A homeowner was arrested on Sunday for allegedly beating her 16-year-old housemaid for the past four years, after a neighbour became aware of the matter and reported it to local authorities.
San Pet, Choam Chao II commune police chief, said the beatings happened in Phnom Penh’s Por Sen Chey district and that police arrested the unnamed woman at her village in Domnak Tra Yoeng.
Following the arrest, the woman was sent to the criminal investigations unit at Por Sen Chey for questioning.
Leng Veasna, chief of the unit, told The Post by phone: “The victim confirmed that the suspect frequently beat her using a solid metal rod.
“She was beaten on the shoulders, thighs, chin and on the head. The suspect did not accuse the victim of any wrongdoing, but allegedly said, ‘the beatings are lessons for your own good’. “We can confirm having seen the scars on the victim’s body as evidence of abuse.”
Veasna said that in line with regulations the suspect would be held for 48 hours at the district office before being sent to court for further investigation.
Ros Sopheap, the executive director of Gender And Development for Cambodia (GADC), said she felt distressed after she learnt of the case on social media.
“I am very upset that our team keeps hearing of violence and persecution against women and children. Civil society organisations and the government have done a lot of work on such issues,” she said.
However, Sopheap said abuse like this continued daily despite the parties having worked hard to reduce such matters.
“That’s why I am disappointed. All of us who have put in so much time and effort to educate people sometimes feel that our efforts are being wasted.
“Cambodia is one of the signatories to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which serves to stop all types of violence against women and children,” she added.
Sopheap said that following guilty verdicts, the authorities should reveal the identities of such abusers and the sentences they receive so that it becomes a deterrent to others committing similar crimes.
“The rich and powerful should behave with some sense of morality. They should not abuse their positions, especially against those who are poor and less educated who cannot stand up for themselves. This is what I want,” she said.
