Tuesday, 16 March 2010By Irwin Loy and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
HUNDREDS of sex workers have been targeted by a government crackdown on vice in recent weeks, according to new figures, sparking concern that police raids are sending a marginalised group further underground and possibly hindering HIV-prevention efforts.
Authorities as well as advocates who work with sex workers have reported a series of police raids – which have been prompted by a call from Prime Minister Hun Sen this month to stamp out prostitution – that have shut down karaoke bars, massage parlours, brothels and cafés.
Figures compiled in the report, produced by a local NGO that asked not to be identified because the issue is considered sensitive, show that since March 1, police have shut down at least 59 “entertainment establishments” where the indirect sex trade had thrived.
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