Hundreds of Civil Society Condemn Thai Soldiers’ Rape of 18-Year-old Cambodian Female Migrant Worker
Chhay Sophal
Phnom Penh (18 November 2025): More than 200 organizations have released a joint statement condemnation against the recent rape of a Cambodian female migrant worker by the Thai Thahan Phran (Black Army Soldiers)
“We, the representatives of a total of 216 Confederations, Unions, Organizations, Associations, and Communities, actively working with formal and informal workers, youth, women’s rights advocates, and citizens across the Kingdom of Cambodia, hereby categorically condemn the severe violence and sexual abuse perpetrated against a Cambodian female migrant worker by the Thai Thahan Phran (known as the Black Army) forces along the Cambodia-Thailand border,” the statement on Monday read.
This act constitutes a grave violation of human rights, women’s rights, and the national rights of migrant workers, which are firmly protected by national laws, the Constitution, ASEAN instruments, international law, and the CEDAW Convention, the statement continues.
Based on the condemnation, such cruel and unacceptable case of abuse is not only an inhumane act against the victim but also a breach of the humanitarian principles of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which aims to promote and ensure human rights in the region.
The organizations also expressed their deeply concerned about the culture of impunity and the lack of respect for women’s rights associated with the Thai Thahan Phran (Black Army), which poses a serious threat to the safety and rights of Cambodian female workers and other vulnerable migrant groups.
