From poverty to easy prey

In its news programme ‘10 vor 10’, Swiss broadcaster SRF reported on the issue of forced marriages involving young Cambodian women. Towards the end of the report, the camera pans along a gravel track that is very reminiscent of the roads around the campus area. However, this is not our road. However, the situation regarding the trafficking of women and girls is all too familiar to us. Such incidents occur time and again in our community, too. Each of these stories breaks our hearts. At the same time, they motivate us to educate children as well as possible. We hope that, over time, parents will come to realise that their daughters will be able to support them much better in their old age if they find well-paid jobs in Phnom Penh or one of the regional centres. It is a long road. However, it is important to stress that we are not blaming the parents. It is sheer desperation that drives them to such drastic measures.