Cambodia Not Punishing Offenders in Migrant Cases

Cambodia has made significant gains in resolving complaints made by its migrant workers, but did not punish offenders in any of the nearly 500 cases studied, according to a new report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on Wednesday.

“Access to Justice for Migrant Workers” looked at 1,014 cases involving 7,643 workers from countries where the ILO’s Migrant Worker Resource Centers operate—Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam—between 2011 to 2015.

Fifty-six percent of the complainants—4,279 people—were in Thailand, but Cambodia handled the most cases, at 490.

The report did not specify the nationalities of the complainants in Thailand, but estimates put more than 1 million Cambodian workers in Thailand.

“The most frequently received complaints in Cambodia related to delays in recruitment agencies sending workers abroad after signing agreements to do so (61 per cent),” it says, adding that compensation claims, missing persons cases and issues relating to wage payment were also common.

Cambodia did not punish any offenders in the cases, the report says, while Malaysia and Vietnam had given prison sentences and administrative penalties.

Labor Ministry spokesman Heng Sour did not respond to requests for comment.

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