Stacey Dooley explores the issue underage sex trafficking in Cambodia, investigating how thousands of young girls are being sold into sexual slavery often by those they trust the most, their family. She confronts the problem head on as she joins the police on raids to shut down brothels and learns the harsh realities for girls who are trafficked and abused in the sex industry
8.06
Rating: 8.06/10 based on 51 votes cast.
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Been through SE Asia many times as an medical aid worker. Poverty in many parts of SE Asia is crushing. The culture is not the same as in Western countries or the EU and no one should judge a culture until you understand it.. The wealthy countries such as in the EU and America demand cheap products so wages for those who find work in SE Asia our so low it pays much better to become a prostitute. Even at a young age many prostitutes support parents,grandparents and extended family on their incomes who would otherwise go hungry and not have a place to live. Prostitution in such places as Thailand is legal and sex tourism creates billions of dollars of income for SE Asia. 99.99% percent of the people who comment here have never been to SE Asia so have no idea what it is really like there. I would never support child prostitution but it just makes me sick to see those from wealthy countries who help create the crushing poverty in SE Asia by demanding cheap products judge those who our forced to do ugly things to just be able to survive.
I was really disappointed in this “documentary” to say the least. I basically felt like i was I was following a girl on her field trip. Stacey seemed very inexperienced as a reporter, especially on a subject of this weight. Although I’m sure she had good intentions, this whole documentary seemed like it was more about her. Her naivete was especially highlighted with her dealings with the police. I can’t believe she actually thought she was going to help “bring them down”. Doesn’t seem like much due diligence was done on the the government, culture, trade or what has already been attempted or put in place to help the situation. She was totally out of her league. The documentary made this clear though she seems to be unaware herself.
The presenter was clearly clueless. It did not cross her mind that the police may be corrupted which would explain why they sat around for an impressive 9 hours doing nothing. Another hint could have been the fact that the police let to civilians jumped at the back of a pickup truck unprotected (clearly nothing was going to happen)… Why does she think they cannot tell her how many pimps they have arrested…
As a sex worker, and a survivor of sexual abuse as a child for over 5 yrs, i must say Stacey, learn some f*cking humility! Watching your obvious excitement in going to attempt to investigate such an horrific subject, made me sick to my belly! You could have at lest tried to give the subject the dignity it deserves. Your whole attempt to “explore the issue” felt condescending and utterly shameless. Whilst you still appeared moved by the girls stories, the moments of actual emotion were off set by your stupid remark’s “lets go bust some brothels” And the bad music when YOU cry, which in turn only took away from the seriousness of the situation. And THAT is a real insult!
I really hope you learn some f*cking tact before you get in front of a videographer agin!
Your brand of investigative journalism should be kept in reserve for ……………. Hmmm yeah. Might be time to look for a real job. Maybe one that would teach you a bit of humility?
Maybe Prostitution?
I think her heart is in the right place,but I don’t think she has the experience or the right approach towards the subject.
Such a sad thing that these poor young girls are abused like this.Shame on the men that use them this way.
Useful information. Lucky me I found your web site accidentally, and I’m shocked why this accident didn’t took place earlier! I bookmarked it.
what in the gods name was that? It felt like I was watching a comedy, she’s so not in her rightelement and at times it felt like the girls story was minimized and not taken serious at all……
Well done for a truly bad misrepresentation of Cambodia. Altough the issues represented are all too real in this country this documentary is so badly put together. Come on the BBc I thought you were the best in the world of journalism however you have turned into the gutter press.Anybody in this country knows whats going on but to sensationalise it and show business Name Boards on Victory Hill which arn’t even girl bars but insinuating so is pathetic. Get your facts right first before filming. I seem to remember a documentary about a district nicknamed K11 many years ago which was shocking,disturbing and very true. Lets get back to real journalism please
While I appreciate that Stacey is bringing attention to immoral sex trafficking in Camodia, she has no business as a reporter in such heavy issues. She was so upbeat and cheery as she listened to these young girls tell their horrifying stories, I just wanted to smack her. The documentary starting playing sappy music every time she cried, but not for the girls who were actually in the industry while they told their stories? Kinda feel like the reporter wants to be an actress and just wants the attention. Disappointed to say the least.
Hi,
i completely agree with this comment. The documentary is really good and i wish i could see more of this just to open our mind. However, i hated this stupid sad music when stacey was moved. It just killed all the authenticity of the moment. The tears may be real but having this music as a background make them look like fake…
Avoid this next time!..
