Cambodge : La traque des prédateurs

Cambodge : La traque des prédateurs

We are in Cambodia, in the corridor of a small, cheap hotel in Phnom Penh, the capital. These two men are plainclothes police officers. In the room… A Western tourist and a 15-year-old minor. She is sick. She is sick. She is sick. She is sick. I gave him some medicine. We didn’t have sex. Please, your passport. Your passport, it is written. You are a problem. The man is a Greek tourist. He is 62 years old. In his business, The police discovered photos taken with the teenager. The man was immediately arrested. I’m coming with you, I’m coming with you, There is no problem. Not like that. Please, I’m going to come. I don’t need this. He will be tried three months later and sentenced to five years in prison. Cambodia has decided to crack down on foreigners who come to the country to abuse children or adolescents. Today, for tourists, It’s zero tolerance. Cambodia welcomed nearly 2 million tourists last year. With its temples, its royal palace and its Buddhist monks, It has become a fashionable destination for travelers looking for exoticism. But for years, This small country of 14 million inhabitants, located between Thailand and Vietnam, has mainly been the flagship destination for countries around the world. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Here, a third of the inhabitants live on less than 1 euro per day. And in the capital, Phnom Penh, There are nearly 2,000 street children. An ideal hunting ground for sexual predators. Thierry Darnodet first discovered this phenomenon in 1994, almost by chance during a trip. It was here, at the Phnom Penh municipal swimming pool. At the time, This is the hot spot for swimming pools. Western tourists come here to do their shopping. They bathe among the children, pick them and take them back to their hotel. Shocked, Thierry then decides to investigate and he discovers much worse. Brothels where children get… What I saw, I asked… Little girl, They brought me 5 or 6 that stood around me like that, really very small. And that’s how old they were 5, 6 years old, 7 years old, no more around me. And the crazy thing is, they were trying to touch me. So I was a little bit on the back foot anyway and they were saying to me Uh Uh… Mi-Miam-Miam Number one. Mi-Miam-Miam Number one. Yum-Yum, it means here. SO, she told me, the ones, They were pushing each other because they wanted me as a client. SO, The little ones were already used to fighting for the customer. And so, They were pushing each other. Take me, Me, choose me, I am the best, I’m the best for… Are you six years old? Five years, six years, seven years. It was crazy. Here are some pictures of this place. They were filmed in 2004 by a freelance cameraman. Sir, come here. We have young girls. Over there, young girls. The location is kept secret. Cambodian macros… Escort the client down a long corridor into a squalid room. Okay, sit down. This is one of the rooms in the brothel. A few moments later, A child enters the room. You have two smaller ones No, No, she can stay. He wants to see them all first before choosing. 12 years old, 11, 11, 11. The little ice creams. No, at the time, the authorities turn a blind eye. The p… Act with impunity. Thierry wants to react. He has been working in humanitarian aid for years. It started in India, alongside Mother Theresa, and founded shelters for street children in Calcutta. He then created in Cambodia, a unique NGO in the world, action for children. His goal, track down the… In six years, He managed to gather around him a team of around thirty detectives. They are all Cambodian. And every morning, it’s the same ritual, the briefing on current affairs. This man is really suspicious. He made an appointment with his two daughters. In your opinion, how old are they? They are 12 years old? Yes, The same. Afterwards, the detectives go hunting, equipped with small digital cameras and cameras. They were trained in investigations and the art of surveillance by the English police and the American FBI. On their moped… They blend into the crowd, impossible to identify them. Their goal Identify and film Western tourists who behave suspiciously with children. This Morning, Thierry is just watching a suspicious video. It was one of these investigators who filmed him last night in downtown Phnom Penh. In the image, a tourist in his thirties playing with a little girl. He is a stranger who is interested in a young girl. They exchanged some food, maybe some chips. I think he passed her his water bottle. It could also be someone who is friendly and interested in the child. And he wants to give him two, three things to eat. It’s quite possible, too. A priori, nothing suspicious. There, I see that the stranger and the little girl are playing. She hits him with a plastic bottle, like that. He acts almost like a kid. And it is precisely this behavior that alerts Thierry. An adult can play with a child, it’s clear. It’s not a crime. A father goes to play with his daughter, with his son, They will roll around in the grass, in their garden. But there, in