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POIPET Questionnaire Survey 2009
The town of Poipet is located in the north-west of Cambodia in the Banteay Meanchey
province. It comprises the principal border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia,
and has developed rapidly in the last decade from being a small and sleepy town. Due
to steady migration flows, its population has escalated with people hoping to make a
living from cross-border related businesses. Moreover, Poipet attracts several tourists
- Thai and other Asian nationals who gamble in the casinos, as its illegal in Thailand,
or Western tourists in transit between Cambodia and Thailand on the way to/from
Siem Reap. However, its reputation for offering a new start to the underprivileged is
misleading and, in reality, economic opportunities for the uneducated and unskilled are
scarce. The majority of Poipet’s residents are living at survival level, earning a dollar a
day or less. This poverty has led Poipet to evolve into a hotbed of social issues at all
imaginable levels such as smuggling, human trafficking, commercial/sexual exploitation
of children, substance abuse, prostitution, violence and corruption.
The Poipet questionnaire survey 2009 was conducted by the CSCN members Damnok Toek
(Goutte d’Eau) and Krousar Thmey. A total of 117 questionnaires were filled out about chil-dren/
youth attending their services. Of these 86 percent (101) were male, and 14 percent (16) female.
Children/Youth Registered by NGO – Poipet 2009
80
Sex
Male
Female
60
40
68
20
33
9 7
CSCN
0
Krousar Thmey
Goutte d’Eau - Poipet
98 CSCN Street Children Profile 2009