Written by: Thea Sokna, a 3rd year student majoring in International Relations at The University of Cambodia Edited by: Heng KimKong, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Cambodia Development Center and a PhD Candidate in Education at The University of Queensland, Australia   Photo Credit: Scales of Justice by Sheba is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 The COVID-19 community outbreak that started on 20 February 2021 has forced the Cambodian government to lockdown the capital city and a few provinces for weeks. During the lockdown, people must stay home to contain the spread of COVID-19, making them have more time to use social media, especially Facebook. Meanwhile, despite the pandemic, inappropriate behaviors are being popularized on various online platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and most notably the newly-launched mobile app, called “Tik Tok”. While the presence of inappropriate behaviors increases on social media, people tend to keep an eye on social issues as well.  Public attention on a few recent cases regarding sexual offense and family violence is a telling example. Even though most Cambodians are dissatisfied with their own judicial system, their demand for justice for the victims has been prominent on social media networks. This increasing and ongoing provocative movement is a positive sign of public participation in raising awareness of social issues such as sexual harassment that needs to be addressed; however, spotting on one particular event may bury other crucial phenomena or issues under the ground. In fact, it seems grossly unfair to ordinary victims who have encountered the same injustice or abuse, but they rarely have the chance to get public attention and can hardly gain access to the legal justice system due to some barriers such as intimidation, violence, fear of exposing the truth to family members and the authority, fear of losing reputation and so on.  Based on a report by the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), one-thirds of sexual assault cases in Cambodia were perpetrated by family members, but the abusers were  not prosecuted by the full weight of law due to family pressure and financial reliance on the victimizers. This has often led the victims to withdraw their complaints, leaving the perpetrators unpunished. The findings in the report clearly show how unhealthy Cambodia’s legal system is and the injustice many Cambodian families face when dealing with such immoral misconduct. Therefore, we should not turn the spotlight on only one event by ignoring the rest. In other words, people need not necessarily focus only on one recent case regarding sexual abuse. Instead, they should endeavor to explore and seek justice for victims of other previous and current criminal cases to bring about justice to all of them, regardless of their social status. Last year, the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights published a report stating that “one in five women in Cambodia had suffered violence from partners, family members, colleagues, acquaintances or public officials.” Now, let’s imagine if there are a thousand women, that would mean 200 women had suffered violence, and that can be considered as 200 cases separately. Then why do people pay attention to only one case by ignoring many others? Women make up 51.19 percent of Cambodia’s population of almost 17 million, so how many Cambodian women would suffer from sexual abuse and violence if we only pay attention to only one or two special cases?  Justice is not preferred and deserved only by the rich, the famous, or the powerful, but it shall be entitled to all human beings equally without distinction as to race, nationality, religion, gender, and social status. Having said these, it does not mean that we need to oppose the current public’s impulse towards “making all women safe” – a social media trend that was triggered by an attempted rape allegedly committed by a tycoon on a young television presenter. Nonetheless, we should examine similar crimes committed in the past, contemplate  the trend on the effectiveness of law enforcement in addressing all of the issues happening so far, and find ways to actively participate in strengthening the justice system in Cambodia rather than listen to a single story and  react to it thoughtlessly and irresponsibly. Meanwhile, the public should be obliged to provide support for other victims such as the environmental activists, political activists, human rights activists and journalists who have done the best of their efforts to fight for the benefits for our nation as a whole. They have been arrested, harassed, and some are detained and charged with different arbitrary allegations and detention. They are the victims who deserve our full attention and care.  Non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, especially rights groups, have already expressed concern over arrests and harassment of activists and journalists. But justice has yet to be served.  Since the outbreak of COVID-19 that began in early 2020, human rights violations have been a hotly debated topic among government-based commentators, social and political observers, and social activists. Again, the continuous social media claims for fair and impartial trial is a marvelous transitional change showing a sign of progress concerning how Cambodian people attentively show their interests and willingness to promote social justice. It also shows how they participate in encouraging law enforcement officers and the judicial branch to maintain the rule of law,  provide equal protection for all, and ensure the due process of law. In short, sensitive social phenomena such as sexual assault or violence against women and vulnerable people may easily capture the public attention, predominantly when it happens to a particular celebrity or high-status person in Cambodian society. As it can be observed, this kind of public’s customary habits might sometimes have its negative effect due to inappropriate and aggressive manners and words expressed unethically on social media. In an optimistic view, recommended solutions would be to avoid obsessive reactions to one event alone by critically looking at the larger landscape of the problems and its pattern in order to generate rational ideas and to draw logical conclusions. Being a well-informed and active citizen in a fragile democratic country like Cambodia, it is important to be rationally matured as Paul Wellstone, an academic and a former US senator, once said, “as free citizens in a political democracy, we have a responsibility to be interested and involved in the affairs of the human community, be it at the local or the global level.”      

