FOR SALE: Books, DVDs and ... Opium?

I had been warned by many who have already traveled through Cambodia to expect a lawless society whereby anything and everything is attainable and achievable, especially in the major cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. With that said, I was still caught off guard when a 12-year-old Cambodian street peddler flashed a bag of opium to my friend. We were seated at an outdoor cafe one evening around 10 pm on a Saturday night and we soon realized that this boy was not alone. 

Among him was a group of seven children carrying baskets of various books and DVDs to sell to the expats and tourists who frequent the strip of restaurants and bars down by the riverfront in Phnom Penh. Their English speaking skills were nearly flawless and they all had the charisma to match the energy in their voices, "Books! Books! You like? No, well how about DVD for you beautiful? I have good one for you. No? Okay, how about this?" And ... BAM!, a plastic baggy of opium--a Class A drug-- was presented to her for 'a cheap price just for you beautiful ladies,' concealed only by the books and DVDs blocking the view from potential undercover police.

A child fishing in the Tonle Sap to feed himself lunch.

There are now many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that campaign on behalf of these children who essentially have no voices. The NGOS adamantly discourage tourists from giving them money by claiming that most of the money the children collect in a night will go into someone else's pocket and therefore not directly benefit them at all. Instead, it has become a widely requested alternative to buy the children an inexpensive plate of food or drink if you feel as though you have to do something for them.


Disheartening? Incredibly! No matter how much I read about children being used as a source of income for families, or see children across the globe out at all hours begging for money, I have not yet become desensitized.  Behind every group of peddlers and beggars I constantly search to see who is in control of them. In a country like Cambodia, and in a city such as Phnom Penh, it is very possible that the adults they return to at the end of the night are domineering men or women using them as free labor.

A little girl selling items outside of an Angkor
Temple to raise money for her family.
She is about 4 years old.

I am one of those tourists who cannot ignore the children, whose small frames and frequent coughs leave an impression on me. I requested the permission of a restaurant owner to let a group of 3 young street peddlers sit town at a table away from the customers so that they could share a full plate of food for $2.50 USD--on me. He agreed, so long as the children did not try to sell their 'merchandise' while they were in his restaurant. The children were well behaved, so it was a win-win for everyone. 

Although I realize I cannot do this for every child I meet, I do not regret helping those that I can. We must all understand that their annoying and incessant demands (which are undeniably  targeted at mainly white tourists) to buy their goods is a means of survival, and not something that we must ignore and dismiss as petty child-like behavior. Purchasing their goods (especially the cheap and illicit drugs) will only do harm to both the seller and buyer. There are alternatives on how you can handle these transactions, and I encourage all travelers in developing countries to not become desensitized to it all.