Women in Cambodia experienced horrific violence under the Khmer Rouge.

Kim Khem's husband was disappeared--and most likely killed--early during the Khmer Rouge regime. After the family was evacuated to the rural areas of Takeo, Kim Khem was separated from all of her children except the youngest, a 13-month-old son. One day, Kim Khem heard about the death of her mother on a separate work unit. Kim Khem, as the only daughter of her family, requested permission to provide her mother with a proper burial, which in Buddhist practice would entail cremation. Refused and told to simply throw the body away, Kim Khem convinced the cadre to allow her to travel to her children's work unit to at least bury her mother's body. Later that night after the funeral,  she readied herself to travel back to her work unit, but her older children begged her to stay with them for the night. Overcome with mourning, she agreed. She was arrested at 2:00 a.m. by Khmer Rouge cadre. Refusing to abandon her youngest son, she insisted she bring him with her to the prison. Her excerpt details the night of her arrest and the weeks following, including the horrific murder of her son by a prison guard. When asked why she was arrested in the first place, Kim Khem replied, "for mourning the death of my mother."  Today, Kim Khem still carries the scars of her ordeal, and she depends on her children's support for her considerable medical expenses. 

The cadres dug a square hole, maybe 50 or 100 meters. They used sticks and batons to beat the people on their heads, and the sound was like “phuoss…” When a person was dead, they’d kick the body into the pit and cover it with large tree branches [to prevent it from swelling up and smelling]. They would jeer at the people as they killed them, “You eat boil sago palm! You eat fried chicken!” Most of us were starving; it was very cruel. They killed 11 women by beating them with a stick until only I remained, the only one, the last one alive. They ordered me, “Grandma, you go down into the hole!” I didn't know how I could step down. The hole was deeper than I was tall. Then I fell into the hole face down, my baby under my body. Just then, a tree branch fell on top of me, and I lost consciousness. They thought for sure I was dead and walked away. I thought too that I had died. But I was still alive. 

I climbed out of the grave and went to find my other children to get them out of that unit. But then a security guard found me, tied me in three places, arrested me and brought to the prison. My youngest son was still tied around my neck. The prison was so crowded; there were more than 600 people in that place. On the seventh day of being in the prison, with nothing to eat or drink, some children whose work it was to take care of the cows urinated in coconut shells and then drank their own urine. My baby was thirsty and cried when he saw the children drinking.  One woman nearby noticed this and said, “I feel pity for your child. I will help you to untie your child from your neck. I am not afraid to die anymore.” She united the baby from my neck, and just then the cadre came in. They killed her. They killed her for untying my baby, and they dragged her body outside. My baby was thirsty; he crawled to the children and tried to drink the little urine that remained in coconut shell. He cried, “Wa…Wa…” The Khmer Rouge cadres heard my baby’s voice; they opened the door to the room. My baby saw them, and he crawled to me quickly. He tried to climb up my skirt, he held my legs, but he was too weak, and my arms were tied behind my back. The cadre caught my baby and stepped on his head with Kang Lan.[ii] They stepped on my baby’s head, making the sound “Krij” and my baby’s tongue was out of his mouth. [Cries] My baby died immediately. [Cries] My baby died immediately.