a context, a foreigner who is in Cambodia and who, late at night, is playing with a plastic bottle with a kid. I’m sorry to say, but it’s so typical of certain attitudes, of certain people. Tim, Do we have someone who will follow us today? Yes, we have someone who takes care of it. We haven’t been able to pinpoint where he lives yet. Because yesterday, He went to the brothel and stayed there for a very long time. And at one o’clock in the morning, Our agent had to go home. But we talked to the little girl. And we know that he made an appointment with her this evening to see her again. The meeting must take place on this platform. In the heart of Phnom Penh, It is one of the hunting grounds of… This is where the tourist restaurants and cafes are concentrated. And so it is naturally the meeting place for small beggars and street vendors. Easy prey for foreigners. Most of these children have no home. They sleep in a small square located a few hundred meters from the tourist spots. Some are, with their family, others survive alone. This is the case of Chatra. He is 15 years old. He ran away from home. Ahead, I’m the boss. He has been living on the streets for three years. What do you do every day? Every day ? I lay down on the platform. I go to see the people who are sitting on the benches or those who are going to pray at the temple. Come on, car, this way Madam, you are obstructing traffic. Chatra does what he can, but the few cents he earns each day are not always enough to survive. So, sometimes, for a few dollars more, he boasts to tourists. When you want to meet a stranger, where are you going What do you think of these foreigners? I have no money, otherwise I will never go with them. I go out with them so they give me money. How much money? 5 or 6 dollars. And you’re not afraid of them? If. You are afraid, but you go anyway. Because I’m too hungry. And today, what is your dream My dream, It’s about having a house to bring my mother to Phnom Penh. The girls know that here, They can buy a child for a handful of dollars. And that’s why Thierry’s investigators regularly monitor the neighborhood. This evening, They are on the trail of the man who was playing with the girl. He should arrive any moment. The device is in place. The girl is walking along the platform. Yes, she is alone. She has a basket in her hands and she is wearing red pants. Yesterday, He came from there. Yes, I think. Yesterday, when she was questioned, She said the man was supposed to meet her at the same place. The wait begins. It will last more than an hour. The officers do not take their eyes off the girl playing on the platform. Finally, the man appears. Thierry follows him from a distance. The man walks straight up to the girl and starts playing with her. Thierry is on the lookout. He waits for the right moment to start a conversation with the suspect. I’m going there, I’ll see how it goes. Nice place to relax, Eh Yeah, It’s great! This is the fifth time I’ve been here. After the usual pleasantries, Thierry gradually shifts the conversation to sex and pornography. In Southeast Asia. He plays the naive. If they spend their child here, It is believed that they will go to… Yes, I’m afraid of it. We can’t be sure. Some are really nice, They are not like that. But you know, Peace in Asian countries does not have the same status as it does here. Here, it is not so forbidden, It is not such a terrible sin. This is the classic sex tourist speech. But after an hour of conversation, Thierry is not convinced, however, that man is a… He tells me that the galley, It’s a big mess. It’s a big mess. Everywhere, etc. And he said to me, Good, I like girls, etc. I tell him, Yes, completely normal. And there, he told me, but hey, I don’t like girls like… And he shows me the little one, I don’t like girls like… Like the little one there, She tells me that I’m not like the other idiots who sleep with kids, etc. Are you going to continue monitoring him? I think we’ll still continue because, as experience has shown us, You never know who is behind it. So we’re going to continue anyway. But the next day, The man will leave town and investigators will lose track of him. This happens often. It can take months or even years to gather the evidence needed to arrest a sexual predator. One case particularly stood out for Thierry and his colleagues. It’s that of this German. They tracked him for over a year before they managed to get their hands on this video. It shows little girls being led by adults into and out of the suspect’s home. It is this document that will convince the police to intervene. The man is arrested, his house destroyed in the presence of his little victims. The police discover the horror. In these males, The man collects a whole range of sadomasochistic paraphernalia. And above all, He has hard drives, full of photos. And movies. During the search, The man suddenly pretends to feel unwell. He goes out onto the balcony and jumps into the void. The man is seriously injured, but he survives. He will be sentenced to 28 years in prison. In their office, each day, Investigators see images and videos scrolling by, often difficult to watch, sometimes unbearable. Some remain engraved in their memory, like these images of a search carried out last year at the home of a thinker. Pictures and amidst a multitude of sex gadgets, two children’s dolls. The first time, Me, I couldn’t believe that you could actually have relationships with very young children. 