Cambodian women and children are facing a rising tide of sex crimes and urgent action is needed to protect them against abuse, a rights group warned on Monday.

Rape and indecent assault cases have risen steadily in recent years, and many of the victims are children, some as young as four years old, local human rights group Licadho said ahead of International Woman's Day on Tuesday.

"Cambodia is facing a crisis of sex crimes against its women and children," the group said in a statement.

Licadho said it investigated 205 cases of rape and indecent assault involving 218 victims in 2004, compared with 177 cases and 185 victims in 2003.

Shame, embarrassment, fear of revenge by the perpetrator, distrust of the justice system and the unofficial costs of filing complaints are among the reasons preventing victims and their families from pressing charges or filing complaints.

"More action is needed to stop the rape of women and children who continue to live in fear and rarely have access to resources such as shelters, legal and social support, or medical care," Licadho president Kek Galabru said in the statement.

Seventy percent of victims reported to Licadho's offices in 2004 were under the age of 18, and 28 percent were age 12 or younger, while media reported that 15 percent of the assaults were allegedly committed by a relative.

A persistent problem is the unlawful compensation settlements that are being pursued outside the court system.

Perpetrators or their relatives often pay the victims and their families in return for withdrawing the complaints, often with the active involvement of police or court officials, the group stated.

-- From AFP, Phnom Penh, March 8, 2005