Bringing gender issues to youth and people at the grassroots

At a rural market in Takeo province, Chin Chanthy was waiting for clients at her hairdressing shop but the blaring sound of an approaching loudspeaker prompted her to find out what all the noise was about. Minutes later, she was standing in a circle of 150 high school students and, through a microphone, sharing her thoughts about gender issues in Cambodia.

“I’ve never seen such an activity in my community before. Bringing the campaign to a rural area like this is very important because people in the countryside don’t have much understanding about gender issues,” the 21-year-old woman said.

The students she was speaking to earlier came from the nearby Ang Roka high school who were taking part in a fresh campaign to bring messages about gender equality to youth and people at the grassroots. Organised by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the campaign helped to spread key messages of the Ministry’s strategic report on gender – the 2008 Cambodian Gender Assessment: A Fair Share for Women.

The Khmer Youth Association (KYA), a non-governmental organisation, led the month-long campaign, themed Women and Decision Making. Dissemination of the report among youth represents one step further in trying to promote gender equality because youth play not only an important role in the future of Cambodia but also in the present, as they currently make up the majority of the population.

Mao Samphos, a KYA youth official, explained that the theme was designed to help women to build confidence to take control of their own future by overcoming the prevailing traditional stereotypes which often view them as homemakers and nothing else.

Donned in blue T-shirts bearing slogan “Unite to promote women in decision making” on their backs, the students were out to dispel the myth. They arrived early in the morning for a series of speeches under a tent set on the school ground. They later marched to the market, holding banners awash in messages advocating for better status for women. Villagers living along the road came out to have a look.

Like Chin Chanthy and other vendors, Mom Sameth, a 55-year-old rice seller, halted her trade temporarily to listen to the speakers when the parade made a brief stop at the market.

“This campaign is very useful for women because it encourages people, especially women in the community, to understand more about their rights and help prevent domestic violence. Domestic violence happens because people are uneducated,” she said.

Discussion about violence against women featured prominently in the event, echoing a critical challenge Cambodia is facing in its efforts to realise the Millennium Development Goal on promoting gender equality and empowering women. Despite some progress made by the government in recent years, inequalities between women and men still remain significant in Cambodia. In virtually all aspects of life, women are worse off than men – from access to education, health service, job opportunities, and decision-making positions.

Numerous awareness workshops about the Cambodian Gender Assessment report have been held in the past for policy-makers, but the campaign organisers believed that the walkabout could be an effective way to bring its messages to village homes.

“Compared to workshops, this kind of activity is more useful and more real to the village people because they can witness it with their eyes. The campaign provides women in the village more understanding about gender issues,” said Mut Pom, a council member of South Tropeang Thom commune in Takeo, about 90 kilometres south of capital Phnom Penh.

While the students were the forerunners in the campaign, it was the job of two grandpas to amplify their messages. One of them was Pok Heng, a 74-year-old man who rented the battery-operated loudspeaker set to the organisers. The other was 70-year-old Tooch Nget, a neighbor Pok Heng recruited to be his assistant.

During the march, Pok Heng drove his motorbike with loudspeaker set and amplifier strapped on the back seat. Tooch Nget walked by, his hands managing the cords connecting the microphone and the amplifier.

The rent fee was 30,000 riel (US$7) for the day, but Pok Heng said that he also took home a bonus – knowledge about promotion of women’s status his generation cared little about.

“The need for our men to change their attitude toward women will help to reduce violence in families. This is a new knowledge for me and I am taking it home to share with my children and grandchildren,” said Pok Heng who has 13 children and more than 30 grandchildren.

Started on 29 January, the campaign supported by UNDP has also featured workshops for three universities in Phnom Penh. Organisers said they expected the campaign would reach about 1,000 students in its final leg of a walkabout and concert in another province in March.