So are the girls. On this particular night there are more girls here than customers and the competition is fierce. Two lean into me and make whispered promises if choose them over the others. The smell of bad tequila along with heavy makeup and dark curls helps them look older than they probably are. I can barely hear them speak over the pounding UB40 track playing in the background, while down the bar a group of Australian backpackers picks up a round of shots. In a single year more than 33, people will be trafficked across borders worldwide according to a State Department estimate, most into the sex trade. Despite the size of the crisis, however, most people associate it with shadowy marketplaces and dark villages.

This study aims to understand the experiences of current female entertainment workers in negotiating condom use with clients in Cambodia. A total of 27 focus group discussions FGDs were conducted in the following groups: pilot FGD 5 , karaoke bar 5 , massage parlor 5 , beer garden 5 , on-call sex workers 3 , cross-venue groups exploring parenting issues 2 , and street-based sex workers 2. Female entertainment workers experience a range of control over negotiating condom use with clients. Participants reported times when they were able to take direct action and successfully insist on condom use, times when they agreed to participate in condomless sex for money in the face of economic insecurity, and times when male clients sabotaged their attempts to negotiate condom use with tricks, verbal threats or threats of violence. These experiences are influenced by alcohol use, economic shocks, trust between partners, and experiences with side effects.

It was a productive and great trip to Cambodia and Myanmar. My body also needs a bit of time to recover from the long days of traveling, the sleepless nights, jet lag, and a stomach bug that I picked up! I promise to reveal more about my time in Myanmar in the coming weeks. This week, however, I wanted to share a few observations on life in Cambodia and across much of southeast Asia to the extent that I can generalize. Cambodia has often been described to me as paradise on Earth.