Spike in street-based prostitution pitting authorities against pimps
months of police raids on brothels have driven prostitutes onto the streets and into conflict with local authorities; but despite the nightly arrests, the situation is not improving.
sex workers wait for customers in phnom penh's wat phnom district.
months of brothel busts have led to a sharp spike in street-based prostitution, pitting gangsters and pimps against local authorities in a battle for control of the capital's streets and parks.
but as local authorities struggle to maintain public order, nightly arrests and well-publicised rights abuses at detention centres are making prostitutes and their pimps fight back with an unprecedented vengeance.
"i have become the target of the pimps. they sometimes want to murder me," said pich socheata, daun penh district's deputy governor who leads street patrols to crack down on public soliciting.
the kingdom's new anti-trafficking legislation came into effect in february, and punishes soliciting sex with one to six days in detention or a 3,000 to 6,000 riel (us$0.75 to $1.50) fine.
but rights groups claim the legislation has been used by police as a licence to [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123][CodeWord123][/url] and rob. two ministry of social affairs detention centres - the phnom penh social affairs centre and kos romdoul centre - have been singled out for the abuses of detainees there.
rights groups add that the detainees have not been charged with a crime.
"i was arrested while i was out walking with some friends," said srey ni, 27, a sex worker who was held at the ministry of social affairs-run rehabilitation center prey speu for four months.
"the conditions were horrible, like i'd imagine it was at tuol sleng. i received no education and was only let outside once during the time i was there, to cut the grass with scissors. i was released when the staff felt i had finished my sentence," srey ni said.
ineffective approach
authorities say the crime problem leaves them overstretched and with no choice but to hold offenders in detention centres.
the conditions were horrible, like i'd imagine it was at tuol sleng.
"robbery and prostitution have increased by two percent in our area compared with last year," said deputy governor pich socheata.
according to daun penh district statistics, a street patrol last year - which in daun penh cover streets 108, 106 and the area around wat phnom - would net between 10 and 15 cases of robbery and prostitution. this year they are arresting about 30 prostitutes per night.
despite the number of arrests, the authorities acknowledge the current approach isn't working as a long-term solution.
"we send those women to different organisations whose programs support women's basic rights. but they just return to their old jobs after two or three months," said pich socheata.
but the spike in crime caused by the rise in street-based prostitution leaves them with little option but to continue with nightly arrests.
"we would like ngos to come with us when we try and arrest these girls so they can see how difficult it is," she added.
too much to handle
even the five ngos mandated to work with social affairs ministry on the rehabilitation of sex workers admit the approach is a problem.
according to nop sarin sreyroth, secretary general of the cambodian women's crisis centre, moving the battle over prostitution onto the streets has failed.
already overstretched local authorities have no choice but to try to remove the sex workers from the area due to the public order implications of their soliciting.
in the process, the sex workers themselves are made far more vulnerable to theft and gang [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord123][CodeWord123][/url].
for the month of october, cwcc received 19 people who were sent from the ministry and all of them returned to the street, said muong mearadey, head of cwcc's phnom penh office.
"we offer counseling and vocational training programs, but most girls do not want to stay in the organisation so we send them back to the streets," she said.
according to naly pilorge, director of licadho, the government needs to radically change the way it deals with homeless people in phnom penh's streets.
"arresting them and locking them up in so-called social affairs centres, where they are at high risk of physical and sexual abuse by the staff, does nothing to address the real issues of why people are living or working on the streets," she told the post on tuesday.
mu sochua, the sam rainsy party's deputy secretary general, also said that the government needed a clear strategy if it were serious about curbing street-based prostitution.
"i think the government has not had any proper solution to the problem because it has existed for 10 to 20 years already," she said.
a total of 537 women were arrested for soliciting in the first nine months of the year, according to statistics from the anti-trafficking ngo afesip.
Pre-festival crackdown nets 40
I will be in PP Next week for the festival ! !
Rights groups condemn the government's latest roundup of homeless
THE Phnom Penh Municipality has launched a pre-Water Festival crackdown on homelessness that has seen at least 40 people detained, including two children in its first day.
"We arrest them only for big national celebrations to keep order and create a good atmosphere during the celebrations, especially the Water Festival," Pich Socheata, Daun Penh district deputy governor, told the Post Tuesday.
"We start to collect the street people one week before the Water Festival. In 2007, we arrested 70 people before the festival started. If we add up the number of people we arrested last year, there were 200 or 300," she said.
The roundup, which began Sunday and ends Friday, focuses on 11 Phnom Penh communes. Those detained are kept at Ministry of Social Affairs rehabilitation centres, Pich Socheata added.
But rights groups and the United Nations have lashed out at the crackdown.
"It is not by rounding up poor people from the street that one struggles effectively against poverty," said Christophe Peschoux, head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
"This is done in the name of beautification, but there is no beauty in collecting poor people from the street and sending them to so-called rehabilitation centres - which are de facto detention centres," he added.
The Water Festival, which runs next Tuesday to Thursday, is expected to attract millions of visitors from Cambodia and abroad.
Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naruth said at a conference last Thursday that NGOs were unfairly criticising the pre-festival dragnet.
"We always hear the accusation from civil society groups when we arrest people in public places. They say we violate their freedoms and we never give them skills, but through this conference, I would like to deny that we ever do what they are accusing us," he said.
"If we really did what they say we are doing, there wouldn't be homelessness in Cambodia ... those street people are not willing to stay in the centres that we offer," he added.
He said the government faces serious resource shortages but was making a genuine effort to help street people find alternative ways of life.
