My name is Mei and I'm 19 years old. I went to school when I was younger, but I had to leave to work in the rice fields when I was My family is poor and when there is no food to eat, you have to do what you must to support them β as I'm the oldest it's my responsibility. When I first came to Phnom Penh, I got a good job in a garment factory. This wasn't enough for my family. I worried all the time about them; my mum is old and ill, and I wanted my brother and sister to stay in school.
At the time, I was living in a room with other factory workers, and one of them had a friend who worked in a beer bar. My friend said she was earning good money from this and that I could do it too, so I went there to work. At first things were OK as I earned more money. I would sit outside the bar and ask men to come in and drink. The men would ask me for sex but I always said no, I wouldn't sell my body. Sometimes they'd grab me or fondle my breasts, which I hated, but if I complained the boss would shout at me.
A man called Sothy used to come to the bar a lot. He was so nice to me, he spoke to me romantically. One night, he offered to walk me home. I went with him, and he asked me to his room. I really liked him so I said I would, we sat and talked. When I wanted to go, he wouldn't let me. He pinned me to the bed and raped me. I was a virgin and the pain was huge and I bled a lot. He told me he would beat me if I told anyone and that no-one would care anyway as I was a beer girl.
I was so scared after this and so ashamed that I wasn't a virgin anymore. The owner of the bar said he had a friend I could stay with, somewhere safe, and he took me to a guesthouse in the Toul Kork area. I realised it was a brothel when we arrived, but he said I didn't have to sell sex but could work as a cleaner. He lied. After a week, the "aunty" there said I had to sell sex, that I owed her money. Because I'd lost my virginity, I was ruined already so I had no choice.
When a man came to the brothel, he took me into a room. He took off all my clothes and had sex with me. I realised then in my heart that I'd become a prostitute. I cried a lot. The other girls said it would get easier but it didn't. I slept with between five and 10 men a day. I tried to stop myself from being there in my head and drank a lot.
