Cambodia Report. The Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for. Action (1995)

Transcription

1 Cambodia Report The Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly (2000)

2 Submitted by Ministry of Women s Affairs Kingdom of Cambodia

3 Table of Contents Table of Figures... 4 Abbreviation... 5 Section 1: Overview analysis of achievements and challenges since A. Major achievements in gender equality and empowerment of women B. Major challenges C. Setbacks/reversals in progress D. Main constitutional, legislative and legal developments E. Budgetary Allocations F. Mechanisms in place for regular dialogue between Government and Civil Society G. Engagement in in-country, bilateral, sub-regional and/or regional cooperation H. Contribution of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in facilitating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action Section 2: Achievements and Challenges in theimplementationof the CriticalAreas of Concern oftheplatformfor Action since Women and Poverty Education and Training of Women Women and Health Violence against women Women and Armed Conflict Womenand theeconomy Women in power and decision-making Institutionalmechanismfor theadvancementof women Human rights of women Women and Media WomenandtheEnvironment The Girl Child

4 Section 3:Dataandstatistics A.Core set of national gender equality indicators B. Collection and compilation on the minimum set of gender indicators C. Collection and compilation on the nine indicators on violence against women D. Process undertaken to collect data on the situation of particular groups Section4: Emerging priorities A.Key priorities for action over the next three to five years B. Recommendations for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the post 2015 Agenda Table of Figures Figure 1 Improvement in score, Women s Economic Opportunity Index Figure 2 Net enrolment ratio in primary school by gender Figure 3 Poverty and social indicator Figure 4 Poverty level between 2007 and Figure 5 Women s proportion in sub-national governance Figure 6 Women in Judiciary (2014) Figure 7 Labor participation rate for persons in age group years

5 Abbreviation ADB AHRD ANC ASEAN BFC CCCSP CDCF CDAF CDHS CDP CEDAW CG CGA CHRC CIPS CMAA CNCC CNCW CNP CRC CSES CSO CWCC DAC EONC HSP ICCPR ICESCR ICT ILO JPA GBV GCCC GMAG GMAP LSCW MEF MoD MoE MoEYS MoH MoI MoJ MoP Asia Development Bank ASEAN Human Rights Declaration Antenatal Care Association of Southeast Asian Nations Better Factories Cambodia Cambodia Climate Change Strategic Plan Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum Council for Demobilization of Armed Forces Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey Cambodia Defenders Project Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Climate Change Cambodia Gender Assessment Cambodian Human Rights Commission Cambodia Inter-Censal Population Survey Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority Cambodia National Council for Children (CNCC) Cambodian National Council for Women Cambodian National Police Convention on the Rights of the Child Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey Civil Society Organization Cambodian Women s Crisis Center Development Assistance Committee Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Health Strategic Plan International Convention on Civil and Political Rights International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Information Communication Technology International Labor Organization Judicial Police Agent Gender-Based Violence Gender and Climate Change Committee Gender Mainstreaming Action Group Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan Legal Support for Children and Women Ministry of Economy and Finance Ministry of Defense Ministry of Environment Ministry of Education Youth and Sport Ministry of Health Ministry of Interior Ministry of Justice Ministry of Planning 5

6 MoU MoWA MWVA MRD MTEF NAPVAW NCC NCWMR NCDD NCDM NGO NICTA NIS NOVCMTF NSDP NR OECD OHCHR OI PBA PDOWA RCAF RGC SPCR TFR TWGG UDHR UN UNSCR VHSG WB WMCC Memorandum of Understanding Ministry of Women s Affairs Ministry of Women s and Veteran s Affairs Ministry of Rural Development Medium Term Expenditure Framework National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women National Coordination Committee National Commission on Weapons Management and Reform National Committee for Sub-national Democratic Development National Committee for Disaster Management Non-Governmental Organization National Information Communication Technology Authority National Institute of Statistics National Orphans and Vulnerable Children Multi-sectoral Task Force National Strategic Development Plan MoWA Five-Year Strategic Plan known as Neary Rattanak Organization for economic Co-operation and Development Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Open Institute Program Based Approach Provincial Department of Women s Affairs Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Royal Government of Cambodia Strategic Program for Climate Resilience Total Fertility Rate Technical Working Group on Gender Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations UN Security Council Resolution Village Health Support Group World Bank Women s Media Centre of Cambodia 6

