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A walk on the beach

  • Story Highlights
  • Cassie hasn't seen many of the social problems she believes affect Cambodia
  • Issues like human trafficking and landmines rarely discussed with foreigners
  • Cassie witnessed an odd couple at the beach -- she suspected prostitution
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By Cassie Phillips
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BATTAMBANG, Cambodia (CNN) -- Cassie Phillips is in Battambang, Cambodia, where she will be working with the NGO Homeland.

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"It wasn't until I visited the beach at Sihanoukville that I observed such open and widely accepted behavior that would suggest prostitution was a big industry at the beach."

Homeland is a Cambodian organization that works with local underprivileged children to give them some of the advantages they may have missed out on in their early life.

Cassie will be meeting and helping children from the region who have suffered from a range of afflictions. Keep up with her experiences in her blogs and video diaries.

October 15, 2007
Cambodia is a country afflicted with a number of pressing social issues, including landmines, human trafficking, malnourishment, drugs and poverty. As a resident of Battambang, I have, thankfully, not personally seen or witnessed many of these dangers.

While I do not doubt that they exist, it is difficult to grasp just how widespread or endemic they are. This is partly because I'm not able to effectively communicate with the majority of Khmer and partly because these topics are not always candidly discussed with foreigners.

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It wasn't until I visited the beach at Sihanoukville that I observed such open and widely accepted behavior that would suggest prostitution was a big industry at the beach. For the first time I saw many suspect couples, mostly consisting of an older foreign man and a younger Khmer woman.

One morning while taking a stroll along the beach, I noticed a much older white man with long, wispy white hair and a greased up pot belly in neon green swimming trunks sitting next to a Khmer woman, who could have easily been my age. I immediately assumed this woman was a prostitute. Granted, I did not see her engage in sexual activity for money.

Later the same day, as I was sitting on the beach, I saw the very same couple walking on the beach. They were walking at a clip too fast to be considered a leisurely stroll.

The whole scene was uncomfortable to watch, as the man walked slightly in front of the woman. He was holding her by the wrist, her hand falling limp towards the ground exaggerated by her taught arm being pulled along by his brisk pace.

The man didn't appear to be mad, rather his expression seemed bothered. The woman maintained a placid, numb look on her face. It was hardly the picture of a consensual couple walking the beach. Once they reached the rocks, they turned and headed back.

Seeing this made me feel sick to my stomach. Anyone could see how unhappy the woman was, even the old man tugging her along.

I cannot understand why the old man would want to drag the woman up and down the beach for everyone to see. It was as if he felt his actions were perfectly acceptable and would not cause alarm. Aside from my personal discomfort with the scene, I'm not sure he was upsetting anyone.

To be honest, I'm not sure what bothered me more -- seeing the woman demean herself, seeing this foreign man use his money and power to behave in a way that he probably cannot in his own country, or the general lack of social hostility towards the couple.

Whether or not the woman freely chose to accompany this man, I always wonder how powerful economic forces weighed in her decision and if we can then judge that as free will. Prostitution is illegal in Cambodia, but largely goes unchecked. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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