Written by: Yin Verak, a 3rd year student majoring in Business Administration at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia Edited by: Heng Kimkong, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Cambodia Development Center and a PhD Candidate in Education at The University of Queensland, Australia (Photo was taken on November 8, 2020 after a discussion with Mr. Ok Serei Sopheak, Good Governance Specialist, under the topic: "Good Governance at Sub-national Level" in Battambang province )   “I hate corruption. I don’t want to see any corrupt activities in my country anymore. I despise corruption. Corruption is dangerous for the country’s development. Corruption is an unspeakable issue.” There are what I have heard from different people who expressed their thoughts and perspectives about corruption. But the problem is, have they done anything to stop corruption? Or are they just words?    I believe that most people have known about how corruption negatively affects our country and our livelihood. Almost every sector of our country, even justice, education, healthcare, public services, and natural wealth, are seriously impacted by this unspeakable issue. Organizations, communities, individuals and the country as a whole are no exception. Corruption can undermine transparency, creditability, accountability, consistency and prosperity of the country. Besides, it brings many consequences to our country’s economy, society, politics, and governance, leading to an increase in poverty. According to the Transparency International, corruption is defined as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and environmental crisis. Corruption can be found everywhere including in the government, education system, business, healthcare sector, the media, politics, the courts, civil society, and so on and so forth; moreover, most people have engaged in it both directly and indirectly. People usually say that corruption is terrible. Additionally, they also know how serious and dangerous corruption is for their nation, their fellow country people, the world and even themselves. However, have they ever been involved in it? The answer would be “YES, they have, and many are probably still engaging in it.” I personally believe most, if not all, people have engaged in corruption and experienced this issue at least once in their lives. Moreover, I literally think that people engage in corruption because it’s beneficial for them. Politicians, public servants, NGO workers, business people, government officials, journalists, judges, lawyers, and anybody can engage and participate in corrupt activities. Corruption hurts everybody, affects everything and brings about many unspeakable consequences into this whole world. It can take from us, especially young people, the opportunity to learn, develop, grow, improve, seek, and obtain better lives and brighter futures. The young generation play a vital role in contributing to their country’s development. They also represent the future of their own country; essentially, they will be able to become potential leaders of tomorrow. To be the potential youth, they need fair and abundant opportunities in everything; however, everything will be ruined if there are corrupt activities. In fact, corruption not only curtails our opportunities, but it also badly affects every aspect of public services. It devastates the education system, leading to the low quality of education, mismanagement of the school system, lack of availability and quality of educational goods and services, unqualified students and teachers, educational inequality, high rates of unemployment, and so on. Besides, in terms of corruption in the healthcare sector, the judicial system and politics, the more money you have, the more opportunities, justice, power and the best quality of healthcare services you will get. Therefore, people who are in the low income group or in poverty have no chances to obtain quality and equitable access to public services, even if they are the citizens of the country just like the rich and the powerful. Environment, moreover, has also been harmed by the act of corruption. Natural resources, ecosystems and natural wealth are stolen and damaged by corrupters. All of these negatively impact our country’s development, to say the least. There are also a lot more consequences of corruption on people and every aspect of society.  