7 Section 1: Overview analysis of achievements and challenges since 1995 The strategic objective of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) of the Fourth Legislature was to strengthen the quality of people, improve the status of women who are the backbone of national economy and society, and to transform youth to become an important driving force for development in every sector. 1 1.A.Major achievements in gender equality and empowerment of women The Kingdom of Cambodia has a total population of 14.6 million, with 7.1 million (48.5 per cent) males and 7.5 million (51.5 per cent) females. 2 The percentage of female-headed households is 27.3, and the female labor participation rate (age group 15-64) is 80 per cent, with employment for women at 59.3 per cent (CIPS, 2013). In 1992, Cambodia ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) without reservation, and its Optional Protocol in Cambodia endorsed the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) at the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) in The period following the FWCW has been an eventful one with many actions and measures being initiated and achievements attained. The RGC has put gender equality as a top priority in the government development agenda, with significant political commitment, and has taken concrete measures in order to achieve the goals set out in BPFA. Cambodia has periodically reviewed the progress of the implementation of BPFA, submitted reports in 2000 and 2004, and participated in the regional and global review. The Ministry of Women s Affairs (MoWA), in good cooperation with line ministries, development partners (DP) and Civil Society Organizations (CSO), has contributed to improve women s standard of living, to increase women s life expectancies, and to expand 1 RGC, 2013, Rectangular Strategy forgrowth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency III, Phnom Penh, page 29 2 Ministry of Planning (MOP), 2013, Cambodian Inter-Censal Population Survey (CICP) 2013, Phnom Penh 7

8 girls opportunities to secondary school education and has allowed better health care for women and their families since BPFA. The Human Development Index (HDI) has been improved and Cambodia now ranks at 138 th out of 187 countries, enabling Cambodia to be a medium human development category at in According to the Gender Inequality Index (GII), which measures the level of gender disparity in three realms: reproductive health, empowerment and labour market participation, Cambodia is ranked 96 th out of 148 countries (2012). Major achievements in the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality in Cambodia since the adoption of the BPFA in 1995 include: Active women s participation in the poverty reduction Promoting gender equity is one of the priority actions in the RGC s poverty reduction strategies such as thenational Poverty Reduction Strategy (NPRS) ( ) and the National Strategic Development Plans (NSDP) 3. Following the historic UN Millennium Summit in 2000, which set broad Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be achieved by the year 2015, Cambodia developed its own set of MDGS, the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs), focusing on poverty alleviation and human development. Cambodia has been making progress in women s economic empowerment to achieve these poverty alleviation goals. Women s opportunities to get employment have expanded, and more women are in paid employment. The labor force participation rate for women in Cambodia is the highest in the region, with increases in women s labour force participation rates rising from 75.6 to 79.7 per cent between 2008 and 2012 for the age group years. 4 According to the Women s Economic Opportunity Index 2012, Cambodia is ranked as the 3 rd most improved country in the world 5. Cambodia had the greatest overall increase of 6.2 points, with a significant score gain in labor policy and practice category. The government has paid increasing attention to the promotion of women s rights and the eradication of discrimination against women by setting out its policy and including it in implementing programmes. Non-governmental organizations have taken note, and are playing an 3 MOP, 2009, NSDP Update, Phnom Penh 4 MOP, Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey (CSES), 2008 and Women s Economic Opportunity Index 2012 was done by the Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned and funded by the Vital Voice Global Partnership and the La Pietra Coalition and sponsored by ExxonMobil Corporation. 8

9 increasing important role in promoting gender equality through the provision of literacy programmes, skills training and micro-credit. Figure 1: Improvement in score, Women s Economic Opportunity Index 2012 Rank Country 2012 Score Change 1 Lithuania Slovakia Cambodia Uruguay Bolivia Kenya Japan Singapore Serbia Azerbaijan Increase of girls enrollment to schools There has been substantial improvement since 2004 in narrowing the gender gap in the literacy rate among the age group and the proportion of female to male literacy was more than 99 per cent in 2011 compared to percent in This progress is on track to achieve its CMDG target. Gender parity has been achieved in primary school level net enrollment. The 2013/2014 Gender Parity Index 7 improved to 0.97 in primary net enrollment, and from 1.05 for secondary enrollment. The gender gap in the grade 6- completion rate has been eliminated, with the completion rate at percent for both sexes (girl and boys 87.75) in 2013/ MOP, 2014, Annual Progress Report 2013, Achieving Cambodia s Millennium Development Goals, Phnom Penh 7 The Gender Parity Index is the ratio of female to male values of a given indicator: A GPI of 1 indicates parity between sexes. (MOYES, 2014, Education Statistics & Indicators 2013/2014) 8 MOYES, 2014, Ibid 9

10 Since the BPFA in 1995, Cambodia has made significant progress in increasing the enrollment of girls to school, and national statistics show impressive achievement against CMDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education. Figure 2: Net enrolment ratio in primary school by gender The net enrollment of girls (aged 6-11) was 94.8 per cent in 2008 and it increased to 97 per cent in This progress is almost reaching the CMDG 2015 goal of achieving 100 per cent net enrollment by Dramatic decrease of maternal mortality rate Cambodia is one of 10 countries that are on track in 2013 to achieve MDG 4 and MDG 5 to reduce child mortality and maternal mortality 9. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has more than halved to 206/100,000 in 2010 from 472/100,000 in 2005, a remarkable 9 WHO report 2013, Success factor in women s and children s health. Cambodia is one of top ten countries that have made substantial progress to achieving MDG 4 and 5 targets. 10

