Press Statement on Severe Human Rights Violation on Cambodian Migrant Workers Overseas

Cambodia Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) is extremely concern on the issue confronting Cambodian migrant workers, who suffered from severe human rights violation from employers and companies who hired these workers to work as domestic workers overseas. According to the information provided by the victims, some female migrant workers suffered both physical and mental abuses from employers such as rape, torture, and other degrading human acts. Although the Cambodian government struggles to find the job market overseas through private companies in order to widen job opportunities to Cambodian domestic workers; they are less attentive about the living and working conditions and security of these workers. Consequently, their work places have turned out to be places of human violation.

During the first eight months of 2010, ADHOC received quite a number of cases related to the violation of rights and freedoms of Cambodian migrant workers especially to Malaysia. Despite the violation committed by foreign employers, these workers have also undergone sufferings from the local companies here in the country such as forcing and deceiving workers to sign the contracts through debt bondages despite their willingness, detaining trainees from seeing their families and relatives etc. Moreover, when these workers departed, the companies confiscated their passports so that these workers cannot seek help or intervention from the other parties in cases where labor disputes happen between employers and workers.

The lack of proper implementation of Cambodian Labor Law and Sub-Decree 57 on The sending of Khmer worker To Work abroad was one of the main causes that led to the violation on the rights and freedoms these migrant workers.

To prevent and protect Cambodian migrant workers from violation to their rights and freedoms, ADHOC has the following recommendations:

1. The Royal Government should have a mechanism to verify all the documents and contracts signed between the companies and the workers in order to ensure the interest of both parties and to avoid any kind of exploitation from the party who prepared the contracts.
2. Companies of the providing party should provide lawyers based in the receiving countries to protect and settle immediately when employers violate the rights of the workers and breach the law.
3. The government should take serious measure in punishing those companies that violate and mistreated workers and disrespect the law.
4. The government should encourage the Cambodian Embassies and Consulate Offices overseas to be more considerate in protecting the rights and freedoms of Cambodian migrant workers such as observing places where these workers work, live and stay and verifying employers’ identification etc.
5. All the ministries involved should verify all the documents and the contracts signed between the companies and the workers, and provide the name lists of Cambodian migrant workers to Cambodian Embassies to administer them.
6. Recruiting companies should permit officials of the ministries and NGOs staffs involved to inspect places where these workers are being trained before leaving the country.

Phnom Penh, 14^th September 2010

For more information please contact:

Mrs. Chan Krisna Sawada, Head of Women and Children Rights Program, ADHOC

Mrs. Mony Lim, Deputy Head of Women and Children Rights Program, ADHOC