Decades of chronic civil war had left Cambodia scarred, both mentally and physically. The flood of women to Phnom Penh in search of work has led to an increase in human trafficking of both women and children. Though there are some attempts by NGOs, government institutions and international bodies to eliminate human trafficking, a high level of human trafficking remains. Most of the victims are women and children.
Estimates of the number of trafficked women and children in Cambodia vary greatly. According to a 2002 study by Steinfatt, Baker and Beesey, the estimated number of sex workers in Cambodia is 20,829, including 5,250 in Phnom Penh. A further study conducted by Steinfatt in 2003 estimated the number of trafficked women and children as approximately 2,000. According the other figures circulating since the late 1990s, there are as many as 80,000 to 100,000 trafficked women and children in Cambodia.
The Royal Government of Cambodia’s draft Gender Assessment in Cambodia in 2003, prepared in cooperation with the World Bank, UNIFEM and UNDP found that there were at least 5,000 child sex workers in Phnom Penh.
According to the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS 2000), around 23% of ever-married women have experienced violence from their husbands.
Almost everyday, newspapers report cases of sexual abuse of women and children, which were not known to occur in the past. Sexual abuse happens almost everywhere, both in the capital and in the provinces. This appears linked to the import of foreign culture, through magazines, video-cassettes, and the Internet, as well as peer group pressure and increased use of drugs. In the year 2003, the human rights NGO, ADHOC, received 356 reported cases of sexual abuse. In the same year, the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center had 408 rape cases reported to their organization. 52 % of the victims were girls under 18 years of age.[1] Rape cases appear to be increasing nationwide.
Internationally, there are fewer women represented in decision-making positions than men. Women lack access to natural resources, to land titles, property and opportunities for self-development.
Women in Cambodia are customarily seen as men’s subordinates. Most people in the society think that domestic violence is a family issue or individual problem, so people rarely intervene to help the victims. According to Gender Forum discussions, and the observations of groups like the Project Against Domestic Violence (PADV), the real of cause of violence comes from the power and control of men over women (patriarchy).
Only when women and men achieve equity and equal rights will there be no violence, poverty reduction will be improved and the whole society will be peacefully developed in the new millennium.
Therefore, this year, the Gender Forum of the NGO Forum and the NGO on CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
Example, This is an interview with Burcu Sufi Demirturk from Turkey.
"Why do you believe that this process and the committee itself are important for the women's movement and for the construction of human rights in general?"
Demirturk,B.S. : "It is an honor to be on the CEDAW and it is specifically an extraordinary opportunity to share in an international dialogue, and what's more, to be able to influence and collaborate positively from my feminist experience in Turkey. It is a great opportunity to interconnect local, regional and international efforts."