11 reduction in a short time period. 10 This progress has already met the CMDG 2015 goal of 250/100,000 MMR. This success greatly owes to the RGC s efforts to improve the delivery of key reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health interventions for women and children. This includes increased government spending allocations to health, and the development and expansion of three health care financing schemes: performance-based financing, health equity funds, and vouchers with active support from development partners and civil society organizations. Increased female participation in decision-making positions After the national reconciliation in 1991, and the first democratic election in 1993, the participation of women in decision-making positions has steadily increased in many fields. The number of women in the National Assembly has continuously increased over the past four legislatures, from 5 per cent in 1993 to 20.3 percent in The proportion of female members in the Senate remained stable at 14.7 per cent between 1999 and There has been an increase in the proportion of women in senior government positions since In 2013, although there are no female Senior Ministers among a total of 15, one out of nine Deputy Prime Ministers is female. The percentage of female Ministers has increased from 7.14 per cent (two female ministers out of a total of 28) in 2008, to 11 percent (three female ministers out of 27) in All ministries have at least one female Secretary of State and one female Under Secretary of State. The proportion of female Secretary of State appointees increased from 16 (8 per cent) in 2008 to 38 (20.5 per cent) in The number of female Under Secretary of State appointees has increased from 33 (15 per cent) in 2008 to 48 (17.58 per cent) in Affirmative action in promoting women in public administration has made a difference. As a result of the State Secretariat of Civil Services Guidelines in 2007, that each ministry to have percent women among new recruits, the proportion of female civil servants has increased from 34 per cent in 2008 to 37 percent in In the judiciary, in 2010, women represented 14 per cent of judges, an increase from 7.7 per cent in CDHS, MOP, 2013, Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 MoWA, 2014, Cambodia Gender Assessment 2014, Phnom Penh 11

12 At sub-national level, strong progress in female representation has been made at Deputy levels with females comprising percent of Deputy Governors at Provincial/Capital level (24 females of a total 143) and almost 25 percent of Deputy Governors of Municipalities, District & Khans (23.79 percent, 196 female of 828 total) 14 Also, the proportion of women elected as members of Commune/Sangkat councils more than doubled from 8 per cent in 2002 to 18 per cent in Formulation of gender equality and gender mainstreaming policies Cambodia has made significant progress in formulating policies for gender equality and the empowerment of women since BPFA. Mainstreaming gender equality at all levels is a high priority of the RGC and a political commitment, while also being considered as a requisite for good governance. With the implementation of BPFA, the Secretariat of State for Women s Affairs was elevated to the status of Ministry of Women s Affairs (in 1996). Other institutional mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women include the Cambodian National Council for Women (CNCW), Gender Mainstreaming Action Groups (GMAGs) in all line ministries and the Technical Working Group on Gender (TWGG). At the sub- national level, provincial and district Women s and Children s Consultative Committees (WCCC) have regular meetings with the Board of Governors on women, youth and children issues. For better delivery of services to rural men and women, Commune Committees on Women and Children (CCWC) have been established and Sub decree 22 requires that among the three village leaders, at least one must be a woman. Gender is also mainstreamed in national policies namely; the Socio-Economic Development Plan I ( ) and II ( ), the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (NRPS), the Rectangular strategy 1, 2 and 3. The CMDGs also considers gender equality as a priority. Since BPFA, MoWA has developed a key national policy for women in 1996 to guide the country for promoting gender equality and women s empowerment. The national policy was 14 Ibid. 15 RGC, 2013, Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency Phase III, Phnom Penh 12

13 operated through the five year strategic plan called Neary Rattanak (NR) 16, and it passed through three generation, NR1 (1999), NR 2 ( ), and NR 3 ( ) and the 4 th generation ( ) is under development along with the key national documents of the fifth RGC s mandate ( ), namely, the Rectangular Strategy III and NSDP Attitudes towards Violence Against Women (VAW) is positively changing The RGC has committed to the prevention of violence against women (VAW) through its endorsement of international declarations and conventions and a number of laws and policies have been adapted to date, including; Labour Law (1997) Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims (2005) (DV Law) Law on Monogamy (2006) Laws on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation (2008) Civil Procedure Code (2006) Civil Code (2007) Penal Code (signed in 2009) 1 st National Action Plan to Prevent VAW ( ) Criminal Procedure Code (2007) Law on Regulating Concentrated Acid (2011) The National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) Safe Village/Commune/Sangkat Policy (2010) 2 nd National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women ( ) Cambodia is among the first countries in the world to make reducing VAW an indicator of its national development plan. Goal 3 of the CMDGs includes additional indicators and targets on reducing VAW, and call for a significant reduction of every form of VAW and children by Neary Rattanak means Women as Precious Gems 13

