Cambodia 

Promoting women’s space on concerns relevant to their social and political representation has been agreed as advantageous to developing any country. Political and economic issues at the local level are particularly pertinent to women’s lives. And women are seen as more likely to address pressing development problems facing their communities, such as education, healthcare and the impact of corruption, as a result of both their proximity to communities and their multiple roles within communities. Yin Sam Onn, 54, who is a woman deputy village chief of Kaeng Village, Chhroy Banteay Commune, Kratie District, Kratie Province where our partner Khmer Association for Development of Countryside-Cambodia (KAFDOC) works echoes the claim, saying women are preferred because of the responsibility and high commitment they make “It is women who are active. We have more trust in women than in men. After they get assignment, they are accountable,” Sam Onn said

“Men cannot fully understand women’s issues. What women’s sufferings are, but we do. We struggle for what women need. What affect women’s rights. We dare speak out what women need. Men don’t care much about women’s sufferings. They cannot know all,” she added.

Coming from a poor family, Sam Onn could study up to only grade three. But, she has a great deal of experience in women’s issues. She was elected by her community the leader of commune women association in the 1980s. Then she resumed the work from 1993 till 2004 again. She was selected and has been working as a community facilitator since 2005. She is now a community organiser.
“Before women were in not in the leadership role. Even they were capable, they were only assistants. But, now even most of our community facilitators are also in their village leadership role,” Sam Onn said. She believes that there is change in women’s participants and that more women are/ feel encouraged to take the change position. “People have trust in me. We are capable of managing things. Men recognise us because our concrete actions produce results. I feel confidence,” said Som Onn.

Besides community organising skill, all of the female facilitators in communities KAFDOC works with also learned Land Law, Fishery Law, self help health, gender, REFLECT and good governance. Sixteen of them have taken most of the village assistant posts (sixteen out of nineteen) while four become commune councilors and two commune chiefs.

“More women are in local governance. They did not understand. They did not know about laws. Husbands did not encourage wives to go far,” said Chea Thi, 39, a community healer. She became a village assistant in early 2007. In her community, there are about fifteen women in Chhroy Banteay Commune.  With the knowledge and expertise, the women have become the useful resource persons people often come to; their representation has made them possible to influence any decision that affects their community. “Women group join and help. To decide wither or not to have a straight or detouring trail. It is not only the village chief or assistant who makes the decision. All must agree,” said Chea Thi.

In planning to build the trail, she has involved women from various groups: rice banks, revolving fund and self help health programme. Males from the authority, fisher folks also join. Each family will contribute riel 13,000 (USD 3.25) to the construction of a 160-meter long village road.

Chea Thi has selected fifteen active women from her community to involve in meetings on women’s issues and any community problem solving. To her, women’s participation is very important. “I don’t like any piece of work, decision made only by men. The one which is male dominated, it is like there is no justice at all for women—they are useless,” said Chea Thi. “Before women could not be part of any development work. So, we want women to participate in doing anything. We want more participation so that they can increase their knowledge,” she added.