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Polishing Precious Gems
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PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA
In Cambodia, women have traditionally been associated with cloth and men with gold.
Ing Kantha Phavi, Secretary of State for Women’s and Veterans’ Affairs, is working to put them on more equal footing. “Women account for 52% of the population of this country,” she says.
“If you keep women as white cloth, we cannot use all our human resources to develop this country. We have to change the image and value of women’s status.”.
Her ministry is implementing a 5-year plan developed in 1999 to improve women’s standing in society. The plan’s title, “Women Are Precious Gems,” has two meanings: “Gems are valuable. Not vulnerable, but valuable,” says Ms. Phavi. “And gems and gold are complementary so women can live in harmony with men. It is not a competition. Women and men can live in harmony and assist each other.”
The plan focuses on four areas designed to help women work their way out of poverty and into the mainstream economy.
About half of Cambodian women over age 24 are illiterate. This prevents many women from acquiring the skills and training they need to improve their financial and social position. The Ministry is helping more girls attend school and more women attend informal education classes. Literacy brings opportunities for vocational training and better jobs, says Ms. Phavi.
"We have to change the image and value of wome's status"
Ing Kantha Phavi
Secretary of State for Women’s
and Veterans’ Affairs, Cambodia
The average Cambodian family has five children. Women have traditionally been responsible for family and household care. Poor women now have the added burden of contributing to the family income through work outside the home.
The Ministry is disseminating information on family planning to help women better manage the responsibilities of home and work. The goal is not fewer children, but improved birth spacing to ensure women remain healthy and productive.
Women play a lead role in the Cambodian economy, but much of their contribution is in the informal sector through microenterprises. To make these enterprises more productive and sustainable, the Ministry is providing women entrepreneurs with market research, information on new technologies and management techniques, and helping facilitate their access to credit.
To achieve their full potential, people need legal protection. The Ministry is engaged in activities to fight trafficking of women and children, domestic violence, rape, sexual exploitation, and child prostitution.
Read more articles on gender and development issues in Asia and the Pacific
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Visit ADB's Cambodia Resident Mission site
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