This study was conducted as a part of a multi-stage, multi-country project designed to enhance the identification, prosecution, and prevention of orphanage trafficking crimes. It was the second of four stages to be conducted in Cambodia as one of three jurisdictions included in the study.
This second stage of the study comprised socio-legal empirical research designed to examine the in-situ application of the legal framework for prosecuting orphanage trafficking in Cambodia. Specifically, the study sought to identify how cases, where orphanage trafficking and exploitation were indicated, were interpreted, and addressed under law, by relevant authorities.
In addition, it sought to explore the influence of socio-cultural factors on child protection, law enforcement and court officials’ interpretation and decision making, and identify challenges to the uniform application of the law to orphanage trafficking cases.