This was mainly due to the fact that the Cambodian government had lifted a ban on sending Cambodian domestic workers to Malaysia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that its embassy in Malaysia had intervened to repatriate 198 Cambodian citizens in 2016, compared with just 55 last year, and 34 in 2014.

In December of last year, Cambodia and Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding lifting a ban, imposed in 2011, on domestic workers migrating to Malaysia to work. The ban had been imposed following reports of severe abuses of maids.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Chum Sounry was quoted as saying that most of those repatriated this year were domestic workers.

“They said the work is very difficult for them because of the conditions,” the Phnom Penh Post quoted him as saying.

Moeun Tola, head of labour rights NGO, Central, said the spike in rescues from Malaysia was a clear indication that the ban should never have been lifted.

Tola said domestic workers he had spoken to had reported abuses such as having to work 20 hours a day, starvation, verbal assault and physical violence.

“Rape is still happening, torture is still happening, and they are not allowed to be connected with their families,” the report quoted him as saying.