Police said Monday they are investigating a labor export company following complaints that female workers were detained against their will while awaiting jobs overseas.
Phoung Sovannarith, chief of the Minor Crimes Office at Phnom Penh Municipal Police, said 54 women were discovered on Sunday at the company’s offices in Chamkar Mon district after women complained.
Chey Channa, 21, and Chey Lila, 19, told police they were forced to remain indoors, cut their hair short and had to pay $100 to visit their homes in Kompong Speu province, Phoung Sovannarith said.
“We found 54 women and they told us the company is very strict and does not allow them to go out and they are locked in at night,” Phoung Sovannarith said.
“They violated the people’s rights,” he said.
An investigation is ongoing, he added.
Sim Sokly, recruiting manager of Cambodian Labor Supply—the company at the center of the allegations—said Monday the women were being closely watched “for their own security” during their pre-job training, which can last several months.
“If we let them go out or have boyfriends and they leave with them, we, the company, are responsible,” Sim Sokly said.
The $100 demanded from women to visit home is paid back once they return to the company, Sim Sokly said.
Some $200 is spent on blood tests and making passports for each woman, so the company needs to protect its investment, he said.
Sim Sokly said he was not worried by the complaints, as his company has helped thousands of Cambodians find jobs in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Brunei.
