27 January 2015, World Bulletin
Touch Nay speaks in a barely audible whisper – a result of what she says was two-and-a-half years of abuse at the hands of her Malaysian employers.
“The beating started five days after I arrived,” the 26-year-old Cambodian told.
She said she was beaten so badly that one of her hands was broken and she is now going blind in one eye, which is visibly damaged and greyed over.
When she discussed returning to Cambodia, the agency that took her to Malaysia told her she would have to pay $5,000 if she wanted to break her contract.
Unable to pay such a fee, she remained to endure years more abuse.
[…]
T&P, the recruitment firm that helped arrange for her daughter to go to Malaysia, was shut down in 2011 after police found 45 women forcibly held in one of its premises in the central province of Kompong Chhnang. Allegations included forcible detention, faking documents and sending underage girls abroad to work.
Adhoc President Thun Saray urged the Cambodian and Malaysian governments to cooperate and ensure the safety of workers.
“They are human beings, so the government should take action,” he said.
Heng Suor, the Labor Ministry spokesman, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh failed to respond to emailed questions.