Religion of all kinds was banned as were music and radios. Money was abolished and all aspects of life were subject to regulation. People were not allowed to choose their own marriage partners. They could not leave their work or even wear the clothes they wanted.
In order to be loyal, the Khmer Rouge enforced the breaking ties to religion and family. All political and civil rights were taken. There was no formal education and from January 1977, all children from the age of eight were separated from their parents and placed in labour camps, which taught them that the State was their ‘true’ parents.
http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/history/cambodian-history/khmer-rouge-history/