”Pojkar är som guld, flickor är som dukar” – En kvalitativ studie om synen på barn och sexuell trafficking i Kambodja

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to look at the common opinion about children in Cambodia. By interviewing the professionals in different help organizations we studied the common opinion about children in general and the common opinion about children who are exposed to sexual trafficking. The ambition of the study was also to see if the common opinion about children in Cambodia affects the help that is available for the children who are exposed to sexual trafficking.

This is a qualitative study including semi structured interviews with seven professionals who work with vulnerable children. The interview guide focused on the themes: children’s needs, sexual trafficking, children’s rights, childhood, children’s sexuality and gender.

The study shows that the cultural context is a substantial factor when looking at the common opinion about children in Cambodia. The result indicates that children almost have an invisible position in the society and that children are looked upon as a passive individual in relation to its family. There’s little understanding of the concept of children’s needs and children’s rights in the Cambodian society. If children’s needs are mentioned, the psychical needs and the need of education are mostly discussed. The result also shows how the common opinion about children to some extent affects the help interventions of the organizations. Other factors that influence the help are the values of the professionals and the organization’s basic values.

The result of the study indicates significant differences when it comes to the common opinion about girls and boys. This becomes clear when looking at how the social roles of the girls and boys differ in the household and in the society. The gender differences are distinct in the common opinion about sexuality. The representation of childhood in Cambodia, many times deviates from the common opinion about childhood in the western countries. The stories of the professionals show tendencies of how the common opinion is about to change into a more western approach on how to think about children and that many organizations work with the problem of sexual trafficking.