Cambodia police chief stood down in 'unprecedented' sex abuse investigation

[rooster59]

Cambodia police chief stood down in 'unprecedented' sex abuse investigation

By Matt Blomberg

 

Police officers stand guard at the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh, Cambodia January 16, 2020. REUTERS/Samrang Pring - RC2UGE9A2UPK

 

PHNOM PENH (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A high-ranking Cambodian police official has been suspended from duties pending an investigation into "unprecedented" allegations of sexual misconduct made by four junior female officers that hit the headlines, according to the interior ministry.

 

The two-star major general and provincial police chief is accused of forcing officers to perform sex acts at work under the threat of blocking their progress in the police force.

 

Previous complaints against the police chief were met with ridicule and threats, the four women said in a complaint to the Interior Minister Sar Kheng, which was dated July 30 and leaked to the press on August 10.

 

The police chief was stood down on Wednesday, according to a statement signed by the minister. An Interior Ministry spokesman declined to add further comment on Friday.

 

The case has hit headlines in Cambodia during an escalating public debate over the treatment of women in Cambodia, where a draft law to restrict what women can wear has raised concerns of further entrenching a culture of victim blaming in sex crimes.

 

"This case should serve as a reminder that sexual harassment and violence against women should not be met with silence or impunity, as it has been for too long," said Chak Sopheap, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights charity.

 

"These unprecedented allegations come at a time when women's rights are making headlines in Cambodia for all the wrong reasons."

 

Last week Cambodian women flooded social media with photos of themselves in swimwear to protest a proposed law that would allow police to fine women for wearing clothing deemed too skimpy and men for going shirtless.

 

The draft law has been billed as necessary to preserve Cambodian culture, but women's right campaigners fear it could be used disproportionately to target women in the conservative Southeast Asian nation.

 

A woman was jailed in April after Prime Minister Hun Sen called for authorities to track down online vendors using "provocative" sales techniques, which he said sullied Cambodia's culture and encouraged sexual harassment.

 

Advocacy groups praised the four women police officers who lodged the complaint for their courage and called for them to be protected while the investigation was underway.

 

"The women's affairs ministry needs to be involved, to ensure the safety of these women," said Chim Channeang, general secretary at NGO-CEDAW, a charity focused on gender equality.

 

"The government has made its commitments to ending violence against women. Now it's time to show the public it is serious."

 

The women's affairs ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

 

Amnesty International said accountability for sexual crimes "remains elusive in Cambodia".

 

"All too often, officials accused of wrongdoing in Cambodia are removed from their posts while the issue receives public attention, only to be quietly moved on to another post when the media attention dissipates," a spokesman said.

 

Last year, the United Nations highlighted social norms in Cambodia that "justify gender-based violence".

 

It called for the elimination of the chbap srey, an ancient code of conduct that was part of official school curricula until 2007 and teaches women to be submissive and quiet.

 

(Reporting by Matt Blomberg, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit http://news.trust.org)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-08-15

 

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[Dap]

These four women certainly put themselves on the line and that takes more Ba////s than most of those men preying on women will ever have.

[kensawadee]

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The draft law has been billed as necessary to preserve Cambodian culture, but women's right campaigners fear it could be used disproportionately to target women in the conservative Southeast Asian nation.

Who would ever think of Cambodia (or all it's neighboring countries) where they don't try to stop all the 'nasty' stuff... They just struggle to hide it.... AND that is 'conservative' ?????

17 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Last year, the United Nations highlighted social norms in Cambodia that "justify gender-based violence".

 

It called for the elimination of the chbap srey, an ancient code of conduct that was part of official school curricula until 2007 and teaches women to be submissive and quiet.

 

I find it hard to believe, the 'chbap sray' training ever ended... Maybe ended in schools but not 'home schooling'......

The same sort of thing is apparently still 'alive and well' in most muslim countries....

Where women are taught from babies that they are no better than the soi-dog, in the eyes of their men....

And they call it 'conservative'