A 60-year-old Mexican national working at a school in Sihanoukville was convicted of sexually abusing two young girls yesterday and sentenced to two years in prison, with one year of the sentence suspended, according to APLE Cambodia, a child rights NGO.
In addition to his prison sentence, the court ordered him to pay 10 million riel to the two victims.
Pina Paez Bernado was arrested in June last year after a police investigation. He was convicted under article 43 of the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, according to Colonel Chor Heng, the chief of the Anti Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Unit in Preah Sihanouk province.
Khoem Vando, a program manager at APLE Cambodia, said Mr. Paez Bernado was seen contacting the two girls in public by officials from APLE. The police were alerted immediately, he said.
Mr. Paez Bernado was still able to get the girls to come to his apartment, and the next day, APLE contacted the police again about the situation. The two girls were interviewed about what happened, and police arrested and questioned Mr. Paez Bernado. Legal action was immediately taken after speaking to both sides.
After the case ended, the two victims, a 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl, were sent to a facility where they are receiving support.
APLE noted that the case is a prime example of “child-friendly” court procedures, due to the court’s use of privacy screens, which allow victim’s the chance to testify without having to relive the trauma brought on by seeing the suspect.
“We are confident that Cambodian courts will become child-sensitive in all future cases involving children testifying. This will increase the likelihood of young victims speaking out in court,” said Seila Samleang, APLE Executive Director.
Following his prison sentence, Mr. Paez Bernado will be deported back to Mexico.