Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country located between Vietnam and Thailand. Many westerners are aware of Cambodia through the context of its recent history which was popularized by the major motion picture, "The Killing Fields". This film offers a glimpse into the turbulent domestic and foreign policies that wrecked havoc on the Cambodian population for more than forty years. Truly, even at this very moment, Cambodia is a nation struggling to move forward from a past characterized by violence and instability. The remnants of this past are easily recognizable today in the form of endemic poverty, disrupted family units, and a general decay of the social fabric.
 One of the most devastating aftermaths has been the emergence of a large-scale commercial sex industry which exploits thousands of women and children each year. Conservative estimates suggest that there are more than 55,000 active commercial sex workers currently engaged in Cambodia. More than one third of these workers are younger than the age of majority. Unscrupulous traffickers and brokers easily lure such impoverished adolescents with promises of high wages, easy work, and income security. The flourishing sex industry in Phnom Penh has also made Cambodia a prime destination country for trans-national trafficking. Thousand of Vietnamese women and children are trafficked into Cambodia every year for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It is thought that upwards of 50,000 prostitutes ply their trade in this one city alone.
In comparison to the countries on its border (Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), Cambodian law enforcement with respect to child sexual exploitation is the weakest at the regional level. Bordering countries have strengthened law enforcement activities on child sex exploitation, giving Cambodia a reputation as a safe destination for pedophile activity in the region. As a result, there is an increasing trend of “predatory” child sex tourists coming to Cambodia to exploit the “preferential” judicial system.
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