Sitha, aged 28, was raped when she was 15 years old and forced by her parents and local authorities to marry the man who raped her.

Sophanna, aged 35, was beaten by her husband for more than 5 years. Her husband tried to kill her.

Ratana, aged 19, was gang raped by three men. Despite lodging a complaint with the police, the rapists have yet to be arrested.

Sophea, aged 19, was trafficked by a relative and forced into prostitution. She has been to court many times to explain her case, however to this day, her relative has still not been arrested.

Sitha, Sophanna, Ratana and Sophea are among thousands of Cambodian women who have sought assistance from The Cambodian Committee of Women (CAMBOW) members for violence against women issues. Their stories are told in a CAMBOW report, entitled Violence Against Women: How Cambodian Laws Discriminate Against Women, which is being released on 25 November, 2007 to mark the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 2007. The report aims to highlight Cambodian laws, relating to violence against women issues, such as domestic violence, rape, human trafficking and marriage, that currently contravene the Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The report aims to provide a realistic account of this discrimination that Cambodian women face in their daily lives.

The endemic problem of discrimination against Cambodian women related to violence against women issues, will be the focus of the 16 Days Campaign 2007.

“Thousands of Cambodian women suffer violence every day. After carefully researching the very laws that are supposed to protect these women, CAMBOW found that in fact, these laws implicitly and explicitly discriminate against women, further perpetuating situations of abuse," Dr Kek Galabru, President of CAMBOW.

"It is time for the government to reform these laws in order to provide greater protection to victims of violence. If our laws contravene the CEDAW, the international bill of rights for women, then we must change them to comply with our obligation to the CEDAW, a convention that Cambodia ratified in 1992,"continued Dr Kek Galabru.

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.1

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.

The Cambodian Committee of Women is a coalition of 34 Cambodian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that focuses primarily on advancing the cause of women. Through its activities, CAMBOW endeavors to raise awareness and change social norms on issues related to violence against women, focusing on the issues of rape, domestic violence and human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

For more information, please contact:
▪ Dr. Kek Galabru, President of CAMBOW at 012 802 506

PDF: Download full statement in English - Download full statement in Khmer