A 23-year-old man was arrested and sent to Battambang Provincial Court on Saturday for raping a 9-year-old girl and leaving her unconscious in Chrey Seima commune’s Chamkartabun village.

Sampov Loun district’s deputy police chief Meas Kom told the Post that Ngim Khorn, a farmer living near the girl’s family, was arrested after the family filed a complaint.

According to the complaint, the girl was walking home past a rice field at on Friday when the suspect walked up behind her and raped her in the middle of the field.

“The suspect confessed he had raped the girl, and expert officials stated that the victim had wounds on her sexual organs,” Kom said.

The 98 child rape cases rights group Adhoc has seen this year represent a decrease, head of the women and children program Chuon Chamrong said.

However, Samleang Seila of Action pour les Enfants stressed that rape statistics reflect only cases where complaints are made.

“The problem now is that the number of cases reported is still low compared with the total number of cases each year,” he said. However, he noted: “There is increasing reporting of incidents, and authorities are more willing to pursue cases.”

He added victims often do not report rape because they distrust local authorities, are in remote areas, or are under threat of violence from perpetrators, who may be family members or neighbours.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Yuthana at [email protected]

Justine Drennan at [email protected]