Dara Keo, who is now 17, said her mother Rotana made the deal with a 'rich, powerful man' in order to clear debts racked up by her other half. who had a gambling problem.
'His creditors threatened violence when I couldn't pay' explains the 62-year-old mother. 'Fear and worry about the debts made me ill. Finally, I gave in.'
'I had to stay with him for one week while he raped me many times without a condom.'
Describing the horrific ordeal that followed, Rotana's daughter Dara said she was first taken to a Doctor - who ensured her hymen was still intact, and she was then given to the man who bought her.
'I had to stay with him for one week while he raped me many times without a condom,' says Dara, who was kept in a hotel.
In Cambodian culture there is an ancient belief that sex with virgins can prolong lifespan, and so the selling of young girls to the sex trade is not uncommon.
The man involved with Dara is apparently a prominent Cambodian politician, though his identity has not been revealed by the family.
Dara told Marie Claire magazine that the man would visit her several times a day for sex and that the pain was 'excruciating' for her young body.
Rotana accepted around $500 for her daughter's virginity, in an exchange that is not uncommon for many Cambodian families.
Charitable organisation Riverkids is attempting to teach young girls in the state skills such as hairdressing and computer work so that they can get jobs and escape the sex trade.