Prostitution in Cambodia is on the rise and these women are part of group of sex workers that are seeking ways to improve working and living conditions.

Three women who were tricked into sex work in Malaysia arrived in Phnom Penh this month after they were freed from brothel work last year.

One young woman reported being tricked into the trade by her sister, said Mam Somaly, director of the aid agency Afesip, in Phnom Penh, where the three were recovering.

The enslavement of the three women, aged 18 to 23, likely would have continued, except one young woman escaped the brothel, found the police and called Afesip long-distance for help.

The three returned July 3 after Malaysian police raided the brothel, acting with the help of the escapee and Afesip in November.

Mam Somaly said it had taken this long to repatriate the women, whose tales are common enough in Southeast Asia, a region rife with sex trafficking and trickery.