While labor rights and safety of Cambodian workers are protected and governed by both domestic law including Cambodia’s constitution and international law ratified by the Cambodian government, labor abuses and security at workplace remain the most critical concerns for Cambodia workers. Female workers, in particular, face more serious challenges than male workers. Short-term employment contracts, for instance, have put garment workers, mostly females, in a disadvantage position stripping them of rights to have secure jobs and losing scores of benefits they should legally obtain. More importantly, women working in entertainment sectors have been sexually harassed and abuses. Most of the cases of abuses reported are unsolved, let alone unreported cases. During the crackdown on sex workers in early 2017, Pen Kunthea, a sex worker was chased by Phnom Penh security guard. She fell into the river and died of drowning. Although the court ordered investigation, no one has so far been hold accountable for the incident.
In order to push for more practical mechanisms and solid commitments to protect safety and security of female workers, Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM) cooperates with Germany-based Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung is going to organize an off-studio roundtable forum on “Occupation and Employment Safety” on October 8, 2017 at Tonle Bassak 2 Restaurant in Phnom Penh. CCIM expects that the forum will certainly contribute to strengthening mechanisms to help improve occupation and employment safety for Cambodian female workers.
