LIBRARY

18 June 2012

In May 2012, 15 activists from the Boeung Kak Lake community in Phnom Penh were arrested in relation to a land dispute that displaced thousands of families. Thirteen of them have been convicted and are now serving prison terms; the remaining two were released from pretrial detention on June 15 but still face charges. This photo album features photographs and biographies of each of the 15 activists.

29 May 2012

LICADHO and its partner NGOs will mark International Children's Day today by distributing food and materials to children and pregnant women in 14 of Cambodia's prisons.

LICADHO has also organized special Children's Day events at Correctional Center 2 ("CC2"), Kandal provincial prison, and Siem Reap provincial prison. The events will include games, prizes and guest speakers who will discuss children's issues.

15 March 2012

We, the undersigned groups and individual members of civil society, are calling for justice to be served in accordance with the rule of law, with regard to the brutal shootings of three young Cambodian female workers - Buon Chinda, Keo Nei and Nuth Sakhorn - on Feb. 20, 2012, in Svay Rieng's Bavet district.

Many Cambodian garment workers already live a life of hardship, suffering, poverty and uncertainty. As such, the workers should receive protection and support from the State, not face further victimization through brutal acts of violence.

24 November 2011

On November 22, 2011, Boeung Kak Lake resident Chea Dara leaped to her death from a bridge in Phnom Penh. She was actively involved in the lake residents' struggle against their wrongful eviction from the site. Although a deal was reached earlier this year to resettle most of the remaining families, Chea Dara's family was arbitrarily excluded. After years of fighting for justice, she lost hope. This video commemorates her life.

20 October 2011

Through Cambodia's infamous Boeung Kak Lake land grab, this LICADHO video takes a look at three incidents showing the impacts on women within communities affected by forced evictions. These abuses are perpetrated in the name of "development".

17 October 2011

Cambodian recruitment agencies continued to send domestic workers to Malaysia on Monday morning, despite the Prime Minister's written order on Saturday imposing a complete ban on the practice.

LICADHO monitors at Pochentong Airport observed at least 25 Cambodian maids checking in for an Air Asia flight AK 273 to Kuala Lumpur on the morning of October 17, 2011. The maids were identifiable by their short haircuts and shirts, which were emblazoned with the name of their recruitment agency. LICADHO monitors also confirmed the women's destination by speaking to recruitment agency staff who accompanied the women.

31 August 2011

Cambodia's recently-enacted sub-decree on migrant labor is a "dismal failure" for workers and should be scrapped in favor of a new law, according to an analysis by LICAHDO.

LICADHO has documented horrific abuses in the industry over the past two years, including the use of debt bondage, deaths inside pre-departure training centers, the recruitment of underage workers, illegal detention of workers, the facilitation of forged documents, and the failure to pay salaries. None of these areas are addressed in the new law. Worker protections, meanwhile, are vague, limited in scope, and in many cases less stringent than the 1997 law it superseded, Sub-Decree 57.

8 March 2011

The number of women and girls in Cambodian prisons has soared 41 percent since 2007, outpacing the already extraordinary overall growth rate of 29 percent during the same period.

At the end of 2010, a total of 914 women were incarcerated in Cambodia. An average of 12 of these women was pregnant; while an average of 47 young children were living alongside their incarcerated mothers.

LICADHO and its partner NGOs are marking International Women's Day this year by drawing attention to the plight of imprisoned women and children. LICADHO and its partners will deliver food and supplies to female prisoners at 18 prisons and hold special events at Correctional Center 2 ("CC2") and Takhmao prisons. The events at CC2 and Takhmao will include traditional dancing and games, as well as guest speakers who will spread out International Women's Day impression.

20 July 2010

On July 20, 2010, LICADHO President Dr. Pung Chhiv Kek wrote a letter to the Phnom Penh Post's editor calling for the immediate closure of the Social Affairs Center at Prey Speu.

12 June 2010

In June 2009, LICADHO together with Horizons commenced a national survey of women living with their children in Cambodian prisons. The purpose of the survey was to identify the key problems faced by women and children during their incarceration, particularly in relation to food, clothing, health and hygiene; the extent to which services provided through the Adopt-A-Prison Project has helped to address these problems; and assess the need for educational and recreational programs for children living in prison.

