Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Chum Sounry told AFP the women were rescued in mid-December after a victim wrote a plea for help on the Facebook page of the Cambodian embassy in Japan. Cambodian officials did not say if the Japanese restaurant owner was arrested or faced any charges. Japan has long been a destination for women from Southeast Asia seeking higher wages who often find themselves forced into sex work or indentured labour. Last August the Philippines warned its citizens against illegally travelling to Japan in search of work, saying they often risked being trafficked for sex or forced labour. Washington's annual report on people trafficking says Japan remains a "destination, source and transit" country for human trafficking despite a recent increase in prosecutions.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 18, 2017 07:00 UTC