Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Cambodia (Ratification: 1969)

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. 1. Trafficking in persons. The Committee previously requested the Government to pursue its efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and to provide information on the prosecution of cases of trafficking under the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, 2008, as well as on the effective implementation of the National Strategic Plan for Counter Trafficking in Persons 2019–23.

The Government indicates in its report that a new National Strategic Plan on Combating Trafficking in Persons (2024–28) was officially announced on 1 August 2024. The Strategic Plan sets out four strategies, namely: (i) promoting prevention of all forms of trafficking in persons, exploitation, and child sexual abuse; (ii) improving the quality and effectiveness of the criminal justice system in responding to all forms of trafficking in persons; (iii) improving the quality and effectiveness of victim protection; and (iv) strengthening cooperation, formulation and enforcement of laws, policies and legal standards. The Committee notes that the Strategic Plan was developed based on the results of the evaluation of the implementation of the previous national strategic plan and will serve as the basis for the development and implementation of annual national action plans. Its implementation will be coordinated and monitored at the national level by the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), which is the national mechanism for the prevention and elimination of trafficking in persons, and at the subnational level by the Municipal/Provincial Committees for Counter Trafficking in Persons (M/PCCT).

The Government also indicates that, according to the 2023 report of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking, 13 victims received legal support in their civil claims, and five perpetrators were sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay civil compensation. In addition, 283 victims were reintegrated into the community or returned to their country of origin. The Government also reports that 382 training courses were provided, benefiting a total of 14,704 participants.

The Committee notes that, according to the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances of 24 March 2024, the number of convictions of traffickers is limited and the identification and referral of victims of trafficking, in particular women and children, are insufficient (CED/C/KHM/CO/1). The Committee also notes that, in its report of 5 August 2024, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia refers to multiple cases of trafficking for online fraud or scams, in which foreign nationals have been tricked into coming to Cambodia, where they are forced to prey on other people online. Some are subjected to violence if they fail to defraud others (A/HRC/57/82). 

The Committee requests the Government to intensify its efforts to ensure that cases of trafficking in persons, including in online scam operations, are effectively detected and investigated. It requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement bodies in this regard and to provide information on the prosecutions and judicial decisions imposed under the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, 2008. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that victims are provided with adequate protection and assistance. Lastly, the Committee requests the Government to provide information on the results of the assessment of the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Combating Trafficking in Persons (2024–28) and its related annual national action plans.

2. Vulnerability of migrant workers to conditions of forced labour. In its previous comments, the Committee took note of the measures taken by the Government to enhance the protection of Cambodian migrant workers against abusive practices and conditions of work that could amount to forced labour in receiving countries, and requested it to pursue its efforts.

The Government indicates that the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) launched its Strategic Development Plan for Labour, Social Security and Vocational Training 2024–28, which includes concrete priority action to strengthen the management of labour migration in conditions of safety, quality and efficiency. Furthermore, from January to July 2024, the MLVT conducted pre-departure orientation sessions, which were attended by 27,779 Cambodian migrant workers. It also organized, for professionals, including police officers, a training-of-trainers workshop on safe migration, attended by 227 participants, and a training workshop on dispute resolution mechanisms for migrant workers, focusing on fisheries and seafood processing, attended by 145 participants. The Government adds that information on procedures for working abroad in different host countries have been published and is available on the website of the MLVT and on its social media platforms, in order to facilitate understanding and prevent Cambodian migrant workers from being trapped in illegal migration or trafficking in persons.

The Government further indicates that the complaint mechanism, as well as the management of recruitment agencies, have been strengthened. Cambodian migrant workers facing abusive practices or at risk of exploitation can file complaints with the administration, or the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in their host country. Two local hotlines have been set up to receive these complaints. From January to July 2024, the MLVT received and resolved 158 complaints (including 130 received and resolved by the Royal Embassy of Cambodia), most of which concerned violations of employment contracts. Additionally, 12 Cambodian migrant workers were assisted in cases of abuse. The Government underlines in the meantime that complaints from migrant workers in host countries should be the responsibility of those countries. In addition, from January to July 2024, the MLVT inspected 104 private recruitment agencies, and two agencies were suspended for violating the Sub-decree No. 190 on Private Recruitment Agency Management.

The Committee notes that, according to the 2024 ILO publication entitled “Cambodia’s labour migration governance framework – A comparative analysis with international labour standards for recruitment, work in fishing and forced labour”, published under the framework of the ILO Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme, in partnership with the MLVT, the primary destination country for Cambodian migrant workers is Thailand, where most of them are employed in the fishing, agriculture, livestock, construction, manufacturing, domestic work and service sectors. The publication highlights that migrant workers face significant challenges in accessing the complaint mechanism intended for them. It specifies that complaints relating to migrant workers are to be submitted to the MLVT (in accordance with the Prakas No. 249 of 2013), and that this complaint mechanism is the main process through which cases of non-compliance with the law would emerge. Moreover, when violations are identified, sanctions are rarely imposed.

The Committee requests the Government to continue taking measures to inform Cambodian nationals willing to migrate on the risks connected with migration and to strengthen access to complaint mechanisms for migrant workers who are victims of exploitation and abusive practices that could amount to forced labour. It requests the Government to: (i) indicate the number of complaints lodged by migrant workers with the MLVT and their follow-up; and (ii) continue to provide information on the inspections of private recruitment agencies conducted and the violations detected.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.