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Human Trafficking and Moral Panic in Cambodia

Author

Listed:
  • Chenda Keo
  • Thierry Bouhours
  • Roderic Broadhurst
  • Brigitte Bouhours

Abstract

This article examines the backgrounds of traffickers in Cambodia: why they became involved in trafficking, how they operate, their earnings, and the criminal justice system’s response to their activities. Our research draws from interviews with justice officials, NGOs, and detained alleged traffickers; and from a review of police and prison records. The results challenge alarmist claims about the high prevalence, profitability, or role of organized crime in human trafficking. In Cambodia, 80 percent of incarcerated traffickers are poor uneducated women who lack legitimate opportunities and whose unsophisticated illicit activities earn very little. We argue that the Cambodian government, in return for foreign aid, adopted a repressive law that defines human trafficking ineptly; in the hands of a dysfunctional justice system, the law has turned into an instrument of corruption and injustice against powerless individuals.

Suggested Citation

  • Chenda Keo & Thierry Bouhours & Roderic Broadhurst & Brigitte Bouhours, 2014. "Human Trafficking and Moral Panic in Cambodia," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 653(1), pages 202-224, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:653:y:2014:i:1:p:202-224
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716214521376
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sheldon X. Zhang, 2009. "Beyond the ‘Natasha’ story -- a review and critique of current research on sex trafficking," Global Crime, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 178-195, August.
    2. Ronald Weitzer, 2007. "The Social Construction of Sex Trafficking: Ideology and Institutionalization of a Moral Crusade," Politics & Society, , vol. 35(3), pages 447-475, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Winkler,Stephen Joseph, 2021. "Human Trafficking: Definitions, Data, and Determinants," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9623, The World Bank.

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