|
My name is Mliss*, I am 18 years old. My father died at 60 and my mother died at 53. They had 5 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters. I am the 4th child in the family and I studied to grade 4 at school.
After my parents died, my brothers, sisters and I went to live with my Aunt but her family is very poor. When I was 10 years old, my Aunt sent me to work as a servant for a family The house owner ordered me to cook, clean, wash clothes etc. and cursed me. Sometimes I did not have enough food to eat. I got 10 0000 riels per month ($23). I worked for this family until I was 14. My Aunt then took me to a garment factory for 4 months – she would come to collect the money to take care my family. At the garment factory, I had a friend who asked me one day if I wanted to go to work in garment factory in Phnom Penh, she said she knew a factory we could get a lot more money at. I decided to go with her but I felt unsure.
We arrived at a place she said was her Aunt’s house. I was told to wait for the Aunt to come and get us work whilst my friend was sent to get us something to eat. I waited until evening but I didn’t see her come back. When the lady went to close the door of the house I asked why my friend hadn’t come back and why she was closing the door. She replied that my friend had sold me and that I must stay in a room and for wait for a job to do. Shortly after a large man came and forced me and locked me into the room. I could not run away, I had to follow their orders. I cried but they paid no attention. Several hours later, I heard people talking and my door was opened. The woman announced there was a man wanting to see me and I wasn’t to be hopeless. I felt very afraid like an animal that sees the tiger. This man forced me on the bed and removed my clothes and raped me. I was afraid of him and I hurt from my body. The man thanked me as he left.
The lady came and ordered me not to cry, I needed to do more. She told me to take a bath. I felt hopeless - I didn’t want to live any more. The brothel owner sold me to Chinese man for a week, he always forced me to copy sex from the videos. Back at the brothel I was forced to have sex with 10 guests a day, if I refused the brothel owners orders, she refused me food or she did something to me physically which would eventually kill me.
In 2007 this brothel owner sold me to someone else. They locked me in a room for 4 days and then forced me to have sex with 12 to 15 men a day. If I had menstruation, they didn’t allow me to rest. So, I worked in there until I was sick but they forced me to use drugs to keep going.
When I was 16, a man helped me to escape from this brothel. I lived with this man until I was 5 months pregnant, at which point we divorced because he was always very violent to me. So, I decided to go and live with my Aunt until my baby was born. A month after the birth I went to work in a karaoke bar for 5 months where I met the peer educator from AFESIP. She brought me to clinic where I learnt about AFESIP’s centres and I was to allowed to stay to study skills.
I now studying sewing, English and computer at AFESIP. In my future I would like to become a good tailor and to design clothes and sell them through the internet.
The Government of Cambodia and NGOs should work together to help stop sex trafficking and prostitution and that the buyers of commercial sex increase sex trafficking and prostitution. Buyers, traffickers/pimps should arrested by the police and receive punishment from the law.
I would tell all women to be very careful in who they believe. If you decide to do something, you must investigate it on your own to be clear. I trusted and was sold by my friend. |