Therefore, it is time to stop any kinds and any forms of corruption in order to save our country for the next generations. Young people are the solution to combat corruption As young people in this generation, we need to start from now to be the solution creators or initiators to fight against any forms of corruption; most importantly, we need to normalize anti-corruption campaigns and make them a norm in our society as well as in this whole world in order to build equality and transparency for all. Young people have to strengthen, renew, refresh and renovate all systems and factors of their own country; especially, the laws, policies, mechanism, procedure and so on in order to make them stronger and more efficient. We also need to ensure the successful and effective policy implementation. Below are some suggestions for youth to make a difference in their country and to fight against corruption. First things first, it all starts within ourselves. We need to be truly and strongly educated, which means we should have knowledge, ability, skills and experience to understand the causes and effects of corruption, as well as understand the laws and mechanisms that the government uses to fight against corruption. We also need to examine and take part in enhancing the implementation of those mechanisms and other strategies to combat corruption. The goal is to innovate the solutions, figure out how to solve all of these problems and enhance the transparency and accountability in all sectors of society. Moreover, we have to value moral, transparent and honest activities as always. Particularly, we need to be committed and avoid engaging in corruption so that we can contribute to minimizing corrupt activities in our society. If we take part in this good social cause actively, sooner or later corruption in our society will be gone.  As young people, we can also inspire and influence other people based on our understanding and commitment to an anti-corruption mindset. We can mobilize other youth to raise public awareness, build understanding, and motivate as well as empower others to be strongly, physically and mentally active in promoting transparency and the anti-corruption system in the country; specifically, we have to act to bring about inspirations and movements against corruption in all aspects in our society. To do so, we can utilize social media platforms because social media is a powerful, effective and quick way to reach out to others. Therefore, we can post and share blogs, vlogs, quotes, pictures, news, perspectives, opinions and so on through the platforms. Moreover, we need to report any activities related to corruption through the internet in order to expose this issue and let others know how bad it is and how we all can work together to solve it. We can conduct online campaigns to engage other youth to form a critical mass to fight against corruption and corrupt people. We can also form small groups in our local communities or large groups with international youth who want to stop the same issue. Additionally, we can discuss, learn from each other and share our points of view or solutions with our friends, colleagues, families, and other youth. This is not only for eliminating corruption but also for addressing other social issues.  We can also work closely with civil society organizations, NGOs, youth groups or even government officials to combat corruption and promote corruption-free society. We need to follow and observe how our taxes are collected and spent. Besides, we should participate and engage in any policy development and implementation activities to enhance effectiveness, transparency and accountability. Engaging in public policy debates and anti-corruption initiatives can enable us to understand the existing corruption policy, how effective the policy is, and what needs to be improved. We need to also understand the gap between the policy and the implementation to find ways to contribute to the effectiveness of policy implementation. Most importantly, we have to expand our understanding and build skills as well as experience on how to resolve and prevent corrupt practices in our communities.   In summary, corruption is unacceptable. It is undeniably, culturally and socially disgraceful. As the young generation, we need to change this diabolical habit and embrace a new system that is free from corruption. We need to step up, raise our voices and take action to ensure that our country and every aspect of our society are corruption-free. Don’t just hate corruption, but stop ourselves from being involved in it.  We need to stop it from stealing our future by starting to kill it now!   *This blog is produced with the financial support from the European Union and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Transparency International Cambodia and ActionAid Cambodia. Its contents do not reflect the views of any donors.  

