By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Long Beach, California
07 August 2009

Cambodian women and children are under threat of domestic violence in their American homes, living with physical or emotional scars and often feeling they cannot escape. However, two social workers told VOA Khmer, help is available.

“Domestic violence among Cambodian-Americans in society is committed by men against their wives, girlfriends, or children,” said Prom Sony, a domestic violence counselor for the Cambodian Association of America, in Long Beach, Calif.

As a result of the violence, women suffer from post-traumatic stress and paranoia, Om Raksmie, a domestic violence case manager, told VOA Khmer in an interview. Cambodians in America face two especially difficult problems in terms of assimilation. First, there are many Cambodian families in America experiencing intense cultural conflicts. Second, some refugees find the effects of multiple traumas suffered during the civil war and the Khmer Rouge interfering with their daily lives.