Our earth is an astounding place. At
every new turn I'm greeted by incredible sights and incredible
people, all unique, and yet still all with the same hopes and needs
that the rest of us have.
But the more I learn, the more I know.
And the more I wished there were some things I'd never learned.
I had a flying visit to Cambodia. In
and out in a weekend. Living in KL has it's advantages.
I'm always amazed that I can get off a
ninety minute flight and be a completely different world. (does that
make me old? It sounds like old man talk...) KL is a sprawling metropolis, and Phnom
Penh is a dusty poverty stricken city. With spider webs for power
cables and a road system that resembles a drunken bar fight.
I'd done the dumb tourist thing...
I
hadn't looked into any of the past or present goings-on of the
country, learned any of the language, or even written down the name
of the hotel I was staying in. Traveling with a group had me relaxed.
There were a few things that stood out
to me about the city. Poverty was on display for sure, but I saw
stalls, marketplaces, and people buying and selling. The city would
seem to be on the upward. It's a strange view, seeing a large
television at the front of a shanty bar, next to a squatter camp,
with a mansion towering in the background. Full circle, in one photo
snap.
The traffic was so unorganised it was
almost comical. Fortunately for everyone, the 'tuk tuks' aren't known
for high speed prowess, so the average speeds are pretty low. God
help them when they get proper highways.
I don't remember seeing any ambulances.
I could probably put that down to luck.
On reflection, there was something else
that stood out to me. I've been to a few asian countries now. I have
a clear memory in each country of seeing old people.
Malaysia has tonnes of them. Old dudes,
manning the market stalls, driving taxis. The head guard at a gated
community. I remember old people in the Philipines. Not as many, but
definitely there.
In the weekend I spent in Cambodia, in
a city of 1.5 million, I only remember seeing one old person. It's
only something I realised afterwards.
Looking at the CIA website, we find the
average life expectancy of a Cambodian born today is 60 years for
men, 65 for women. And we find the average age is just 23.
So. If you don't know the story, it's
now time to read up on the rule of the Khmer Rouge. Particularly the
years between 1975 and 1979.
What I'm referring to was genocide, on
a scale Hitler would be proud of. About one third of the country died
as a result of the ruling government's attempt to change society.
They believed good communists came from simple peasants. So in
summary, if you were rich, educated, or in any way outstanding you
were killed. Or if you disobeyed any order. Foraging for food to
supplement the meagre rations for example, was proof enough that
you'd disregarded the ruler's wisdom in food allotment, and were
therefore a traitor to your country and should be killed. They also
focused on eliminating certain people groups, and we particularly set
against the the younger generation, as the were seen as too educated
and untrustworthy.
About two million of the people of
Cambodia died. Either murdered, starved, or struck down by disease,
as any western medicines were banned. And it all happened within the
last thirty five years.
Count back the numbers. If you were
between 15 and 35 then, you'd be between 50 and 70 now.
Scary, deeply depressing stuff.
Poverty still has the majority of the
nation in it's grip.
A member of the group was a union rep,
for want of a better term. He'd been in rural Cambodia for the last
few weeks, negotiating a wage increase for construction workers. The
backers were keen for a deal, and the wages were raised. Raised to $4.50US
a week. That's up 50%. No holiday pay, sick pay, six days a week,
$234 a year.
Honest work doesn't pay. Civil servants
are on about $30 a month. Corruption is rife. And the child sex trade
has reared it's ugly head again.
Girls being sold by their parents is
commonplace. They are then kept as slaves until the 'debt' has been
paid off. This debt generally increases as living expenses are added
to the bill. And as the girl ages, her 'street value' decreases, and
by the age of 20 she is left uneducated, abused, and diseased.
It happens to the boys, too.
It has been said that the horrors of
the Khmer Rouge live on within the people, creating a moral vacuum,
and a perpetuating cycle of abuse. This abuse is allowed to continue
by tourists, locals, and corrupt police and government officials. Although I find it hard
to use the word 'corrupt' when you're talking about people who earn
in a month what I earned every week delivering newspapers when I was
twelve.
Much of the prostitution has been pushed
underground. It's not as blatant as it once was.
And it's not the image I left with.
Driving on a bus with the boys, we
passed the scene of an accident. A young man, probably about my age,
lay dead in the middle of the road.
Perhaps he fell from the back of a
scooter. Perhaps he was trying to cross the road. There was no sign
on the car that had hit him, only a few people, standing vigil in the
centre of the road, awaiting the undertaker.
Poverty had claimed another victim. Few
streetlights, no crossings. Overcrowded motorcycles and no road
safety education. In a land where a human life is still very cheap.
I felt sick. But worse than that, I
felt helpless. I was too late. There was nothing I could do.
How do you talk about these things? In
what social settings is it appropriate to discuss infant mortality
rate, mass murders, or the price the a twelve year old virgin goes
for in Svay Park?
I don't want to internalise things. I
don't want someone to tell me it's ok. Because it isn't.
I found rest in a post on a teenage
girl's facebook page.
“At any given time we are given the
power to say, 'this is not how the story will end'.”
My peace comes with a resolve: I will
not forget what I have learned. I will not forget them.
And I will not allow poverty to decide
the direction of a nation.
We have the technology. We just have to
decide how to use it.
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