14 MoWA initiated a baseline survey (2005) and a follow-up survey (2009), which showed that both men and women were generally expressing a much lower tolerance for violence between these time periods. In 2009, victims were also reporting decreased levels of domestic violence. The percentage of Cambodians who understand that violence against women is a wrongful behavior and a crime increased from 30 percent in 2008 to 80 percent in 2009, exceeding the 2015 CMDG target of 70 per cent (CMDG 2011). 1. B Major challenges Despite significant gains in gender equality and the empowerment of women, important challenges remain. Limited access of girls to continue to lower secondary and higher education While gender parity has been achieved in primary education enrolment, beyond lower secondary, access to education for girls is limited and completion rates remain low. Girl s completion rate of lower secondary school remains at 40 per cent and upper secondary at only 22.1 per cent (2013/2014, MoEYS). Social norms that prioritize boys over girls education is just one of the barriers to education for girls 17. The perception of parents towards their daughters is generally that they should help with household chores and take care of younger siblings, undermining the importance of higher education. 18 Limited opportunities for women s access to better paid employment Cambodia has recognized the importance of women s economic empowerment and notes that there is a necessity to further improve the status of women who are the backbone of the Cambodian society and economy. 19 With the implementation of gender-responsive labor policies and promoting gender equality in the labor market, some gender gaps in the labor market have been reduced. However, women still suffer from persistent gender inequality in employment. About 70 per cent of employed women, compared to 59 per cent of men, remain in vulnerable employment, defined as unpaid work contributing to the family and own account 17 RGC, 2010, Fourth and Fifth National report on the implementation of CEDAW in Cambodia,Phnom Penh 18 MoWA, 2011, Report on Study of emerging gender issues among women, girls and youth in Cambodia, Phnom Penh 19 RGC, 2013, Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency Phase III, Phnom Penh 14

15 workers. 20 Low levels of education and literacy constitutes one of the main barriers to women s participation in and benefit from better paid work. The RGC is determined to promote women in the economy through strengthening vocational training programs to enable women to equip themselves with the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed for their empowerment C. Setbacks/reversals in progress Since BPFA, with rapid economic growth and the influence of globalization, Cambodian women have been progressively enjoying wider freedoms and claiming their rights. However, in recent years, climate change has greatly affected a large number of people in rural areas, pushing some households back into poverty 22. Unexpected heavy rains have caused a number of huge flooding in northeast Cambodia in 2011 and Damage from the floods was devastating: for example, as a result of 2011 flood, 40 per cent of households had to take a loan for maintaining food security. 23 This has affected the well-being and health of women because food security for a family is deemed to be women s responsibility in Cambodian society 24. This series of damage from natural disasters in recent years has demonstrated a high demand for special attention to the gender dimension of disaster management. Rural women are mostly engaged in agriculture work, both paid and unpaid, and natural disaster deprive them of the sources of income and their assets. It is a security matter for women too. Women s expected roles in family are to ensure that family members are fed and stay in a safe and decent place, with children in good health condition. Many men who are affected have left their families to seek immediate employment for generating income, while the women are left behind to take care of their children. Health risks were the most serious concern, because the flooding was at the time of dengue fever season and dengue outbreaks are spurred by heavy rain. Another health risk is water borne diseases spurred by damage to toilets and water drinking facilities, as well as respiratory infections and measles. For this natural disaster, the RGC has taken several measures such as; 20CSES, RGC, 2013, Ibid. 22 RGC, 2011, Building resilience: The future for rural livelihoods in the face of climate change, Cambodia Human development report 2011, Phnom Penh 23 Action Aid, et al. 2012, Cambodia Post-Flood Relief and Recovery Survey, Phnom Penh 24 MoWA, Cambodia Gender Assessment 2014, Phnom Penh 15

16 creating special funds for relief and rehabilitation (100 million riel in 2011); the Cambodian Red Cross started its emergency response since the beginning of the rains in August and staff and volunteers have continued to support the affected population since that time; distribution of emergency relief items; and national and local authorities and the Cambodian Red Cross, UN organizations, and international and national NGOs assisted the affected population, particularly with food and non-food items (NFI) distributions, and in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, health, education and protection. 1. D. Main constitutional, legislative and legal developments The Constitution (1993): explicitly prohibits discrimination against women in its Article 45, which states, All forms of discrimination against women shall be abolished. The exploitation of women in employment shall be prohibited. Since 1993, there have been the following legal developments: Main laws Labor law (1997) Abortion law (1997) Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims (2005) Law on Monogamy (2006) Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation (2008) Civil Code (2007) and Civil Procedure Code (2006) The Law on Administrative Management of the Capital, Provinces, Municipalities, Districts and Khans (2008) The Law on Elections of Capital, Provincial, Municipal, District and Khan Councils (2008) Law on Tourism (2009) Penal Code (signed in 2009) and Criminal Procedure Code (2007) 1. E Budgetary Allocations The public expenditure is generally focused on poverty reduction and Cambodia is on track to meet the MDG target of halving poverty by The government retained agriculture, infrastructure, education, health and rural sectors as priorities, maintaining the alignment of government spending to their poverty reduction priorities. The government maintained social and rural infrastructure spending despite the global financial crisis. 16

