Cambodian man gets 16 years for rape in latest sex crimes crackdown

A Cambodian man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for repeatedly raping his teenage stepdaughter over a period of seven-years, while two other men were arrested on similar charges in the country’s latest crackdown on sex crimes, officials said Wednesday.
Soun Channy, 39, was convicted of raping his 17-year-old stepdaughter during a trial Monday in northwestern Pursat province, said Pen Sarath, a prosecutor. He was also ordered to pay 3 million riel (US$750) to the victim.
Soun Channy began raping the girl when she was 10 years old, but concealed his activities by threatening her with violence if she told her mother. He was often drunk when he committed the offenses, the prosecutor added.
But the wife of Soun Channy, who acknowledged his guilt during the trial, learned about the crimes and asked police to arrest him after discovering he had impregnated her daughter, Pen Sarath said.
It was the latest of more than 10 cases handled by the provincial court over the past 16 months in which men have been accused of sexually abusing children, the prosecutor said.
Similar cases have emerged in other parts of the country recently.
In Prey Veng province, east of the capital Phnom Penh, prosecutor Bou Pin said he charged a 68-year-old man, Loch Hai, for allegedly raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter. Police arrested the man last week after receiving a complaint from the girl’s older sister, he said.
In northwestern Battambang province, a court charged a 38-year-old man with sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl, said Chheang Khosa, a local police chief. Police arrested the man last week after the girl’s mother told police he had lured her daughter into having sex with him.
The man could face up to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor, Cheang Khosa said.
“We have observed that since the spread of Aids, many men in the countryside have resorted to young children (who are unlikely to be infected with the disease) to have sex with in hopes of protecting themselves,” Chheang Khosa said.
Rape is a common crime in Cambodia and carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Most incidents of sexual abuse occur in the countryside, and the majority of victims are girls under age 18.

 

Category: Society