Written by: Kong Sreynou, a 3rd-year student majoring in International Studies at Institute of Foreign Languages, RUPP. Edited by: Heng Kimkong, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Cambodia Development Center and a Ph.D. Candidate in Education at The University of Queensland, Australia.  Photo Credit: Royal Academy of Cambodia Media Team The fight for gender equality and equal employment opportunities has been around for decades as most careers were traditionally dominated by men. The fight is bound to get even more vigorous now and in the future. The importance of having an inclusive society where everyone has equal opportunities regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation cannot be overstated. Despite ongoing efforts by the governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), women are still underrepresented in many professions in Cambodia as is the case in many other countries. In the realm of international relations,  a career as a diplomat has always been considered to be one of the most prestigious and important professions. Although female representation in careers in international affairs serves as the public face of any given country in terms of gender representation and empowerment, the number of female diplomats representing Cambodia abroad is still low.  At present, based on the data from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFA), there are only two female consul generals out of a total of 12 consul generals appointed to represent Cambodia overseas. The Royal Government of Cambodia attributes this low female representation to prevailing cultural and social norms that make it difficult for women to leave their home and accept an overseas posting. However, there are three main reasons that can explain the underrepresentation of female diplomats engaging in international affairs and diplomatic positions abroad.  First, it is the issue of gender bias that may have contributed to the limited number of women working in international affairs in Cambodia because those positions have been subjugated by men. Thus, it is understandable that overseas diplomatic positions have also been dominated by men. Although the percentage of women representatives has significantly increased since Cambodia began to rebuild itself in the 1990s, women still hold less than 20% of positions in politics. In this context, among 31 Cambodian ambassadors who represent the Royal Embassies of Cambodia abroad, there are only four (0.13%) female ambassadors, according to a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Furthermore, women's underrepresentation in the diplomatic field can also be influenced by social norms and beliefs which stereotype women as lacking knowledge and skills to perform well diplomatically and internationally. Society also continues to doubt the ability and capacity of women in leadership positions that involve direct dealing with other nations or other nationals. Although the world is moving toward gender equality and putting more effort into empowering women in all sectors, skepticism toward women’s capability remains a critical issue. Many still question whether or not women can be equally as effective and efficient as men.  Second, it is related to individual factors as women have to encounter difficulties in navigating the demands of their family life and career. There is an extra burden for women to ensure that their career aspirations would not have a negative effect on their families. In Cambodia, women tend to have more family responsibilities. They need to look after the children and do a lot of housework. Therefore, paid employment could jeopardize their commitment to their domestic and maternal responsibilities. Moreover, they are constrained by social, cultural, and traditional norms. For example, a popular traditional code of conduct for women, called “Chbab Srey”,  lays out the ways in which a Cambodian woman should behave to be recognized as a good or perfect woman. This code of conduct and other explicit and implicit social norms have caused countless consequences on women’s well-being and their basic and fundamental rights as a person. They have been struggling to enjoy their freedom of choice, movement and expression throughout their lives. These social and cultural constraints have occurred and are contemplated as barriers preventing women from striving for their role in diplomatic positions and other careers. Traditionally, parents have always discouraged their female children to work far from home, let alone working abroad.  There are feelings of anxiety and doubt about their safety and survival because of the widely held belief that women are weak and fragile. This thinking may have somehow influenced how women nowadays aspire to involve themselves in male-dominated careers.  Third, gender disparagement is considered as another major problem that undermines women’s confidence and authority in their careers. Gender disparagement includes issues concerning verbal acts that tend to discredit and degrade women’s gender and their status. It is the demeaning comments about women and statements about women’s dress or appearance that make them lose their confidence to pursue their dream career and professional stature. It also involves repeated interruptions toward women while they are speaking. These interrupting verbal acts have lowered women’s esteem or standing. They could serve as challenges that discourage women from engaging in careers in diplomacy. Furthermore, within the male-dominated professions in the diplomatic sector, some women could also find themselves losing their confidence in voicing their opinions and ideas.  To conclude, in the light of women’s participation in policymaking, women still remain underrepresented in the foreign and diplomatic services. We can see that women are generally being barred from involvement in the realm of international relations for many reasons, ranging from the ongoing gender bias, traditional and cultural norms, and gender disparagement. Although there have been efforts to encourage and promote gender equality, available evidence still depicts the limited representation of women in politics and diplomatic careers. Thus, more efforts are needed to support and empower Cambodian women so that they can fully participate in making decisions within the realm of international affairs.      