17 Since 2002, there has been a concerted effort by the RGC in cooperation with development partners to progress Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB), which was reflected in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). The Ministry of Economics and Finance (MEF) developed a Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan that included the principle to ensure that all projects and budget expenditures equally benefit women/men and boys/girls and that gender equality is integrated within the public finance reforms. 25 MoWA was among the priority ministries for piloting the programme budgeting. This has helped MoWA to implement its five-year strategic plans: Neary Rattanak 3 and 4 with the significant support from development partners. The increase of the national budget in the health and the education sectors, significantly contributed to achieving CMDG targets related to the reduction of maternal and child mortality rate and gender gap in education. 1. F Mechanisms in place for regular dialogue between Government and Civil Society Ensuring regular dialogues among different stakeholders is a part of a good governance policy of the RGC. For this, MoWA is the central government agency and the national machinery for the advancement of women and to implement the BPFA principles. MoWA brings the voices, experiences, and priorities of different groups of women to the government to reflect them to policy-making. It closely works with other governmental agencies, women s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and stakeholders in the private sector. MoWA engages with civil society in a variety of different, as follows: The Technical Working Group on Gender (TWGG) This is the forum to facilitate dialogue amongst the RGC, development partners and civil society in regard to gender issues, for harmonization and aid-effectiveness. It holds quarterly meetings and representatives from civil society attend and deliver 25 Dev. Sanjugta, et al., 2010, Gender Responsive Budgeting in Asia Pacific Region 17

18 their collective opinions so that their constituents voices are heard and reflected into the policy dialogues. TWGG s sub group on Women s Economic Empowerment (TWGG-WEE) A sub-group to TWGG, was set up to facilitate dialogue about policy formulation on women and economic empowerment. TWGG s sub group on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) A sub-group to TWGG on GBV was set up with a large number of civil society groups involved. This group discusses GBV issues, under the umbrella of the development and implementation of the 2 nd NAPVAW. There are three groups set up under the TWGG-GBV: Primary Prevention, Services and policy and Monitoring and Evaluation. These venues have been set up under the umbrella of the TWG. There are 19 Technical Working Groups (TWGs), each one responsible for a specific sector/thematic area of the Rectangular Strategy Phase III, which is the policy platform for the fifth mandate of the government ( ). Each TWG is chaired by the relevant government agency and cofacilitated by a lead Development Partner (DP). The TWGs, which meet three times a year, discuss policies, strategies, and programs; and set Joint Monitoring Indicators (explained below) under the Government Development Partner Coordination Committee (GDCC) and the annual Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF), which meet regularly. The GDCC/CDCF mechanism is facilitated by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), headed by the Prime Minister, and serves as the focal point for aid coordination. The TWGs have functioned well in tracking progress and challenges in their respective sectors. The program-based approach (PBA) has been introduced and implemented in key sectors. The TWGG has developed key indicators for monitoring, called Joint Monitoring Indicators (JMI), which are regularly monitored by the TWGG secretariat at MoWA. JMIs are linked to the NSDP and other gender-related indicators such as in the NR IV. In regard to CEDAW implementation monitoring, the Cambodian National Council for Women (CNCW) is in charge. For indicators related to girl children, the Cambodian National Council for Children (CNCC) is mainly in charge to monitor the progress. Furthermore, in the process of formulating gender-related policies, MoWA always sets a number of venues for civil society members to participate so that their voices are heard and reflected into policy-making. MoWA ensures attention is paid to women in a disadvantaged 18

19 situation, such as women with disabilities, elderly women, women from ethnic minority, or sexual minority groups, to ensure that all women s concerns are reflected. In addition, when the RGC submits any report to UN treaty bodies such as CEDAW, the RGC always consults with civil society members. 1.G. Engagement in in-country, bilateral, sub-regional and/or regional cooperation As a member state of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Cambodia successfully completed its mandate as a Chair country of ASEAN in A series of highlevel talks were hosted by Cambodia, which included gender related issues. ASEAN has adopted a number of documents and work plans pertaining to the promotion of gender equality and the protection of women s human rights, as follows: Declaration of the Advancement of Women in ASEAN, 1988 Declaration on the Elimination of VAW in the ASEAN region, 2004 ASEAN Declaration Against Trafficking in Persons Particularly Women and Children, 2004 Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (ASEAN), 2010 ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers 2007, with references to gender equality and women s rights Ha Noi Declaration on the Enhancement of the Welfare and Development of ASEAN Women and Children, 2010 Work Plan to Operationalize the Declaration on the Elimination of VAW, Work Plan on Women s Advancement and Gender Equality, Roadmap for an ASEAN Community, Terms of Reference ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, 2009 Terms of Reference ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children,

