Crime in Cambodia

Cambodian police car in Phnom Penh

Crime is present in various forms in Cambodia.

Crime by type

Murder

In 2012, Cambodia had a murder rate of 6.5 per 100,000 population.[1] There were a total of 964 murders in Cambodia in 2012.[1]

Robbery

Petty crime is common, with tourist areas often targeted. This includes snatch theft and pick-pocketing. Perpetrators are usually stricken with poverty, and as a result are driven to steal from foreigners with the knowledge that they bring about a significant amount of money and other valuable items. Owing to the easy accessibility to arms, armed robbery also occurs.[2]

Corruption

Further information: Corruption in Cambodia

The rate of corruption in Cambodia is high; one source goes on to describe the situation as "nothing less than obscene". Corruption is considered a large expense to the Cambodian government.[3] The Cambodian police force is known to inappropriately use violence in certain cases.[4] The misuse of ferocity has raised concerns from the Human Rights Watch.[5]

Prostitution

Prostitution is against the law in Cambodia, but still present and only growing. Le Thi Quy, a professor from the Women's Research Center, interviewed a handful of females in 1993 about prostitution; three quarters of the interviewees found being a prostitute to be a norm and a profession they felt was not shameful having.[6] That same year, the professor estimated that there were some one hundred thousand sex workers in the country.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Global Study on Homicide. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013.
  2. "Cambodia". travel.state.gov. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  3. Curtis, Grant (1998). Cambodia Reborn?: The Transition to Democracy and Development. Brookings Institution Press. pp. 147–. ISBN 9780815791379.
  4. "Protest Claims Police Brutality in Cambodian Home". 95.5 WBRU. January 14, 2013.
  5. "Cambodia: Escalating Violence, Misuse of Courts". Human Rights Watch. February 1, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Barry, Kathleen (1996). The Prostitution of Sexuality. NYU Press. pp. 137–. ISBN 9780814712771.
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