9 November 2009

We write regarding the Daily's recent stories regarding the rape of a 19-year-old Kompong Cham woman by two police officers in Phnom Penh.

It now appears that the two officers involved will not be prosecuted ("Police Chief Says No Need to Prosecute Officers," Nov. 5, 2009). According to Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth, no rape was committed because the victim "is not a virgin," and because she allegedly accepted $250 in "compensation" from the perpetrators.

The latest development in the case is troubling, but hardly surprising. It also highlights three of the biggest obstacles to the prosecution of sex offenders in Cambodia.

6 March 2009

Women and children are suffering immensely from Cambodia's epidemic of evictions, LICADHO said today, International Women's Day.

"Sadly, there is nothing special about this day for the many Cambodian women who are struggling to feed their families because they have been evicted from their homes or are living in fear of eviction,” said LICADHO president Kek Galabru. “It is just another day of hardship and suffering.”

6 March 2009

This report aims to profile female prisoners and their experiences in the prison system and to provide an insight into the crimes they committed and the conditions they live in. Each case study is based on true accounts from prisoners, where names and details have been changed to protect the identity of the prisoners. This report also provides supplementary statistical information for relevant issues collected over the period 2007 and 2008.

8 November 2008

Walls that Talk, messages written by former detainees in Prey Speu Social Affairs Center. Photos taken by LICADHO on November 6, 2008.

28 June 2008

Koh Kor Social Affairs Center, an institutionalized program of unlawful detention by the government. Photos taken by LICADHO on June 17 & 19, 2008.

17 March 2008

There are over 640 women currently detained in prisons all over Cambodia and on a day that is meant to celebrate women everywhere and promote the rights of women, LICADHO, partner NGOs, comedians and musicians spent the day remembering these vulnerable members of society.

On Saturday March 8 LICADHO and partner NGOs celebrated International Women's Day by distributing food, drinks, clothes and materials to female prisoners, children living in prison and female prison guards across 20 prisons in Cambodia. These donations are greatly needed in a prison system which must subsist on a budget of 1,500 riel (USD$0.38) per prisoner per day to cover the costs of food, water, electricity, clothing and medical care.

8 March 2008

As of February 2008, there are 562 women living in 18 out of Cambodia's 26 prisons. Of these women, 4 were pregnant and 43 women brought their children to live with them in prison or had given birth to children while in prison, for a total of 50 children living with their mothers in prison.

Life in Cambodian prisons is a harsh reality for any individual. Limited access to food and clean water, overcrowding of prison cells, routine denial of quality medical services and violence towards prisoners from prison officials and other inmates is a part of everyday life. Life in prison becomes even more difficult when you are pregnant, or if you bring your children to live with you in prison.

6 March 2008

My name is Lina and I live in prison with my daughter, Maly in a prison cell with twenty-five other women. I had no other choice but to bring my daughter with me into prison. Maly was very young at the time. My husband had died and I didn’t have any family living near that could take care of Maly.

Lina is one of over 640 female prisoners living in prison and one of the 43 women who currently live with their children in prison - her daughter is one of those 50 children. Their story is told in the LICADHO report, entitled Prison Conditions in Cambodia 2007: The Story of a Mother and Child, which is being released to mark International Women's Day, March 8 2008.

25 November 2007

Discrimination in legislation can occur in a number of forms, such as through gender-specific legal terms which have a greater negative impact on women than men, or through onerous obligations on women or through omissions which make legal definitions and prosecutions difficult or which may result in the lack of protective measures.

This report was designed to analyze whether Cambodian laws related to violence against women contravene the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and, if so, to examine the affects that these contraventions have on women in Cambodia.

19 November 2007

As part of the 16 Days Campaign, CAMBOW will be broadcasting TV spots and radio spots, highlighting true stories of violence and the discrimination faced by Cambodian women. CAMBOW will also publish and distribute the report titled Violence Against Women: How Cambodian Laws Discriminate Against Women in print and audio formats.

The 16 Days campaign is conducted each year in many countries around the world between November 25, International Day Against Violence Against Women, and December 10, International Human Rights Day. The 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including December 1, which is World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the anniversary of the 1989 Montreal Massacre where 14 women were murdered in a school shooting.