5 year old children, 6 years old, little boys. I couldn’t believe it. But case after case, I found out it was true. SO, how to tell you, It hurt me. It made me very angry about all these crimes. In six years, Detectives have led to the arrest of more than 100 people in Cambodia. Most of them caught red-handed. And if a few years ago, the police were hesitant to attack tourists, Today, everything has changed. The arrests were made by a police unit specializing in the fight against human trafficking. Sorry, Sorry. That day, It’s a Frenchman caught with a minor. Do I have to give money? Sit down. Do I have to pay now? What is your nationality? I am French. I have a plane to catch. How old are you ? 63 years old. The association’s methods have proven their worth. So, today, countries are wary. They are trying to find ways around it. Thierry’s teams are thus confronted with a new phenomenon, much more perverse and much more difficult to fight, These are the false adoptions. Parents simply buy children from poor families and then, They are illegally pretending to be the adoptive father. This is the case of this Australian. The man lives with a 4-year-old girl. It was learned that this man bought this child for 800 dollars, that he paid to his mother. And today, His mother lives in Vietnam. It’s a purchase. We buy ourselves a family and especially its silence. And in particular, We buy a room with a child. What we cannot do in Europe. Thierry had to deal with a case like this recently. It concerns a French person. We wanted to meet him. The man adopted an 8-year-old girl. He is accused of… Today, Cambodian police want to expel him from the country. We found him in his prison. We are filming with a hidden camera, because the Cambodian authorities refuse to let us meet him officially. The man knows we are journalists. In the bag, there is a camera. He agrees to be filmed and interviewed. Why you want to adopt it That’s what’s surprising. There are people who come here who adopt. I’ve been seeing a word for 20 years. I meet a kid who says to me, “I want to be your kid.” I had a little heart. Quite simply. “But that’s it, damn. You don’t have children. This is my daughter. Low, no. This is my daughter. You don’t need to be… » So I can fucking stop looking for a video at 2 p.m.! This is my daughter, I love her like my daughter, I love him like crazy! Shh, She’s my daughter, damn it, She’s my daughter! Wait, I have to… Fuck, I met her, She asked me if it was a boy, it would have been the same! And yes, I realized in prison that I am your daughter’s love! Ah, no, I don’t touch her. I don’t want her to help me at a clinic. That’s all. I need her and she needs me. This is Srey, the little girl this man adopted two years ago. Today, she lives in a reception center, under the protection of an NGO. We went to meet his family. She lives in one of the slums of Phnom Penh. On the bike, her twin sister. And this is his family. In pink, his mother. And in a striped t-shirt. His aunt. These women live at the end of this little alley, in a wooden hut, their house. A room of 4 square meters. How many people live here? There are 6 of us and we all sleep next to each other. Like that. The man in prison admitted to giving the family about $500 to allegedly adopt the little girl. This is the equivalent of more than a year’s average salary in Cambodia. A providential sum for this family. I don’t agree with what he accuses, because he is generous with my family and with my niece. If he had done things, not good… I would have accused him too. He was okay with my niece. My child was begging. He noticed it and felt sorry for him. He gave him money. So she can go to school, so that she no longer begs. Because I am poor. You think he had sex with the girl No, he didn’t have sex. Those who accuse him are wrong. He loves her like his child. The family stands together. Yet, The man was arrested a few months after this pseudo-adoption. He was even sentenced to a year and a half in prison for indecent acts on the girl, who admitted to touching and sexual games. We decide to go back to see him in prison. Could you have had a child like that anywhere other than Cambodia? Of course, There are several little girls who are in love with me, only, I am yesterday. That’s all. Little girls who fell in love with you Yes, Yes. I even worked in a… I only stayed two weeks because it had left its mark on me. I am a boarding school teacher. I only stayed two weeks because there was a little one. Each day, she stood in front of me, increased the arms, was starting to track me. You have a girlfriend, etc. Every time. And from the moment I ran away, because it was bothering me. It was bothering me. I refused what I was. And