Sex and Labor Trafficking in Cambodia

Human trafficking affects some forty-nine million men, women, and children, with twenty-nine million within the Asian and Pacific region trapped in a web of forced labor, sexual exploitation, and coerced marriage. Human trafficking is now one of the world’s most lucrative organized crimes, generating more than $150 billion a year. Southeast Asia is a particularly vulnerable region, where weak enforcement mechanisms, poverty, and cross-border mobility create fertile ground for trafficking networks. Cambodia has been designated as a tier 3 nation in this region by the U.S. Department of State due to widespread issues of labor and sex trafficking. Tier 3 is the harshest rating that the Department of State declares, which entails that the government does not fully comply with the minimum Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) standards and is not making significant efforts to do so. Vulnerable populations are targeted for forced labor in industries such as construction and agriculture, as well as exploitation within the sex trade. Cambodia’s geographic location and socio-economic challenges make it a critical case study for understanding the distinct drivers behind both forms of trafficking. The central question guiding this research is: How can Cambodia strengthen its anti-trafficking policies and combat the issue of human trafficking and its underpinning causes with enhanced cooperation with intergovernmental organizations? By focusing on the causation of labor and sex trafficking in Cambodia, this study aims to provide a tailored policy response that can better educate trafficking policies in Cambodia and educate an overlooked gap in the literature.