19-Year-Old Paraplegic Raped, Drugged, and Held Hostage

Thursday, 21 February 2013

Recent atrocities in India galvanized global support to recognize sexual assault as a major violation of human rights that must be combated aggressively. In December of 2012, a young physiotherapy student was brutally raped on her way home from the cinema in Delhi. Severe internal bleeding from the attack resulted in her tragic death only thirteen days later. The international community is demanding the Indian government enact sweeping changes to protect Indian women, but global attention must  not stop there. Rampant sexual violence is not isolated to India.  Systematic under-reporting and a lack of prosecution continue to create an atmosphere of impunity across the developing world and the phenomenon is especially pervasive in our focus-country, Cambodia. Cambodian women, like their Indian counterparts, effectively lack access to protection, justice, and medical care in the wake of sexual violence.

The case of Khim Hoeun, which began in November 2012, is just one of the thousands of the horrific rape  cases that occur across Cambodia every year.  Beginning with a misdialled number, a man named Chhorn Sitha established and maintained contact with Khim, a 19 year-old paraplegic woman. After two months, Chhorn declared his love for her over the phone and requested to meet in person at his house. She insisted that her mother’s consent was required for such a visit. Chhorn manipulated Khim, persuading her she would be home by five o’clock and that she need not tell her mother. Trusting the validity of his claims, Khim travelled with Chhorn to his house, where upon entry he locked her inside his bedroom where he left her until later that evening.

When Chhorn returned home he undressed and tied Khim to his bed.  After being raped five times and being severely beaten, Khim explains how her fear left her “unable to shout out”. She was held captive for seven days, and was drugged and raped on a daily basis. Despite death threats against her and her family if she defied him, Khim managed to escape when Chhorn neglected to lock a door.

After a few months, Khim gained the courage to report the crime. The criminal investigation division of the Cambodian National Police (CNP) passed the case to SISHA, due to lack of resources. SISHA investigated, collected evidence, and built a case; however, Chhorn fled and no physical arrest was made.  Thanks to the case built against him and SISHA’s legal counsel, Chhom is being tried in abstentia. When he emerges from hiding, he will serve the sentence for his crimes, which include rape, assault, battery, and abduction.

Had SISHA not stepped in, it is very unlikely that Khim’s case would have been investigated or gone to trial. Like in India, sexual violence is widespread in Cambodia, in part because perpetrators have little fear of punishment. A major challenge when dealing with the rape crisis in Cambodia is that the local law enforcement is not equipped with international-standard policing skills, technology, and finances to follow up on cases reported. Inaction from police combined with stigmatization of survivors create an environment of massive under reporting. The focal point of these horrific events must be on strengthening rule of law by investing in police so they can act and empowering women to report the crimes committed against them.