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NGO Statement, 2000 Consultative Group Meeting On Cambodia


 GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS


NGO Statement to the 2000 Consultative Group Meeting on Cambodia

- Home.................................
- About us.............................
- Message.............................

- Introduction........................
- Progress.............................
- Good Governance................
- Human Resource 
- Development
......................
- Reaching the Poor...............
- Conclusion..........................

Sectoral Papers..................

- Agriculture..........................
- Child’s Rights....................
- Commune Administration 
- and Decentralization
............
- Commune Elections..........
- Disability and Rehabilitation..
- Education............................
- Fisheries.............................
- Forestry Reform..................
- Gender and Development...
- Good Governance................
- Health................................
- HIV/AIDS...........................
- Human Rights......................
- Landmines..........................
- Land Reform.......................
- Microfinance........................
- Weapons Reduction.............

General NGO Information...

References.........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION

Although the Cambodian Constitution guarantees women equal rights with men, the ability of women to claim these rights has not been realized due to the prevailing social patterns that afford women lower status than men. Gender disparities are evident in access to health services, education, economic activities, and participation in policy and decision making roles. The issue of gender is one that pervades all aspects of Cambodian society and thus requires coordinated and national action.

The National Five-Year Strategic Plan for the advancement of women was produced in February 1999 by the Ministry for Women's and Veteran's Affairs. Its endorsement by the government symbolizes a positive commitment towards promoting the status of women in Cambodia. 

At the First National Conference on Gender and Development in September 1999 Cambodian NGOs committed themselves to advocate on behalf of women to improve their access to health services and education, to address the social problems of violence against women and to improve women's participation in decision-making roles.

KEY ISSUES

  • Lack of educational opportunities
    Current indicators reveal that girls are seriously disadvantaged at all levels of formal education in Cambodia. Despite the fact that boys and girls enroll in school in equal numbers, girls tend to drop out in larger numbers than boys and the gender gap increases as the level of schooling rises. By age 15, male enrolment is 50% greater than female enrolment. 

  • Domestic Violence
    The extent of violent crimes against women is too vast to ignore. A national statistical survey on domestic violence revealed that one Cambodian woman in every six is a victim of domestic violence and that half of all women reporting abuse sustained injuries, half of which were to the head. (Zimmermmann 1997). Social and financial imperatives militate against women leaving an abusive spouse. The abiding social and cultural attitudes that condone male domination in the household are reflected in the police and judiciary. Police are reluctant to intervene in what is essentially regarded as a "private matter".

  • Trafficking and the Commercial Sex Industry
    The commercial sex industry in Cambodia is largely characterized by abuse, violence and trafficking. Although precise figures are not available it is estimated that thousands of women and children are trafficked from rural areas and neighboring countries to cities such as Phnom Penh for the purposes of prostitution. Thousands of Cambodian women and children are trafficked to Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan to work as prostitutes, beggars, constructions workers, or port carriers. 

    With the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, women and children involved in the commercial sex industry are particularly vulnerable. It is estimated that approximately 42 percent of commercial sex workers are HIV-infected. (AIDS Weekly Plus, 1999)

  • Reproductive Health Problems
    The infant mortality rate is 89.6 percent per 1000 births and the maternal mortality rate is estimated to be between 473 and 650-900 per 100,000 births (UNFPA 1997; UNICEF 1995b). These statistics are among the worst in the region. 

    Cambodia has one of the highest fertility rates in the region. There is a large unmet need for contraception. An estimated 78 percent of couples of reproductive age interested in birth spacing are unable to access contraception (MOH 1995). 

RECOMMENDATIONS

To improve the situation of women in Cambodia, the Royal Government and the donor community are urged to:

  • Encourage the passage of laws dealing with rape, sexual harassment, domestic violence and prostitution. We encourage the introduction of laws that protect women, whilst recognizing the need for wide dissemination of information about such laws and the imperative for proper enforcement. 

  • Increase education and public awareness about all forms of violence against women, including education of military and police on issues of domestic violence. NGOs have made some efforts to raise public awareness about domestic violence through television campaigns, and the use of traditional Cambodian theatre.

  • Introduce a programme of domestic violence, gender and human rights into the general school education curriculum.

  • Improve education for women in basic and preventative health care, in nutrition and in communicable disease. Improve access to family planning services and information.

  • Genuinely commit to the integration of women and women's decision-making into policy formulation at all levels. 

  • Promote strategies that target both men and women in interventions so as to make their interdependent relationship more equitable.



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