As USAID funding dries up, rights groups and independent media in Cambodia face an uncertain future. While China is stepping in to fill the gaps, Beijing's aid comes with its own terms and with conditions attached.
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00:00In a remote village in Siem Reap province, one of Cambodia's largest human rights organisations,
00:08Ad-Hoc is conducting a training session to prevent human trafficking by raising awareness
00:14among the villagers.
00:18Chiob Chantria attended the training after some people from her village were illegally
00:22trafficked to nearby countries like Thailand and Malaysia.
00:27There was a woman who went to Malaysia to work as a housekeeper.
00:33She came back traumatised, unable to speak properly.
00:36While there, she was moved from one employer to another.
00:42She was never paid and was even beaten.
00:51Many Cambodians migrate irregularly to neighbouring countries for work, making them highly vulnerable
00:58to exploitation.
01:00The 2024 US Trafficking Report reveals deep-rooted corruption, including the complicity of Cambodian
01:07officials in trafficking crimes.
01:10This makes the awareness campaign even more urgent.
01:13One of the most important lessons I learned is how to avoid illegal migration traps.
01:22Relying on brokers can be risky and often leads to illegal immigration with serious
01:27consequences.
01:34To work abroad safely, we must have a passport and proper documents.
01:44Reports also indicate that victims in Cambodian scam centres face severe abuse, including
01:50forced labour, torture and sexual violence, with thousands trapped in these operations.
01:57This trafficking prevention workshop warns people about the risks of illegal migration.
02:02It is run by a leading Cambodian human rights organisation and until now has been funded
02:07by USAID.
02:09The campaign has helped people understand how to migrate safely, how to check job offers,
02:14secure the right visas and avoid scam centres.
02:17But now funding is ending and with it, a critical safety net for those most at risk.
02:23The funding freeze has a direct impact on the operations of such programmes.
02:30ADHOC not only provides training and raises awareness about human rights and the law,
02:34but also assists and intervenes legally when individuals or victims face injustices related
02:40to land disputes and natural resource issues.
02:45Now with ADHOC project shutting down, many victims are uncertain about where to turn
02:49for help.
02:53In Phnom Penh, the organisation's founder reveals that 72% of its work and programmes
03:00have been impacted due to the aid suspension, including those supporting marginalised communities.
03:07We work closely with indigenous communities, especially focused in the north-east part
03:15of Cambodia, in Mandelkiri and Ratanakiri province.
03:18We provide legal representation, legal consultation.
03:21It means the case was not successfully advocated to demand for their land title or demand for
03:30their land back.
03:31Because of their land, normally abused or confiscated by high-ranking officers or by
03:40tycoons, that's why we have to provide other services to advocate for, to provide them
03:47with justice.
03:48Without USAID, all these activities might be stopped.
03:53It is not only human rights.
03:55Free media has also become a casualty to the frees.
03:59Cambodia ranks 151 out of 180 countries in the 2024 Press Freedom Index, with journalists
04:08facing state repression and censorship.
04:11The Cambodian Journalists' Alliance Association, or KAMBOJA, is one of the last remaining bastions
04:18of independent investigative news in Cambodia.
04:21Now it faces the risk of having its licence revoked.
04:27Previously we planned to report more than 600 news reports in deep feature and investigative
04:37stories.
04:39Because of the funding limitations, we decided to decrease the number of reporting.
04:44So right now the number of capacity building programs has been reduced as well.
04:51Networking across the Cambodian journalists from the grassroots to national level, regional
04:56level and international level, extending networking with investigative reporters across the region
05:05has been suspended as well.
05:08After USAID's suspension in Cambodia, China stepped in to fill the gaps in certain areas,
05:14such as granting US$4.4 million for demining, previously a US-funded operation.
05:21But can it support human rights and free press organisations?
05:25Cambodian government also supports China's policy.
05:29This is very concerning.
05:31The only thing we can see for the China aid, that means it's not support related to the
05:37human rights democracy.
05:39Most of the China aid, it supports only the infrastructure.
05:44China is well positioned to fill some gaps left by USAID in low-income countries like
05:49Cambodia, using aid as a strategic tool to expand its regional influence, but on its
05:56own terms and with conditions attached.
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