Five Cambodian women repatriated from Taiwan by NGO [-The curse of arranged marriage]

14 Jan 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Forced to work on the Chinese island, their several years of plight finally ended.

Since the beginning of the month, they have returned back to the kingdom one after another, following several years spent in Taiwan. The five women, between their 20s and 40s, have known the same misfortune. Their repatriation was organized by the CARAM (Coordination of Action Resarch on Aids and Mobility) NGO led by Ya Navuth.
The women’s stories were all sad. Send to Taiwan though arranged marriage, they were instead put on sale there and sustained physical abuse.

Sophea, a 34-year-old native of Kratie, spent 3-1/2 years away from home, working at a plastic cup manufacturing company. During a police raid at the factory, she was able to explain her situation to the cops who released her.

Two other women are about to return back also, but their family issue, linked to children they borne to Taiwanese citizens, make their cases more complicated.

Between 2000 and 2008, CARAM Cambodia had repatriated 200 women who fell prey to trafficking and were sent to Malaysia, Thailand, etc…