Cambodia's virgin prostitutes - VIDEO

In the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, there exists a commodity that is worth more than gold - virginity.Wealthy men will pay thousands to have sex with an innocent girl and, as a result, 'virgin trafficking' has become big business.But not every girl is trafficked. Many others sell their virginity because they are desperate for money - and then often fall into a life of prostitution.Even though many of them do it to financially support their families, many are ostracised by their relatives and by the local community.Now the shocking story of Cambodia's virgin prostitutes is to feature in a new Jodie Marsh documentary which meets some of the victims.Although her own career was built on selling sex as a glamour model, the 35-year-old says she is grateful she never had to do more than sell pictures of her body.'Girls like Sukhon are forced to sell themselves for money time and time again,' she said. 'I have the choice to abstain from sex and I have realised what a huge privilege that is.'23-year-old Sukhon lives in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and now works as a prostitute after being forced to sell her virginity to pay for an operation that saved her ailing father's life.'I received the news that my father was ill back home,' she reveals. 'I had nowhere to go so I decided to sell my virginity. It was three years ago when I was 20 and I was paid $3,000 (£1,877) by a Chinese man.'I was taken to a restaurant first and then a hotel. I was told to undress and take a shower. Afterwards I was told to keep my clothes off so I was covered only by a towel. 'I was shivering and didn't know what to do because I had already agreed to have sex.'Tragically, as a result of what happened, Sukhon says she is no longer close to her family - even though she did it for them. 'I'm in pain because my family keeps their distance. It hurts me but I understand because they didn't ask me to sell my virginity, they didn't want me to do that.'While Sukhon's father, who also appears in the documentary, says he is grateful that his daughter's sacrifice saved his life, he wishes there had been another way.He said after learning his daughter had sold her virginity, he felt 'anger, sadness and sorry as a parent but there was nothing I could do because it had already happened'.'I love my daughter just like when she was born,' he added. 'I blame the mamasan [female pimp] and the situation that we are in.'Mamasans, or female pimps, are a common sight in Cambodia and care little about the women they exploit.One, who appeared on camera but asked not to be named, revealed that there is nothing that cannot be arranged for paying clients. 'If a client wants to have sex, we'll arrange the girl for them,' she said. 'Also if the client has a special request and they want to sleep with a virgin I will find the girl for them.'I get a commission from client and girl. Sometimes the girl is very grateful for my hard work so gives me extra money.' (dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az