The Lasting Effects of A Haunting Past, Cambodia

The end of the 1970′s marked the closing of an crippling decade in Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge, a group supporting the nation’s totalitarian ruling party, overran the country and it’s people. Some 1.5 million Cambodians are said to have perished during this time for reasons based on levels of education, language, political belonging and suspicion of being unfaithful to the Khmer regime. The goal of Khmer rouge was to bring the nation back to a level of simplicity, where citizens had no skills that could advance them in a modernizing Cambodia. Doctors, teachers, political leaders and government officials were targeted for extermination, no mater the age or sex.

As a result of this genocidal decade, the ramifications of population distribution can be seen. Walking the streets of any city, town or village, a common theme is quickly uncovered in that the general population is very young. This can be directly linked to the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power and mass extermination of the population during the 1970′s. Many people were left orphaned during this time and has in turn left many modern day households in the care of the children.

Child headed households are those which lack an adult to assume the head of household position, thus leaving the eldest child to assume the rolls of an adult despite their lack of life experience.

Copyright Jennifer Campos 2010