20 Cambodia consistently expresses strong political will for the advancement of women and attainment of gender equality in the region and raises women s rights issues in its bilateral consultations and regional dialogues, as it is a high priority of the government. At the regional level, Cambodia is progressively engaged in regional cooperation at ASEAN in sharing the knowledge and experiences of monitoring the implementation of BPFA. The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), which was inaugurated on 7 April 2010, regularly meets to exchange progress that each member state has made, and share experiences and challenges. ACWC is an intergovernmental and consultative body, which is an integral part of the ASEAN. The main purpose of the ACWC is to promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children in ASEAN, taking into consideration the different historical, political, socio-cultural, religious and economic context in the region and the balances between rights and responsibilities. 26 Furthermore, it also aims to enhance regional and international cooperation with a view to complementing national and international efforts on the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children. 27 Prominent accomplishments of ACWC includes the convening of several regional meetings and workshops, such as, (a) ASEAN High Level Meeting on CEDAW, BPFA & MDGs in 2006 in Jakarta, Indonesia; (b) Good Practices in CEDAW Reporting and Follow-Up on January 2008 in Vientiane, Lao PDR; (c) ASEAN Regional Workshop on Gender Equality Legislation on February 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand, (d) ASEAN Workshop on Domestic Violence Legislation on October 2008 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam; (e) ASEAN Conference on Gender- Based Violence and HIV/AIDS on 1-3 December 2009 in Manila, the Philippines ASEAN, 2010, Term of Reference, ASEAN COMMISION ON THE PROMOTIO AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN, Jakarta 27 Ibid. 28ASEAN, 2012, ASEAN COMMITTEE ON W OM EN (ACW ) W ORK PLAN ( ), Jakarta 20

21 1. H. Contribution of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in facilitating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action The BPFA provided concrete actions under the 12 key areas of concern with a clear role of the government, civil society and development partners. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are globally agreed upon targets with clear benchmarks, and more detailed goals were set under the context of each country. In Cambodia, a total of nine goals were set (with an additional one goal; Goal 9: De-mining, removing explosive remnants of war, and victim assistance). In the process of formulating the CMDGs, all the 12 areas of concern in the BPFA were integrated into CMDGs, and the national level implementation of them were incorporated within the national development plan, the NSDP with rigorous monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Cambodia has produced the monitoring report of CMDG implementation on a regular basis. This regular monitoring system contributed towards achieving some of the targets of BPFA, particularly those on gender equality, education and health. As a part of medium-term planning, in 2003, the Ministry of Planning (MOP) set a medium-term target and defined national M&E indicators, which are based on MDG agreed in the UN s Millennium Summit in 2000 and incorporated some changes to adapt the global MDGs to the context of Cambodia. Cambodia has produced CMDGs monitoring reports in 2003, 2005, 2010, and 2011, 2012 and

22 Section 2: Achievements and Challenges in theimplementationof the CriticalAreas of Concern oftheplatformfor Action since Women and Poverty After the first democratic election in 1993, Cambodia has placed poverty reduction as a top priority on its development agenda and has developed a number of poverty reduction policies. Since BPFA, Cambodia has achieved substantial progress in political stability, security, and social order, particularly socio-economic development. 29 With political stability, rapid economic growth became a reality, and women were presented with more employment opportunities for expanding their freedoms and building up their independence, and also to support their families. Figure 3: Poverty and social indicator 1990 s 2000 s Latest year Population (million) (2013 CIPS) Population growth (annual percentage change) Maternal Mortality Rate (per live births) Infant Mortality Rate (below 1 year/per live birth) Life Expectancy at birth (years) Adult literacy (percent) Primary school growth enrollment 2.3 (1998) 1.6 (2013) (1997) 472 (2005) 206 (2010) 95 (1998) 66 (2005) 45 (2010) 50 (1990) 54 (2002) 71 (women) (men) 62.8 (1998) (2008) 88 (2011) (1996) (2003) (2011) 29 RGC, 2013, Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency Phase III 30 RGC, NSDP Ibid 22

23 Child malnutrition (percentage below five years) Rural population with access to improved water (percentage) 56.1 (1996) 49.7 (2000) 40 (2010) 24 (1998) 52.7 (2005) 44.9 (2011) Source: ADB, 20 Year Anniversary , Phnom Penh Relevance and incidence: The poverty rate has reduced dramatically to 18.8 per cent in 2012 from 47.8 percent in 2007, improving the standard of living of women and expanding their life opportunities 32. The CMDG target of halving the proportion of persons living below the national poverty line between early 1990 s and 2015 is almost a reality. Figure 4 Poverty level between 2007 and 2012 Indicator Poverty level (Cambodia) Poverty level (Rural) Food poverty level Source: RGC 2012, NSDP The MDG report ranks Cambodia s improvement in reducing poverty incidence fifth out of 76 poor countries; the UNDP Human Development Indicators (HDI) ranks Cambodia as the country with the best improvement in the region from 2000 through Rural poverty rate has been steady reduced from about 53 per cent in 2007 to about 20 per cent in RGC, 2012, 2012 Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the NSDP update with an overview of economic and social progress, including in select CMDGs, Phnom Penh 33 RGC, NSDP , Phnom Penh 23

