Reality is, they often knew their Perpetrator

Sunday, 10 June 2012

In Sen Sok District of Phnom Penh a young girl aged 14 at approximately 8pm needs to go to the shops,she is no sooner outside of her family’s residence that her neighbour grabs her, takes her to a place she hasn’t been before and then rapes her.

Underage Rape is occurring more and more, worse still, we believe this is only the tip of the iceberg; as many cases of Sexual Assault still go unreported. Chances are, the victim knows and even trusts their perpetrator. Research confirms that the majority of serious crimes are perpetrated or at least assisted by people known to the victim; they may be immediate or distant family, close friends or, like in this case, a neighbour.

This continues to be exceedingly difficult to understand, as these individuals are trusted by the victim yet they proceed to commit an act that has the potential to destroy their life, in cases involving Children, barely before it has really began.

The perpetrator had reportedly been drinking prior to the offence. In these situations it is most commonly an opportunistic crime and one that is often fuelled by factors such as drugs or alcohol. SISHA can report that the offender has been arrested and is currently in pre-trial detention waiting for a court date to be set.

As happens too often with offences of this nature, the family were attempting to settle the matter with the offender themselves which usually involves a sum of money being paid for the matter to go away. This may be due to being unfamiliar or intimidated by the legal system in Cambodia, fear of ‘Shame’, or purely out of desperation from poverty.

Whichever the reason, families may accept money and either drop charges or fail to make a complaint at all. This sends a message to the community that, so long as someone can afford it, they can commit heinous crimes such as sexual assault, even against Children.

SISHA continues to work with the family to have the offender prosecuted in court. Providing advice and support from making a formal complaint and throughout the judicial process. Ensuring justice for victims and consequences to the perpetrators of these serious crimes is part of SISHA’s mission in building Rule of Law in Cambodia.

SUPPORT OUR WORK. SPREAD THE WORD. JOIN THE FIGHT!