July 20, 2014
The World Race provides a brief explanation of what racers can expect in the Cambodia. “Cambodia houses one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat, a Hindu temple and monastery built during the Khmer empire in the 12th century. It later became a Buddhist complex a century later, and today, just over 96% of Cambodia is Buddhist. Almost 30 years ago, 1.5 million Cambodians died at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime. Today, Cambodia is a source, transit point, and destination of human trafficking. Unfortunately, the government is struggling to stop it.’
I got this information from Welcome to Cambodia by Dora Yip/Dayaneetha De Silva, Cambodia by Dayeentha De Silva, Christianaid.org, and humantrafficking.org.
– “The impact of the Khmer Rouge and subsequent years of violence, coupled with high levels of corruption, low social capital and a lack of trust both of government and within society, has had a long-lasting impact on Cambodia’s development.” (ChristianAid.org)
-During the Pol Pot’s reign, he destroyed all records of Cambodian culture, and killed many musicians, monks, teachers, dancers, and artists because they represented earlier rulers and dynasties. Many had to disguise their identities to survive, like Doth Pran, a journalist, whose life is depicted in the award winning film, The Killing Fields. Soldiers forced everyone in the cities to leave their homes and walk into the countryside. People were divided into labor camps and forced to work in the fields. If they did not obey, they were tortured, killed, and put into mass graves. There has been a great effort to restore traditional Cambodian heritage, but they still have a long way to go.
– Food security is one of the biggest challenges facing people in Cambodia. Despite recent economic development, 30% of the population continues to live in poverty and 12% often go hungry.
– “Cambodia is increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In 2011, German Watch ranked the country second most affected by climate change… In recent years, the country has experienced devastating floods. In 2011, its worst seasonal flood in over a decade affected more than 1.7 million people. 50,000 people lost their homes, and almost 250 died. More flooding in 2013 further damaged crops and infrastructure, and over 375,000 households were affected in 20 provinces, with 188 people dying, including 88 children.” (ChristianAid.org)
– “Cambodia is a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. The traffickers are reportedly organized crime syndicates, parents, relatives, friends, intimate partners, and neighbors who want money, land, or to be out of debt. 47% of trafficked persons stated that their mother was the one who sold them. Men, women, and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Thailand, Malaysia, Macao, and Taiwan. Men are trafficked for forced labor, women for sexual exploitation and forced labor, and children are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in organized begging rings, soliciting, street vending, and flower selling. 1/3 of trafficking victims in prostitution are children.” (humantrafficking.org)
-The Cambodian education system was badly affected by Civil war and Pol Pot’s reign. Today, Cambodia still faces a shortage of schools, teachers, and educational materials. Most kids don’t go on to high school, and many Cambodians today cannot read or write.
-Most Cambodians are Buddhist, and the second most important religion is Islam.
-In 1965, over 75% of the country was covered with forest. Now only 40% of Cambodia is forest land. Many fear that at this rate, all of Cambodia’s forests could disappear early in the 21st century. Much of deforestation is due to unrestrained and illegal logging. All the partners in this business make a lot of money, but almost none of it goes to the Cambodian economy.
-30 years of war has left MILLIONS of land mines that still lie buried. Every year, land mines maim or kill thousands of people, particularly children. Land mines also threaten the survival of the people, because the mines take up about 1/3 of farm land. They are de-mining but it is a massive project.
Please pray against trafficking and for the rescue of those in the trade! Please pray against poverty, deforestation, and for injuries and death caused by mines. Please pray for the Cambodian people as they strive to find and uphold their heritage and education, and that there will be a revival in the country for Jesus Christ.
Thank you all and God bless!
Tori
