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“I want to be a journalist because I will be able to help bring the voice of the voiceless out to claim their rights and justice.”
When his community was forced off their land in 2009 by an economic land concession, 42-year- old Hun Dimo felt the need to tell their story. Displaced in a temporary community dubbed “Sen Serey,” Dimo and his fellow villagers found themselves in dire straits, without access to clean water, toilet facilities or public health services.
Their situation further deteriorated shortly after their arrival at Sen Serey when the village was hit by a storm that flattened temporary shelters, causing injury and death. In the wake of the storm, Dimo, an amputee who lost a leg to a land mine during the country’s civil war, found himself at the forefront of his community’s recovery efforts, providing first aid to villagers who were injured in building collapses.
Seeing how the lack of public services crippled the village’s ability to effectively respond to the disaster, Dimo committed himself to raising awareness of his community’s plight with local authorities and the public in general. Dimo wrote reports to local officials and aid organizations outlining the situation in Sen Serey, and as a result of his efforts, the village received assistance in its rebuilding efforts from local organizations.
Having gained his first, informal experience as a citizen journalist, Dimo was determined to continue. He signed up for journalism training courses provided by the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) through the EU’s “Promoting Good Governance by Increasing Access to Information and Strengthening Independent Media” project.
During these courses, Dimo was equipped with the knowledge and tools he needed to take his reporting to the next level. He also learned about his fundamental rights of freedom of expression and access to information.
Armed with this knowledge, Dimo set off on a mission to report about injustices, not only in his own community, but across Cambodia. Dimo’s reports on illegal logging, environmental degradation and land conflicts became staples of some of the country’s leading news outlets, including VOD, Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA).
“I like to be a responsible journalist to report about all the injustice issues that I meet, and I believe that my reports will help increase the local authorities’ accountability and that my community will also be developed,” he said.
