will include the country’s political stability. In July 2013 Cambodia plunged into a period…
Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Cambodian adults and children migrate to other countries within the region and increasingly to the Middle East for work; many are subjected to forced labor on fishing vessels, in agriculture, in construction, in factories, and…