The Girls of Phnom Penh

Girls of Phnom Penh is a documentary about the girls who work in the Sex Industry in Cambodia . The documentary maker follows three girls for a longer period of time to show the desperation, grief and even exploitation that lay behind the veil of seduction.

Social Interest

The documentary gives an intimate view in how the girls perceive their lives in the sex industry. The motivations to work in this industry are diverse: earning money for a sick family member, being able to take care of a child as a single mother or to be literally sold. We get a glimpse of the difficult problems these girls have to handle on daily basis.

Historic Interest

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and it has been struggling to overcome its violent past (the ruling of the Khmer Rouge with leader Pol Pot). Many contemporary problems are a direct or indirect result of this painful chapter in history. One of these problems is the sex industry where young girls are being sold by parents, kidnapped or forced by financial reasons to sell their virginity and work in the sex industry to survive.