The traffickers were reportedly organized crime syndicates, parents, relatives, friends, intimate partners, and neighbors.
[2] Despite human trafficking being a crime in Cambodia,[3] the country has a significant child sex tourism problem;[3][4][5][6] some children are sold by their parents, while others are lured by what they think are legitimate job offers like waitressing, but then are forced into prostitution.
[9] In 2023, the Organised Crime Index gave the country a score of 8.5 out of 10 for human trafficking, noting a sharp increase in numbers after Covid.
Children are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in organized begging rings, soliciting, and street vending.
These children would not be placed to work until they had been presented to a series of bidders, such as high-ranking military officers, politicians, businessmen, and foreign tourists.
Young girls working in brothels are in effect, sex slaves; they receive no money, only food, and armed guards stop them from running away.
[16][17] A law was passed in January 1997 to curb trafficking in women, with fines of up to $12,000 and prison sentences of up to 20 years for pimps and brothel owners.
People are lured in by offers of a high-paying job with little to no experience or work visa needed, then held hostage under threats of violence and forced to work as "cyber slaves" in call centers making scam phone calls and other cryptocurrency and online gambling schemes.
[24] On 17 August 2022, 42 Vietnamese victims escaped from the Golden Phoenix casino near the Chrey Thom border checkpoint by swimming across the Binh Di River.