Written by: Tea Sovanmony, a 3rd year student majoring in Global Affairs at The American University of Phnom Penh Edited by: Heng KimKong, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Cambodia Development Center and a PhD Candidate in Education at The University of Queensland, Australia   (Photo Credit: "END MISOGYNY" by UNARMED CIVILIAN is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)   Women’s status has been regulated and controlled by the concept of misogyny which refers to expressions of dislike and mistrust on women, further entrenching prejudice against women. Through misogyny underpinned by the concept of gender norms, the inequality between men and women is subtly integrated into social norms, which is a serious issue. Misogyny is common and can be seen in various platforms such as on social media and in music. The status of women has also been controlled and subjected to linguistic behaviors. Thus, it is important to stop the use of sexist language and misogyny toward women in order to achieve gender equality and put an end to the societal norms that discriminate against women.  The concept of misogyny can be illustrated through discriminatory language such as sexist derogatory slurs. Sexist derogatory slurs are terms that describe the use of bully words to depreciate women in the male dominant society. For instance, women have been the victim of misogyny on social media and bullying in their workplace or school. Some people tend to use sexist derogatory slurs like bitch, slut, or whore to describe women. These words may seem harmless, but they are very offensive toward women. They humiliate women in a way that compares them to objects or people of lowly status. The word “bitch” is objectifying women toward female dogs who are annoying and aggressive. Therefore, these negative terms can harmfully affect women’s status and devalue their important role in society.  Misogyny and sexist derogatory slurs are common in hip-hop music. In the hip-hop society, rappers tend to use sexist slurs like bitch, whore or hoe to add the coolness to their music. For example, in one album consisting of 15 songs, words such as pussy, bitch and hoe were used numerous times to depict women. The use of sexual objectification in hip hop music oppresses women under the perception of sexual use and sexism in society. Sexual objectification is the idea that subjects women to sexual pleasure and treat them as a type of commodity. This is an unfair perception that disregards women’s personality or inner beauty. In the workplace, this type of unjust perception is being used to evaluate women’s status and credibility, which eventually creates inequality between men and women as well as considers men to be better in every perspective of life.  In some cases, women have been misjudged by their monthly menstruation that is linked to their sensitivity at work. It discourages them from moving to a higher position or taking up higher responsibilities. This further contributes to the lack of women’s role models who work in higher positions in society. Therefore, misogyny frames and stereotypes women, making them appear inferior to men all the time. In the process, women are stereotyped to be housekeepers, caregivers, and objects of men’s discussion in both offline and online communities.  Thus, in order to promote gender equality, the concept of societal misogyny must be eliminated. It is unfair to label women through the presence of misogyny and portray them negatively. Women should also not be subject to song lyrics that use misogynistic language to sound cool. There is a need to promote public awareness of the use of gender-sensitive language in public communication. There should be a collective action to stop the use of sexist language in Khmer music as well. We need to also encourage and support women so they can step up and raise their voice whenever they become a victim of misogyny or sexism at schools, universities or workplaces.  Feminist responses to misogynisitic speech and behaviors such as “That wasn’t funny,” or “Actually, that’s an outdated stereotype” may also help. Moreover, as misogyny is now more prevalent online, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram should put stricter restrictions on posts or comments that suggest misogyny or discrimation against women.  Overall, the concept of misogyny unfairly gives the power of control to men, making them superior to women in most contexts.  Hence, we all need to work together to stop misogynistic speech and behaviors. We should use language in a gender-sensitive way to avoid discriminating against women. We also need to empower them through our encouraging and inclusive words. When misogyny appears  in the workplace, on social media platforms, and in music, it perpetuates gender discrimination that tends to always stereotype women as incapable or unworthy.   To promote gender equality,  respect, value and equal opportunities need to be given to women to encourage and empower them. We need to support women to build their confidence and see their self worth. When women are empowered, not discriminated against, they will be able to contribute more to the development of our society.   Thus, misogyny should be discouraged and stopped. We all need to enhance  women’s social status and show more appreciation to them.    *This blog is produced with the financial support from the European Union and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Transparency International Cambodia and ActionAid Cambodia. Its contents do not reflect the views of any donors.