The Governor of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, has promised to take action against the owners of any hotels and casinos in the province found to be using forced labor amid concerns over human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
In a statement issued earlier this week, Governor Kuoch Chamroeun outlined a series of laws the province was focused on, noting such actions are punishable crimes that have “serious aggravating circumstances because they are detrimental to humanity.”
Those laws include prohibitions on forced or compulsory work, the hiring of people to work to reduce debts, the reduction of wages to ensure employment via agreements with employment agencies and detaining people against their will. They also include a law promising punishment for the removal of persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation, producing pornographic images, marriage against the victim’s will or illegal adoption of a child.