It is all happening because of the deman from the man. If the man will stop abusing and buying girls, children and woman that would stop. The man must change their hearts and behaviour and to love only their wife’s and children. We must repent and return back to God for this to stop.
This was a truly shocking and insensitive documentary following the sex trade in Cambodia… enough said
What is she talking about ‘bust some brothels!’?? Insensitive and not even scratching the surface
THIS IS ABOUT STACEY DOOLEY’S DOCUMENTARY ABOUT “THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR BRITAIN”
There is so much wrong with your documentary. Lets begin with the main issue. You didn’t get the other side. Not all Muslims think, talk and believe the same things as the people you interviewed in your story. By not getting the other side it implies that you have malicious intent and personal hatred towards Muslims. What solidifies this implication is your little cat fight with that lady. It was irrelevant and you just left it on to give the viewers something “jaw dropping” to see. But then again the rest of your story was like that too. You claim your documentary is about how extremists have taken over your town and all you show is one protest? Where were other examples to provide context to this statement? You’re just trying to paint every Muslim with the same brush because you have an uninformed opinion about them and probably don’t like them. It’s a real shame that you’re a public figure.
Ahh critics abound eh? To put it simply, how about those of you being so critical of the lass get off your butts and attempt to make a difference in another’s life as she did?
I didn’t realise you know all of the critics personally! Or are you assuming that people who are being criticle have done nothing to help others?
Your being petty. If that makes you happy be my guest.
I have been to Cambodia and have seen this in action myself. Like the reporter I am a young female and I think we need to take into account exactly what she was trying to achieve…not to change Cambodia with one show but to in fact inform young people about this plight and to get them to think. My gosh the times I have tried to express what happens over there to my peers but they just don’t understand or aren’t interested. Whilst I agree with all the points below please remember it was made for bbc3 a channel that is aimed at younger people, not for BBC 4 where this programme would be shot at dawn and would have to be a lot more informative.The reporter is meant to be an every man, the younger person who hasn’t seen this yet and does not know the history and so will ask the basic questions “do you think someone tipped them off?” etc.
To be honest I do like her and I understand that she is just the front man of the programme ( I am sure everything was project managed and planned from the start) but the show is about informing people that this does happen and to give it a human face. If they had tried to go deeper than that I am afraid that the show would have lost a lot of the audience, sex trafficking of 13 years is bad enough but throw in 4 years and genocide and..
Alas it taught me nothing that I did not already know but the people who I have shown it too since have really taken to it and started asking me more serious questions: why? when? who? Therefore I will say it has been successful in informing the audience of the issue but I am still craving a more informative and in depth look into this subject myself (any recommendations welcome!)
Read the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and the book Not For Sale. They both really opened up my eyes to the global epidemic that is human trafficking. You will learn also about labor trafficking which is actually more prominent than sex trafficking. Labor trafficking just doesn’t get the attention.
I align with the opinions about the flaky pseudo reporter. On the ‘raid’ ride in the pickup she acted as if it was a fashion shoot. She makes the whole shoot loose credibility.
she has no idea about the history of Cambodia, the slightest bit of research before going would have helped her understand why the police or government won’t help her, they still have Khmer Rouge living in that country (they gave them their own small province on the border with Thailand) that were responsible for the genecide of 1/3 of their own population, way worse than anything Saddam or Osama ever did.
Why dont she documentarie about the sex trade in london shoho so we can see the conditions in the west also.??
what a missrepresentation of the horror regarding Cambodian child prostitution. One will not find the 4 year olds in the bars. What a flakey pseudo reporter. Here was a chance to expose some of the worst cases of child abuse in the world and we are taken to silly nightclubs.
I do appreciate the good heart of Stacey Dooley traveling around the world trying to show the bad things that happen… but you have to understand that this is the logical outcome from the monetary system in which we are living, if we dont recognize this, as the root of every single problem in the planet… NOTHING WILL CHANGE
Resource Based Economy is the solution GO ZEITGEIST
The brothel owned mafioso operating in Cambodia pay the Cambodian Police kickback money every month to remain open. The naive hopelessly inept reporter M.S. Stacy isn’t going to get the brothels shut down just become she arrives in the country hoping to cure the ills of child prostitution. Unfortunately this type of extortion and police corruption have been going on for years in SE Asia. It is ingrained in the system that it is almost impossible to eliminate. Child prostitution is a horrible curse on the children of the world, but unfortunately unless there is a change in the bureaucratic system the plague will continue.