Gang rape: the perspectives of moto-taxi-drivers across Cambodia

Tong Soprach, CARE

In 2002, the word 'bauk' first gained public attention in Cambodia. Bauk, a mathematical reference to plus (+) in Khmer script, has come to be popularly used amongst young people as a colloquial reference to group-rape. Four previous studies have been undertaken which draw attention to: shared cultural conceptions of masculinity, femininity and hierarchy; lack of understanding of human rights and sexual consent; peer pressure amongst men; a culture of impunity; the role of poverty; and links between group-rape and post Democratic Kampuchea second-generation trauma. In this rapid country wide assessment, 24 assistant researchers conducted surveys in 20 provinces and 4 cities, asking moto-dup-drivers who worked in red light districts and guesthouse areas about bauk. The overall findings indicated that 61% (117) of the 192 moto-dup-drivers interviewed had heard of incidences of bauk. Only in two provinces, had moto-dup-drivers had not heard of local incidences of bauk.