victims and prepetretors, sad stories

VICTIMS AND PERPETRETORS? TESTIMONY OF YOUNG KHMER ROUGE COMRADES

These photos examine a group of children who became victims of the Khmer Rouge regime between the age of 12 and 18. They are based on interviews with children who had been recruited from Region 31, and ended up working at S-21. Under the Khmer Rouge regime, Kampong Chhnang province was called Region 31; this region lies in the center of Cambodia, some 90 kilometres north of Phnom Penh. The connection between Region 31 and S-21 was verified by a group of children under 18 who were from the region and survived the prison. A large amount of scientific research has been carried out on the psychology of genocide survivors, including some work on survivors of the Cambodian genocide. Psychiatric studies of Cambodian genocide survivors have shown symptoms of serious psychological problems, such as recurring nightmares, trouble concentrating or sleeping, and signs of clinical depression, which can endure for years after the traumatic experience has ended. Recent studies suggest that a significant proportion of the Cambodian population still suffer from these problems, often diagnosed as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. But as trauma expert, Dr. Judith Lewis Herman noted, "Little is known about the mind of the perpetrator." It seems logical that the effects of trauma would also have an impact on the staff of prison camps and other participating in state terror. But, to date, no studies have been conducted that might confirm whether the effects of trauma appear in young Khmer Rouge cadres who were involved in torture. Mental health professionals and other specialists have argued that children are easily trained owing their innocence. The Khmer Rouge knew this and used it in their attempt to build a new society. Historians have documented this fact. These observations lead to the conclusion that young comrades also became victims fo the revolution.