In Cambodia, a country that is officially getting richer, underage girls are being forced into sex work or have their virginity sold by families who try (often unsuccessfully) to make ends meet.
Cambodian girls are no different from any other children – they too dream of a good education, rewarding job, and decent life. Instead, they often have to “help” their parents overcome misery and despair by engaging in part-time prostitution. RT Documentary team gives an inside look at what could be called a thriving child sex industry and virgin trade.
Here is a young girl who is in 10th grade. She told of her desire to go to university and become an accountant, and then added with a grim smile: “My mum wants me to quit school and get a job, but I don’t want to.”
Sometimes, when life becomes too tough, she works as a waitress to give the tips her mother. But all too often, waiting tables is not enough, the mother says. One day she asked her daughter to sit next to “one guy” who “asked me how much, but I didn’t know what to ask for.”
“I wanted to ask $500, but hadn’t discussed it with anyone,” the mother explains. “I thought that might be too cheap. I thought that $1,000 would be too expensive, but I asked anyway and he said OK.”
She used the money to start a lottery ticket business, but sales are now down. “We argue whenever this topic comes up,” teh young girl continues. “I love her, but I hate her too… for what she did.”
You can watch the full documentary below.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.