today, Do you still deny what you are? I accept… I am. You recognize, you say, I am. And you adopt a child in Cambodia. Do you understand that people are worried? It is not incompatible. It’s an identity. A sexual identity, without necessarily being a sexuality. It’s something you don’t choose, which happens from birth. We can say what we want, they say they are sick, etc. Who found a cure It is a sexual identity, it can not be helped, that’s how it is. That doesn’t stop you from loving children, that doesn’t prevent… Is a heterosexual necessarily a pervert? So a pervert is necessarily a child? And the consent of children What about children’s consent? We are not able to… It is estimated that a child of 8-10 years old is not capable of… But according to the law, it’s more like 8-10 years, It’s now under 18. You think a 10-year-old can have a… You’re with an adult. But a child, when it comes to sexuality, A child’s first sexual experience begins when he or she suckles at his or her mother’s breast. Did you have sex games with this child? We had a love story, I can’t talk about it. Sex games, I can’t say sex games. Why can’t you talk about it? Because it’s between my daughter and me, and it’s up to me to know with her what she wants, whether we say it or not. Since this interview, The man was deported from Cambodia. He returned to France, where he was arrested and charged with disseminating images of a sexual nature and promoting prostitution. He is now in prison. But for a p*** arrested, many escape justice. This is the case of this man in a red shirt that we filmed in the heart of Pnompeb. Thierry’s NGO has been tracking him for five years. This Frenchman settled in Cambodia ten years ago. He lives with two children he supposedly adopted. One is now eight years old, the other fourteen. The man is said to have previously abused children in France and Thailand. Here, Investigators suspect him of having abused around ten other street children. But so far, They never managed to get him convicted. The man walks peacefully and with impunity through the streets of the capital. This is a case that annoys me, This is a case that annoys me, because we have known him for many years. We had him arrested the first time until 2004, here in Phnom Penh. He spent a few months in prison, but he got out before being tried. That the child, I think, finally had to withdraw his complaint, etc. Five years, you have evidence against him, five years, you make him stop, He always gets away with it. He always gets away with it. This is diabolical. According to investigators, The man takes advantage of the corruption that reigns in the country. He is said to be receiving protection from a police officer and has already paid money to judges. Suspicions, confirmed by a trial held last February in Siennoukville, a small town located about a hundred kilometers from Phnom Penh. That day, in court, A child had agreed to testify against the Frenchman for sexual abuse. Yet, this time again, The man will be okay. After the first auditions, the judge decides to postpone the trial, because he has doubts about the child’s real age at the time of the events. The man did not even see fit to appear at the hearing. We reached him by phone, but he absolutely refuses to speak with us. You do not wish to comment on this matter at all. No way, instead. I haven’t spoken for 10 years, Sir. Well, exactly, Isn’t this an opportunity to express yourself? No, There is no opportunity. There are accusations against you, which are serious. I think it’s important to be able to respond. This is serious. There, you miss the opportunity to keep quiet. If the man is so sure of himself, It is that he has a weight support. The children he adopted. At no time, They did not agree to testify against him. We were able to meet them briefly. We are filming with a hidden camera. You know, you have to speak French. Because it’s him. Before, he had picked up some trash. You understand But now, he can speak, he can go to school. He ate, he fed. And now, Why are you doing this to me? It’s because you’re causing problems for us. You are both. That’s right. You work well, my son. You must always be better, My son. That’s just how it is. Otherwise, you will do, as we say, the pipes, but long pipes, it’s not true, you don’t know. We showed this interview to Thierry Darnodet. It’s good, I’ve seen enough. It’s as simple as that. I don’t necessarily want to see more, I understand. But then, your question If this kid said no, and if he had never been abused, and if… He had simply found a benefactor. A good dad. The man who abused his nephew when he was perhaps 8 to 11 years old in his house in Corsica. And children in Thailand. The good dad who wishes there were no… NGOs in Cambodia, Because NGOs are so bad, They do so much harm to children. Of course, It would suit him if there were no NGOs in Cambodia. They could have as many children as they wanted. But this case is an exception, because today, thanks to the work of detectives, in Cambodia, Countries no longer feel completely safe. The country is no longer the El