"Covid-19 Job Pressures Could Be Behind Three-Fold Rise in Human Trafficking", 12 August 2021

A three-fold rise in human trafficking cases handled by the Interior Ministry could be one of the costs of the Covid-19 pandemic’s pressure on jobs and livelihoods, government and civil society officials said.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng ... disclosed that Cambodian authorities had dealt with 198 cases of human trafficking in the first half of the year...

Authorities also arrested 291 suspects, according to the minister.

Chou Bun Eng, vice chair of the National Committee on Counter-Trafficking, said people were vulnerable at the moment, and open to being deceived by traffickers.

Amid Covid-19, many are worried about joblessness and want to seek new places to work, Bun Eng said.

Restricted borders were also intersecting with people facing economic hardships wanting to migrate, giving an opening for traffickers promising border crossings, she added.

“Those can be the reasons for people or vulnerable people to choose what they wish to do if they follow a broker,” she said.

Most recent trafficking cases were to Thailand, Vietnam and China, she said.

Khun Tharo, program officer at labor rights group Central, said many trafficking cases originated in remote areas, where low-income, vulnerable people could be convinced of opportunities by traffickers.

The problem was compounded by Covid-19 and people needing help to support their livelihoods, he said.

“Access to relief services or support, such as legal action or intervention when they need help urgently — we observe that the problem is still limited by the state authorities,” Tharo said...