24 Policy framework for poverty reduction: Key development strategies and policies for poverty reduction and economic development all address the importance of gender equality and respond to the needs of women in poverty. RGC formulated the National Programme to Rehabilitate and Develop Cambodia (NPRD) in 1994, the first five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan I (SEDPI ) to lay out its rehabilitation and development vision putting emphasis on macroeconomic stability, social development, and poverty reduction 34. RGC then formulated 2 nd Socio-Economic Development Plan II (SEDPII ) in order to guide the continued efforts in socio-economic development as well as successfully implemented Triangle Strategy. The implementation of the Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency is the further efforts to sustain the achievements that RGC has realized. Under the forth legislature of the National Assembly, Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency phase II was formulated and RGC prepared the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) as a new national plan using the structure of the Rectangular Strategy of RGC. In order to implement the Rectangular Strategy of RGC, the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and have been formulated. These poverty reduction strategies have contributed to improving women s livelihood in general through improved infrastructure such as road building, which provide women with better access to health facilities, expand education and employment opportunities. Investment in agriculture and industry has also enabled women to generate more income for improving their living standards, through participating in businesses. Beside the above key poverty reduction strategies, there are policies specifically addressing the issues of women in poverty as below; Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) Neary Rattanak I-IV National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable ( ) Cambodia was seriously affected by the global financial crisis and economic downturn, and the impact is still being felt. Despite this impact, the RGC succeeded in maintaining macroeconomic stability and as a consequence, the economy managed to achieve high economic growth of more than 7 per cent during the past two years. The ongoing efforts of the implementation of the Public Financial Management Reform Program (currently Stage 2) 34 RGC, 2014, NSDP

25 have helped further strengthen budget sustainability and improve financial accountability. This direction will be maintained and strengthened under the current RGC mandate. Social security and social protection: The National Social Protection Policy (NSPS) for the Poor and Vulnerable was adopted in 2012 and the Social Protection Unit (SPCU) is coordinating a variety of efforts to support women in poverty. The NSPS specifically addresses financial barriers to healthcare and protects household from catastrophic healthcare costs. Two of the five NSPS objectives specifically refer to women. Food security is still a serious concern for women 35, due in part to their socially expected role to ensure their families are properly fed 36. The main mechanism to assist women suffering from poverty is the Poor Household Identification Programme (ID Poor), which began in 2012 and is now nationwide. Holders of the ID poor card are provided with free medical services by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which benefits a large number of poor families including those of female-headed households. Data shows that female-headed household are poorer and families with a large number of family members including elderly and dependent children/relatives are more likely to be poor37. In Cambodia, 25.6 per cent of all households are female-headed households 38 and literacy rates among female-headed households are much lower than that of male-headed (58.4 percent for female-headed household vs percent for male-headed household) 39. Access to assets: More than 80 per cent of Cambodian women live in rural areas, with the majority (63 per cent) employed in the primary sector (agriculture, forestry and fisheries) (CDHS 2010). Therefore, land is an important asset for women s livelihood and financial security. The Land Law (2001) is the mechanism that ensures that both women and men can be identified as owners of land. The strategic framework of land policy recognizes the 35 RGC, 2013,ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT PREPARED ON THE STATUS IN 2013, Phnom Penh 36In reality, children s health and nutrition related indicators are not on track to achieving CMDGs with 40 percent of children (0-59 months) suffering from stunning. RGC, 2011, Achieving Cambodia s Millennium Development Goals, Phnom Penh 37 MoWA, Cambodia Gender Assessment 2008, Phnom Penh 38 RGC, 2008, General Population Census of Cambodia 2008, Phnom Penh 39 RGC, 2010, Analysis of the Census Results, Report 13, Gender in Cambodia, Phnom Penh 25

26 importance of meeting the needs of women. In recent years, land titling programmes (Systematic Land Registration and Order 001) have emphasised joint titling of married couples land to ensure that land is not legally controlled by males in the household. The Civil Code also empowers women to have equal rights with men in the case of divorce. The newly adapted civil code ensures that both women and men have equal rights in accessing bank loans and equal inheritance rights. The implementation of the Code will strengthen the foundation of gender equality in civil matters. Access to credit: The majority of Cambodian women live in rural areas and their lives depend on subsistence agriculture and it is of crucial importance that they have access to micro credit. For this, the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) has established a microcredit system with low interest rates. In addition to the government support system for accessing credit, there are a large number of microfinance banks, mostly born out of some programmes of civil society organizations, which offer small-scale credit for women. There is no discrimination against women for accessing to credit in legislation. Cambodian women now have as much access as men to financial services from both commercial banks and microfinance institutions (MFIs). According to the Network Information Exchange, which collects data from 37 MFIs and five organizations, the total number of women borrowers has reached nearly 1,006,700, or 80 percent of their total clients 40. Leading commercial bank ACLEDA reports that they had more than 179,300 individual women borrowers in March 2013, or 53 percent of their total borrowers 41. In addition to banks in the private sector, civil society organizations, such as Banteay Srei, are active in Cambodia and many organizations have established women s saving groups that offer credit. Mostly, NGOs apply the empowerment approach and create solidarity amongst women in community level to improve their livelihood in general. Policy and Measures in the Aftermath of 2007/2008 Financial Crisis: Cambodia's economic management has been strong and at the time of the global financial crisis, the government demonstrated its ability to effectively respond to shocks in a timely manner with appropriately-tailored monetary and fiscal policies. The indirect effect of the global economic downturn had a limited impact on the finance sector in Cambodia, however, the effect was more obvious in some sectors that are exposed to international market forces 40 MoWA, 2014, Ibid. 41However, women s average loan size is smaller than men s. 26

