Project to Stop Violence Against Women Launched

Khmer Times
Tin Sokhavuth

A rally to stop violence against women at the capital Phnom Penh. Photo: supplied

A new project aimed at reducing violence against women in the Kingdom was launched yesterday at the Hotel Cambodiana.

The Safe Homes, Safe Communities launching ceremony was attended by officials from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, representatives of the National League of Communes & Sangkats, commune councilors, health center staff, community members and staff from CARE Cambodia.

According to a press release issued by CARE Cambodia, Safe Homes, Safe Communities, which is funded by the Australian government, aims to reduce violence against women “through prevention, improved response and increased access to quality services for those affected by violence.

The project will be implemented in healthcare centers, communes and local communities.

CARE will provide training courses on best practices for healthcare staff to standardize procedures for treating female victims of sexual violence.

The organization, which works internationally to fight global poverty with a particular focus on women and girls, will also share its research with commune councils on how female victims of sexual violence should be treated. According to CARE, the coordination between local authorities and local police is vital to treating such women.

Within communities, CARE will train groups of women and men to act as “role models for their neighbors” and help to provide healthcare and legal services to female victims of sexual violence.

These programs will be implemented across 19 communes and 21 healthcare centers across Phnom Penh.

“CARE is excited to be part of this program along with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Australian government. This is a great opportunity to bring together many parts of the community for a common goal,” said CARE Cambodia country director Joanne Fairley.

“CARE believes that all women have the right to a life free from violence. Ensuring they are treated with respect and receive the support they deserve when they do encounter violence is vital for creating communities where gender-based violence is not acceptable,” Ms. Fairley added.

According to the government-issued National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women 2014-2018 (NAPPVAW), in 2013 only 50 percent of women surveyed thought that violence committed by a husband to his wife should be criminalized when the wife “behaves in an argumentative, disrespectful or disobedient manner.”

The plan also stated that one in every three partnered men surveyed reported committing either physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner during his lifetime. A total of 54.3 percent of surveyed men reported emotionally abusing an intimate partner at least once in his lifetime.