July 1, 2024
PHNOM PENH – A senior Cambodian government official has issued a strong response to the contents of a US Department of State report on the Kingdom’s efforts to combat human trafficking.
According to the state department, the “2024 Trafficking in Persons Report”, released on June 24, “provides the world’s most comprehensive assessment of this abhorrent practice, as well as efforts by governments and stakeholders around the globe to combat it”.
This year’s report saw Cambodia retain its Tier 3 rating – the lowest possible ranking. The document contained allegations of “corruption and official complicity – including by high-level senior government officials – in trafficking crimes”.
It also suggested that some officials deliberately impeded anti-trafficking efforts or downplayed the prevalence and severity of such crimes within the Kingdom, particularly regarding online scam operations.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Touch Sokheak described the US report as “serving a political agenda”. He referred to the report as inaccurate and believed it did not reflect Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to prevent and crackdown on the issue.
“Cambodia does not turn a blind eye to the fight against human trafficking. We pay close attention to this work, as opposed to what the report claims. Its analysis appears to be based on the framework of a skewed international political context. Ranking Cambodia in this way is nothing new,” he said.
“I think it is obvious that they have conducted their research from a distance and not examined the situation on the ground. The authors, lacking comprehensive information, have made an inaccurate assessment, which appears to have been made for the purpose of some form of political gain, perhaps in future negotiations with Cambodia,” he added.
He suggested that the people who published the report should review it for accuracy before it will be recognised as having any practical value.
According to the report, the government did not report prosecuting any labour trafficking cases in 2023. It noted that this was in spite of “widespread reporting across multiple industries of adult and child labour trafficking”.
The authors accepted that the government did not maintain a centralised database of investigations or judicial proceedings, so overall law enforcement data was incomplete.
In one of the most severe allegations, the report claimed that the government “appointed individuals with past and ongoing public allegations of official complicity in human trafficking-related cases to positions overseeing, or with significant influence over, the government’s anti-trafficking response”.
It also suggested that some senior government officials and advisors owned – either directly or through businesses – properties and facilities known to be utilised by online scam operators used to exploit victims in labour trafficking and financially benefitted directly from these crimes.
Sokheak insisted that the authorities, including the interior ministry are working hard to raise public awareness and prevent the occurrence of human trafficking crimes through various programmes at the local level.
He added that officials would not hesitate to act in trafficking cases, and regularly conducted investigations into such crimes and the people behind them.
“The ministry also works closely with factories, large enterprises and other private sector companies to monitor labour trafficking,” he explained.
He noted that interior minister Sar Sokha issues regular reminders to provincial governors and police officers at all levels on the importance of preventing and cracking down on such crimes in a timely manner.
Sokheak also highlighted that the ministry works closely with many other countries, generally through their diplomatic staff and embassies in Cambodia. He explained that Sokha provided regular updates on anti-trafficking activities to foreign diplomats and ambassadors.
“The ambassadors have noted that Cambodia is working to eliminate these crimes, while accepting that certain perpetrators continue to offend,” he added.
He explained that all state parties around the world recognise that human trafficking is by its very nature a transnational crime, and that the burden cannot be placed on any one state.
“Of course each nation is responsible for what happens within its territory, but if we do not work together to prevent these crimes it is dangerous for us all. Many of the criminal enterprises running these operations employ modern technology and other tricks,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it is not just happening in Cambodia. In many other states, even powerful ones, human trafficking still takes place,” he added.