27 such as garment and footwear manufacturing, where women constitute the majority of employees. To help workers who lost jobs during the 2008/9 financial crisis, especially female garment workers, the RGC has established special training courses. These are active labor market programs to raise skill levels, improve labor market productivity, and contribute to economic growth. In 2012, around 6,800 unemployed workers (52 per cent women) participated in employability and self-employment training courses 42. The Self-Employment Generation Fund, managed by the National Committee of Training (NCT), provides microfinance to trainees. From , a total of 88,842 unskilled workers (55 per cent women) were sent to work overseas through private employment agencies, of which 16,892 (15 per cent women) were sent to the Republic of Korea through NCT and Employment Permit System (EPS) under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT) 43. In February 2012, the National Training Board (NTB) endorsed the Cambodia Qualification Framework (CQF) as a key policy tool for the reform and expansion of technical and vocational provisions. In 2009, the National Employment Agency (NEA) was established and it has been actively providing advisory and labor market information services44. NEA is a special operating agency under the jurisdiction of the NTB within the general department of technical and vocational, education and training, of the MLVT. Remaining Challenges: Many women who have in recent years risen out of poverty remain highly vulnerable, even to small shocks, which could quickly push them back into poverty. The utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ITC) for poverty reduction among women needs to be strategized so that they have better access to key information about their economic activities including training opportunities, market, and credit Education and Training of Women Equality between women and men in education is officially guaranteed in the Cambodia, which states, the state shall protect and upgrade citizens rights to a quality education at all levels and shall take necessary steps for quality education to reach all citizens (Article. 65) Policies for gender equality: The MoEYS, in close cooperation with line ministries, Development Partners (DP) and civil society organizations, has undertaken specific policies 42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. 44http:// 27

28 and programs towards ensuring education for all, delivering improvements to basic and secondary education, including in disadvantaged and to hard-to-reach areas and narrowing the gender gap. These policies and programs include: 45 Education Strategic Plan ( ) School Readiness Program to Reducing Repetition and dropout rate and increasing promotion rate Child Friendly School Policy School Feeding Program Inclusive Education including Disabled Children Policy of non-formal education Policy on non-formal education equivalency program (2008) National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Development (2010) Teacher Policy (May 2013) Policy on HIV/AIDS Policy on Human resource in Education sector Master Plan for Research Development in the Education Sector ( ) Master plan on Information and Communication Technology in the education sector Policies and strategies on Information and Communication Technology in the education sector Policy on research Development in the Education Sector; Policy for Curriculum Development ( ) Policy on Education for Children with Disabilities; School Health Policy Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan (GMAP) Programs for gender mainstreaming include: Expansion of childhood education program

29 Expansion of scholarship programs for disadvantaged students particularly for girls and ethnic minority Increase number of dormitory for girl s students and female teachers Deployment of more female teachers Improvement in education curriculum at all levels Construction of more and closer schools in under-served areas. In addition, MoWA s, Neary Rattanak, sets out specific targets for gender issues in education sector. The RGC continues to strengthen the skills of the labor force by expanding technical and vocational education and training to more provinces, and engaging the private sector. The MLVT also provides vocational training to girls and women, which will be described under the sub-chapter of Women and the Economy. Eliminating gender stereotypes in school textbook: TheGeneralEducationCurriculum DevelopmentPolicy ofMoEYS clearlystatesthatthetextbooksimprovementpolicyinvolvesmainstreaminggenderand integratinghumanrightsintotextbooksandteachingmethodologies, incorporating various teachingandlearningstyles.the MoEYS has been putting large efforts in to improving the quality of education at all levels, which includes the gender sensitivities in teaching. Promoting women in the education sector: Allprovincial andregionalteacher-training centersprovidedormitories fortrainee teachersfromdisadvantagedremoteareas,especiallyforfemaletraineeteachers.currently, MoEYSisimprovingthe teacher-trainingcurriculum atbasiceducation levelandforpreschoolandprimaryschool teachersthroughtheincorporation oftopicsonhumanrights,women srights,children s rights, life skills, genderawareness and civic education. Regarding the recruitment for teachers,if menand women have the equal level of qualification,moeyswill giveprioritytofemale candidates. The percentage of female teaching staff and females in leadership positions and management roles has gradually increased, owing to the strong initiatives of MoEYS to implement the Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan. Narrowing the gender gap in education sector: The gender gap in education, especially in primary and secondary enrollment, has been narrowing.the gender gap in completion rate at Grade 6 has been eliminated with 95 per cent for both sexes in 2011, nearing the target of 29