Cambodia
Cambodia is a country in turmoil. Still struggling to recover from the horrors of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, poverty, poor nutrition, human trafficking, and exploitation are far from the exception throughout the country.
Some Startling Statistics:
- 35% of Cambodians live below the national poverty line (the poverty line deemed appropriate for a country by its authorities) of $0.45 per day.
- Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, has 564 slum areas housing 300,000 people, one quarter of the city’s population. Ten years ago 30,000 people lived in 187 slum areas.
- 36% of children under 5 years of age are moderately or severely under weight and 37% are under height for their age.
- There are 16 physicians in Cambodia for every 100,000 people.
- There are 374 qualified dentists in Cambodia, one for every 30,000 people. A six-year-old child has an average of 9.7 teeth that are decayed, missing, or filled.
- About 42% of Cambodian women and 21% of men above the age of 15 have never attended school.
- 30% of pupils drop out from school between grades 1 and 2. 43% of pupils complete grade 6 and 19% complete grade 9. On average there are 51 pupils per primary school teacher.
- There are 80,000 to 100,000 commercial sex workers in Cambodia. 30% are under 18.
- 58% of sex workers claim that they were sold into prostitution.