Kouch Chamroeun, Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, has issued a statement saying that provincial authorities will take administrative and legal action against the owners of hotel and casino buildings that use forced labour.

The Governor’s announcement came after the Provincial Administration received a series of complaints regarding this issue

The Governor stressed that to prevent forced or obligatory work that may face human trafficking and sexual exploitation under the guise of finding work, Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration, will put in place the following strict measures:

First, forced or compulsory work is strictly prohibited (in accordance with Convention No. 29 on Forced or Compulsory Labor, adopted on 28 June 1930 by the International Labor Organization and ratified by the Kingdom of Cambodia on February 24, 1969 and in accordance with Article 15 of the Labor Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia).

Second, hiring people to work to reduce debts is prohibited (Article 16 of the Labor Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia).

Third: Deduction of wages in order for the recipient to seek employment, whether directly or indirectly, to the employer, an employer representative or an intermediary, such as a recruitment agency, etc., is prohibited (Article 126 of the Law Work of the Kingdom of Cambodia).

Fourth: Any person who illegally removes another person for the purpose of sexual exploitation, produces pornographic images, marries against the victim’s will, adopts a child or any other form of exploitation will be punished. According to the law (Article 10 of the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of the Kingdom of Cambodia).

Fifth: A person who arrests or detains or detains another person without the order of the legal authority or, except in cases where the law allows, shall be punished in accordance with the law (Article 253 of the Penal Code of the Kingdom of Cambodia).

According to Convention No. 29 of the International Labor Organization and the Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the actions described above are crimes that are punishable and have serious aggravating circumstances because they are detrimental to humanity.

In addition, the provincial administration will take administrative and legal action against the owners of hotel and casino buildings involved, whether indirectly or directly, on detention, forced labor, and illegal immigration.

In the event that the owner of the hotel and casino building is found to have committed the above-mentioned offenses, the Sihanoukville Provincial Administration will take action to temporarily label the business location and build a case to be sent to court to punish the person involved in accordance with the law in force and request the Royal Government to cancel the business license permanently.

• Tags: Sihanoukville