Cybersex trafficking spreads across Southeast Asia, fuelled by internet boom. And the law lags behind
- Undercover investigations in sexual abuse cases are not permitted under Cambodian law, hindering the authorities’ ability to catch criminals
- The Philippines is considered the epicentre of cybersex trafficking but the crime is spreading across the region, including Vietnam and Cambodia
Agents from the FBI and Australian Federal Police (AFP) have in recent months started training Cambodian police to investigate the crime amid concerns it is becoming more prevalent in the country.
Yet undercover investigations in sexual abuse cases are not permitted under Cambodian law, hindering the authorities’ ability to tackle the trend, said Khuon Sokpiseth, deputy director of the interior ministry’s cybercrime department.
“We need this capacity to infiltrate networks and we need new cybercrime laws for the department to properly carry out its mission,” Sokpiseth said.
A more comprehensive cybercrime law has been in the pipeline for at least two years, he said, without giving further details.
The interior ministry and the justice ministry both declined to discuss the proposed legislation.
