Gender Democracy

‘Srey bangvil chankran min chum’, according to this old Khmer expression women are seen as being too weak to involve in work beyond the household. However, as this case study conducted by the LEARNING INSTITUTE shows women contribute significantly to the total inland fish production in Cambodia. They not only involve in small-scale fishing but take on other income-generating activities such as gathering of aquatic plants and animals, fish culture, fish processing, fish marketing, fish trading, and making of fishing gear.

Mrs. Sun Phoeung aged 38 works as commune councilor in Chey commune in Kampong Thom province. She is in charge of women’s affairs and children. Becoming a member of the Women Political Activist Network has changed her life. “Without having knowledge of women’s rights I might have committed suicide” confesses Phoeung, looking back at a very difficult time in her life.

Cambodia - Pioneering work When asked by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Cambodian women from very different spheres of life evaluated the fundamental problems of women in their country as being a lack of access to education and thus high illiteracy rates, economic dependency, domestic violence, and hierarchical gender relations founded on traditional role stereotypes.

Parliamentarians, representatives of the Ministries of Interior and Women’s Affairs, researchers and staff of local and international organizations and indigenous women from four provinces were among the participants, when the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the German Technical Cooperation supported the Launch of the Action Research on “Promoting Political Participation of Indigenous Women in Cambodia” organized by the Committee to Promote Women in Politics.