One Phnom Penh resident complained that her son had been falsely detained for a drug offence.
"Last night they arrested my son and daughter, who are under the age of 25, by accusing them of using drugs. But I believe that they do not use drugs at all," said San Heang, 53.
"They said they arrested my children to make order for the city. Please, I would like to get them back," she said.
"I understand that having beggars is really not good for the city. But what can be done?" she asked.
Impressions of Phnom Penh
Arrived from Snooky yesterday. First impressions is, wow, the place has tarted itself up since my last visit, but quickly discovered that this consists of doing up the Siowath Quay river frontage (a work in progress) whilst behind this thin coat of veneer, the old PP lives and breathes. Checked in at the Cozyna (recommended by several on this forum) which has clean, functional rooms for $23 in a great location. The fact that it does not have a lift and I’m on a higher floor is a plus as I need the exercise after several weeks of gorging on delicious local foods have expanded my waistline. Imagine the whining from female visitors to my room, though. I can’t wait:D.
One thing I have noticed is the increase in traffic volume, particularly those pesky 2 stroke monstrosities that are the bane of many SE Asian/Chinese cities. Within a couple of hours of arrival last night, I was nearly decapitated by one. They are invariably driven by morons who seem to look everywhere except the direction in which they are driving. They are also driven on sidewalks or against the traffic so you need 360% vision. A stroll in formerly pleasant walking cities such as Georgetown, HCMC or PP, is now about as much fun as a game of Russian Roulette. Thank god they haven’t taken off in a very big way in the Philippines or I would relocate to Milton Keynes ;).
Pissed it down with rain last night so started off with a glass of red and a steak in the rather nice, swishy new brasserie next to the Cozyna. Then importuned a rather bedraggled looking tuk tuk driver to whip me up Ph 104 where I had beers in a couple of incredibly noisy bars, populated by scores of shrieking girls. It was all too much for my frazzled nerves (I had just had my near death experience) so didn’t investigate the wares too closely and made a quick getaway. Did I miss something? From the quality of the girls I did see, I think not, but maybe I need to investigate further when in a calmer frame of mind.
So found an even more bedraggled tuk tuk driver who smilingly offered to take me anywhere for $2. How about Milton Keynes I quipped, which he seemed to find inordinately funny. He must know Milton Keynes. PP tuk tuckers are so different from their snarling, scheming, scamming brothers in Bangkok – wonder for how long? So he chugged me out to Martini’s in his poor underpowered, spluttering tuk tuk, being overtaken by Khmer grannies, driving zimmer frames, on the way.
Well Martini’s has not changed one whit. Immediately accosted by several desperate looking Viets on my way to the bar. The place was fairly quiet due to the horrible weather no doubt, and so the girls there were worried they wouldn’t make their beer money. Offered all kinds of perverse and deviant pleasures by a couple of old Viet hags, before my eyes alighted on a tiny little Viet spinnerette (my kinda gal) and her taller, willowy friend. Unfortunately the small girl had a voice like a badly tuned foghorn, and I quickly decided that she would reduce me to a quivering, jelly man in short order if I took her. Her attitude stunk as well. The willowy, skinnier bint, however, was promising and became even more so when she introduced me to her 18 year old sister (she was 20). Yeah, yeah I said, but they definitely looked like sisters so maybe are. You Martini regulars might know the girls – forget their names but they are from Chau Doc. Are they really sisters?
Unfortunately, the younger sister was otherwise occupied. Damn. The older sister was trying to interest me in a 3some for $30 all in, her and a choice of 1 from 4 of her mates. Thought why not and chose a not particularly attractive girl but who had a good attitude (she had been giving me a rather pleasant shoulder massage for ages). So off we chugged, with the 3rd caped and bedraggled tuk tucker of the evening, back to the hotel. As expected the girls whined and moaned at the pre-coital exercise expected of them in the ascent of Mount Cozyna!
Wish I could say that the service was good but it wasn’t, really. It was about as professional and non-GFE as you could get and they both worked hard to get me off as quick as they could so that they could get on their bikes. I gritted my teeth and nearly bust a gut playing things out as long as I could. Quite proud that I held out for nearly an hour of their combined oral and genital persuasion before I reluctantly had to give best. They were really whining by the end. Must have had another appointment :D.
The younger one had a really good, tight body with a cute little butt. The other girl, sadly, didn’t and although she swore that she was childless, she looked, unclad, like she had mared a litter. Nice brown skin, however, in counterpoint to her much paler skinned mate.
Not altogether an unpleasant way to spend an hour for a derisory $30. As an amusing after note, 5 minutes after they had whirlwinded their way out, there was a timid knock at the door. They were back but not for seconds. They had lost their way in the, admittedly, confusing hotel and wanted me to act as guide in the descent of Mount Cozyna. Being the gentleman that I am, I acceded, and what is more, didn’t charge for the service:D.
P.S If you are in any way of a nervous or highly strung nature, stay out of PP streets between 5-7 each evening when madness prevails. And definitely stay out of PP next week when the Boat Festival happens, and the place goes really mad. I once had the dubious delight of been in PP at that time and I can tell you the streets get so crowded that you have to go back to your hotel room to breathe and turn around. Its sheer chaos.
Advice for newbie flying in this week
I've been to Thailand many times. I'm scheduled to fly in to PP last Friday night. Any suggestion, leaving the airport, hotel, etc. Or anybody currently there to show me the ropes, have a beer. I can afford more than a budget hotel, pool would be nice to. Also going to Siem Reap, haven't decided which place first.
are either of these hotels Girl friendly
Anyone know, Casa Hotel, Juliana. I'm considering these