Child domestic workers in Cambodia are at high risk of physical and
sexual abuse according to a new report released in Phnom Penh.

The report, "Out of sight, out of mind? Child domestic workers
and trafficking in Cambodia", finds that child domestic workers
often have little social protection or support, and are often
forced to work in desperate conditions.

IOM interviewed 123 child domestic workers in three provinces
and found that these children are often forced to work long hours
without pay and may be kept in debt bondage to their employers.
This, according to the report, places them at higher risk of
physical and sexual abuse.

Female domestic workers are also at high risk of being raped by
male members of the household. Up to 18 per cent of former domestic
workers interviewed had experienced attempted raped, and 10 per
cent had actually been raped, the report found.

The report found that girls are often recruited into households
to do domestic chores, such as cleaning and looking after children.
They often work long hours with little rest and no social support.
Many described strong feelings of homesickness and loneliness.

Child domestic workers also appear to be at higher risk of later
becoming sex workers, the report found. Over 50 per cent of sex
workers interviewed were former child domestic workers. Their lack
of access to education as domestic workers means that they face a
higher risk of migrating to other unskilled professions, such as
sex work.

IOM released the report to both government and civil society
partners, working in counter-trafficking in Cambodia. "We hope that
we can take these findings and really talk about how to tackle the
vulnerability of child domestic workers in Cambodia," said the
report's author, Ellie Brown.

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title="">Read the full report

For further information, please call:

John McGeorghan

IOM Phnom Penh

Tel: +855 23 12 900 139

E-mail: "mailto:jmcgeoghan@iom.int">jmcgeoghan@iom.int