"Why Am I the Only One Responsible for the Whole Family?": Expressions of Economic Filial Piety and Financial Anxiety Among Female Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Cambodia

Filial piety has evolved and spread in different ways throughout Asia, with the common thread of deep respect and gratitude towards one’s parents remaining a very strong cultural value. In Khmer culture, filial piety includes the expectation that daughters and daughters-in-law provide daily assistance to parents and parents-in-law. Financial anxiety includes the worry and negative mental health outcomes associated with financial stressors. This article presents findings from the Butterfly Longitudinal Research Study on themes on filial piety and financial anxiety, combining survey results from across multiple years as well as a thematic analysis of themes from focus group discussions and interviews with 77 female study participants over five years in Cambodia. Findings explore the survivors’ feelings of responsibility towards their family and the financial and mental health burden of that responsibility; the cycles of debt experienced by survivors and their families; and the overall feelings of worry, guilt, and stress with respect to financial issues. The research concluded that survivors see filial piety as an expression of gratitude but suffer from financial anxiety as well as financial instability and indebtedness. A framework of financial capability is suggested, acknowledging the centrality of family and the need to embed social work and psychosocial support in any economic reintegration effort. Further analysis is recommended on economic shocks, vulnerable work, and experiences around savings.