Dorado they once knew. The problem, is that they have already found new hunting grounds. Their new favorite destination is thousands of kilometers away, in Africa. This is Kenya. Known for its animal reserves and safaris, The country has become a fashionable seaside destination. Its white sandy beaches bordering the Indian Ocean attract more than a million tourists each year. But all… They don’t come here to admire the beauty of the beaches. In 2006, A UNICEF report had the effect of a bomb. He denounces the sexual exploitation of children along the Kenyan coast. The figures are worrying. Between 10,000 and 15,000 underage girls occasionally worry, or one in three girls who live in the region. Without anyone noticing, In just a few years, Kenya has become the new paradise for the bourgeoisie. But here, It’s a taboo subject. Few people are willing to talk about it openly. These two women worked for a long time in hotels on the coast and sometimes even recruited prostitutes for tourists. They know everything about this universal. They agreed to give us a behind-the-scenes look at this nursery. And it starts very quickly. We had barely arrived on the beach when the young woman, on board three teenage girls, is walking. She takes them in her arms to make them feel confident. She will show us how, in a few minutes… A white tourist can afford a very young girl. This is Akini. And you ? Zawaidi. And Betty. Ah, okay, You are friends and you are in the same school. How old are you ? 13 years old. 13 years old. And you Akini? 13 years old and 14 years old. At the start, The girls are intimidated and look at us curiously. Then, very quickly, with interest. Two points, a point. She loves you. They chose you. As for you, there is only one who loves you. And she said to me, it’s sure, I have to end my days with this boy. And there, We will discover that this is not just a teenage game. Are you ready to come with a white guy like me? Yes, No problem. I’m very old to you. She says it doesn’t matter. Yes. If I tell you okay, we leave together, you want to be my girlfriend. Go ahead, You can talk. Yes. Speak freely. We can go to my hotel. Aren’t you scared? No, She is not afraid. If you tell him we’ll go, she goes there. But, explain to me, why do you want to go with a white man So that he can help me. To help him. Because you think that if the white man loves you, he will help you. That’s it, Eh She is in love with you. She is crying. It’s very surprising. For what They are virgins and they don’t care. They are ready to do it. They think all white people are rich. They have this idea in mind, If they get their hands on a white man, all their problems will be solved. They don’t even want to go to school anymore. They only think about having a blank. That’s all they have in mind. The white, That’s all that matters. And these teenage girls, met by chance, are not an isolated case. More and more young girls are leaving their villages to go and work on the beaches. And the phenomenon is eating away at the entire region. Clay huts, some brick buildings, We are located in a village located only 3 km from the beach and luxury tourist hotels. How are you ? Hello children. Marie Rukungi is a teacher. This 42-year-old woman devotes all her free time to fighting sex tourism. In front of her, four young girls who dropped out of school to seek treatment. They are between 15 and 16 years old. She tries to warn them. Here, at our place, everyone thinks that when a girl finds a white guy, his life changes completely. But me, I have often noticed that these white men take advantage of girls and then, They abandon them and go back home. But obviously, The message is hard to get across. Do you think you’ll continue? And you ? You ? Sometimes, she discourages me. When I talk to them, She just thinks I’m wasting their time. It’s depressing. It breaks my heart. Mary feels helpless. But she is not the only one. The village chief, him too, is completely outdated. It hurts me a lot. Me, I never allow my children to go to the beach. Once, I even had to lock them in the house and beat them to dissuade them from following this bad example. They are not about to disobey me. These children are spared for the moment, but not the rest of the village. Do you know how many girls dropped out of school to become prostitutes? I stopped counting. More than twenty, no doubt. Me, personally, I know about ten of them. The fight is all the more difficult because this child production has become a business in its own right. At the heart of this market, the Beach Boys, These are the young men who approach tourists on the beach to offer them all kinds of services, boat trips, memories and especially sex. Among women, They play gigolos and sell their bodies. With men, They turn into macros and provide products for all ages and sometimes children. We meet the young women who agreed to talk to us about this business. They have lived in the area for a long time and know most of the Beach Boys who operate in their area. Do you know any Beach Boys who specialized in children? Yes, I know Michael. Who