A Thorn in the Heart: Cambodian Men who Buy Sex by Melissa Farley, Wendy Freed, Kien Serey Phal, Jacqueline Golding Presented at: Focus on Men who Buy Sex: Discourage Men's Demand for Prostitution, Stop Sex Trafficking A conference co-hosted by: Cambodian Women's Crisis Center and Prostitution Research & Education July 17, 2012 Himawari Hotel Phnom Penh, Cambodia Available online at www.prostitutionresearch.com and www.cwcc.org.kh 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................... 01 Table 1. Quotes from Cambodian Sex Buyers ............................................................................... 03 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 04 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 06 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 07 Traditional Attitudes Toward Women and Sexuality in Cambodia ........................................................... 08 Rape ............................................................................................................................................................ 08 Domestic Violence ..................................................................................................................................... 09 Violence in Prostitution .............................................................................................................................. 09 Gang Rape (Bauk) ...................................................................................................................................... 09 Pornography ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Child Pornography in Cambodia ................................................................................................................ 11 Recent History of Prostitution and the Sex Industry in Cambodia ............................................................ 12 Legal Response to Sexual Violence Including Trafficking for Prostitution .............................................. 12 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Interviewer Training and Support .............................................................................................................. 14 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Demographic Characteristics of 133 Cambodian Men Who Bought Sex .................................................. 14 Table 2. Age of 133 Cambodian Men Who Bought Sex ................................................................. 14 Table 3. Family Income of 133 Cambodian Men Who Bought Sex ............................................... 15 Table 4. Educational Level of 133 Cambodian Men Who Bought Sex .......................................... 15 Ethnicity ..................................................................................................................................................... 15 Sex Partners ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Table 5. Lifetime number of Sex Partners of 133 Cambodian Men Who Bought Sex ................... 15 EXPERIENCES UNDER THE KHMER ROUGE .............................................................................. 15 PROSTITUTION BEHAVIORS OF CAMBODIAN SEX BUYERS ................................................ 16 First Use of Women in Prostitution ........................................................................................................... 16 Ethnic and Age Selection of Women in Prostitution ................................................................................. 16 Frequency of Buying Sex ........................................................................................................................... 17 Where Do Men in Cambodia Locate Women for the Purpose of Buying Sex? ........................................ 17 Table 6. Indoor Locations Where Cambodian Men Purchased Sex .............................................. 18 Travel to Buy Sex Within and Outside of Cambodia ................................................................................ 18 Drug and Alcohol Use of Cambodian Sex Buyers .................................................................................... 18 Military History of Cambodian Sex Buyers .............................................................................................. 18 Paying for Sex with Drugs, Shelter, Food and Clothes ............................................................................. 19 Why Cambodian Men Say They Buy Sex ................................................................................................. 19 Self-Reported Sexual Violence .................................................................................................................. 19 2 ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS OF CAMBODIAN SEX BUYERS ..................................................... 19 Dehumanization of Women in Prostitution ............................................................................................... 19 Belief that Prostitution Prevents Rape ....................................................................................................... 20 Hostile Masculine Identity, Prostitution Myth Acceptance, and Rape Myth Acceptance ......................... 21 Awareness of Pimping, Coercion and Trafficking ..................................................................................... 21 Myths About Sexuality Held by Cambodian Sex Buyers .......................................................................... 23 Lack of Empathy for Women in Prostitution ............................................................................................. 23 Table 7. Words Used by Sex Buyers and Prostituted Women to Describe Feelings of Women During Prostitution ........................................................................................................... 24 Lack of Emotional Relationships with Women in Prostitution .................................................................. 24 Internal Conflicts of Sex Buyers ................................................................................................................ 25 PORNOGRAPHY USE ........................................................................................................................... 25 Oral Sex Pornography .................................................................................................................... 27 Vaginal Sex Pornography .............................................................................................................. 27 Anal Sex Pornography ................................................................................................................... 27 Oral Sex with Gagging Pornography ............................................................................................. 27 Group Sex Pornography ................................................................................................................. 27 Group Sex Pornography with More Than One Man Penetrating the Woman or Girl’s Vagina, Anus, and/or Mouth .......................................................................................................... 27 Pornography of Women or Girls Smiling ...................................................................................... 28 Pornography of Women or Girls Not Smiling ............................................................................... 28 Pornography of Women or Girls Crying ....................................................................................... 28 Pornography of Adults Having Sex with Children ........................................................................ 28 Pornography of Women or Girls Having Sex with Animals ......................................................... 28 Gang Rape or Bauk Pornography ................................................................................................... 29 Bukkake Pornography (Men Ejaculating on a Woman’s Face) ..................................................... 29 Anus-to-Mouth Pornography ......................................................................................................... 29 Pornography of Women or Girls Tied Up or Restrained ............................................................... 29 Choking Pornography .................................................................................................................... 29 Strangling Pornography ................................................................................................................. 29 Torture Pornography ...................................................................................................................... 29 Murder Pornography .....................................................................................................................