Battambang provincial court on Sunday charged a 15-year-old boy with the rape of a 7-year-old girl in Thma Koul district, police said.

Chan Nareth, deputy chief of the provincial Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Office, said Heng Virak was arrested on Thursday at his home in Samrong village, in Tameun commune, following a complaint from the girl’s parents. According to the complaint, Chan Nareth said, Heng Virak raped the victim on January 6 while her parents were working in their rice field.

“After raping [her], the offender returned to his home and the victim told her mother many days later,” he said.  

Krouch Chhanpov, a monitor for local rights group Adhoc based in Battambang, said that this was just the latest in a string of similar incidents in the province. On December 21, she noted, Seng Saro, also 15, was charged with the rape of his 6-year-old female cousin at his home in  Samlot district. Seng Saro was arrested on December 18 following his arrest and is currently in detention awaiting trial.

“I think that the reason why in recent years many boys have raped girls is because they have watched sex videos or have been seen their parents’ sexual activities openly in their houses … so they practiced it,” she said.