is Michael? Michael, He’s a beach boy. He’s been doing this here for a long time. And he knows how to find little girls and little boys? Yes, he knows. We asked them to contact this beach boy. The appointment is made, the same evening, in a bar near the sea. We are looking for very young girls. You can find a child Michael hardly speaks any English. The young woman will act as our intermediary. He says, 8 years old, 9 years old, he can find. Boy or girl Both. Both Ah, you can find everything! How long will it take? Two days. Two days. He says that even for tomorrow, It’s possible. Okay, but where do they come from? Where do they come from? Yes. Or From a village. The next morning, We are leaving for this village. It is only a few kilometers from the coast. This region is one of the poorest in the country. Tourism money has had no impact on these village communities. We meet again. Michael. He is waiting for us at the entrance of a house. The children are inside. You can bring them here for me to see. Yes, I can. Come on You, come here. Okay. But why are you afraid? Come on. Okay, How’s it going. Good morning, What’s your name What’s your name You are asked for your name. Pendo. Tell it to the white man. Hello And you ? And you, your name And how old are you? Massie? How old are you, Massie She doesn’t go to school. She doesn’t even know her age. Ask her if she’s afraid to come with us. What You want to go with white This one says yes. You, Are you afraid to approach white people? Throughout the negotiation, A man sits apart along the house. He is the father of the children. What did you tell him? He was told that you will take the children and take pictures, stuff like that. He said no problem. What price are you giving us? 250 euros each. 250 and 250? Yes, 500. 500. And if I give you 500, how much you give to family and how much you keep I give 300 euros and I keep 200. And if I give you money now, It’s good Yes. Can I leave with the children? Yes. The deal made with Michael. We are going to see the father. Good, you understood correctly. We are leaving with the children, but they are not lost. All right. Good, It’s okay. We can leave with the children, SO. The white man wants to be sure that you agree to us leaving with the children. No problem. See you, bye bye. Everyone agrees to let us leave with the children. We then pretended to have an urgent appointment and explained to Michael that we would get back to him very soon. This time, The children will return home safe and sound. Do you think parents know what’s going on? No, They don’t really understand. They don’t know that children will be used as objects. No, they don’t know. But when the children come home, They must tell what they did. Yes, he could tell. But I’m sure if you tell the children, “don’t say anything,” if you don’t say anything, I will give you more money. The children won’t say anything. If you don’t hurt the child, if there is no visible mark, I’m sure the child won’t say anything. These African children, especially these children, who are among the poorest, They will never say anything. The children never file complaints and the government turns a blind eye. In Kenya, Tourists represent a financial windfall for the country. No question of bothering them. James is a police officer. He is revolted by the impunity enjoyed by sexual predators. He agreed to testify with his face hidden. Our country is only focused on money, on the income that tourists bring to Kenya. But we forget that these same people who bring us money are at the same time those who destroy us. It doesn’t matter what you gain from foreigners. The other effect, the hidden side of this tourism, This is what the government refuses to talk about. We need strong institutions that can say, well, you are visitors. But remember, this and that, You have no right to do this. That’s what we’re missing. Sometimes, you are disgusted. Oh, yes, Really. No one is happy to see this. It is our future that is being destroyed. I want our community to stand up and say no to all of this. It’s up to us, than our people. It is up to us today to refuse what is happening here between our children and these white people. No, Really, I don’t like it and I’m even ashamed to be part of this community. In Kenya today, unlike Cambodia, There is no structured NGO to fight against tourism. There is of course, Marie, the teacher who tries to save teenage girls from… She created a women’s soccer team with children who were victims of this sex tourism. And she organizes tournaments to get her messages across. But its means are derisory. A tent and a sound system rented for the day and the association’s choir. This song says, I have a goal, a powerful goal, and I’m not afraid of anything. No matter what happens, I’m not afraid of anything. But in this stadium, as in the rest of the country, There are few people to hear his message. THANKS.

Le Cambodge, un des pays les plus pauvres d’Asie, attire certains touristes venus du monde entier pour des activités illégales. Enquête au cœur des trafics cambodgiens.
Réalisateur : Hervé BOUCHAUD