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 Women and Politics

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 Women and Politics

Cambodia can now be considered as a liberal democracy because Article 34 and CEDAW guarantee universal suffrage as well as public office holding. However, women have been consistently represented poorly in government affairs. Suffrage movement started when garment workers were involved in peaceful demonstrations regarding pay and working conditions in the textile industry. At the time of demonstration, due to a sudden grenade attack, one woman became paralysed. Following that incident, female workers again conducted a peaceful demonstration in 2003 and it was monitored by the human rights groups. Deaths and injuries followed and thereafter, Cambodian women started mass gatherings to protest against the injustice and to raise awareness.

Origin of the suffrage movement started

In 1955, women were first granted suffrage in the Kingdom of Cambodia (Women’s Suffrage, 2020). Therefore, officially, at a national level, this year marked the beginning of the suffrage movement. Woman in Cambodia was first granted the “right to vote”. They were also granted permission to stand for elections. The framing process included fight over power and a constant attempt to bring change.

Reasons behind starting the suffrage movement

Suffrage movement started because women rights have been violated everywhere. They were denied of the right to vote and were subjected to harmful working conditions in the workplace. Moreover, the pay band was low as well and immediate reforms were required. The purpose of the movement was to establish the democratic rights of women in the society (Iknowpolitics.org. 2020). Power concept has been mostly associated with men rather than women. Power distribution in the society has been uneven.

The barriers they passed through to be in politics

In Cambodia, women passed through patriarchal barriers before gaining a foothold in politics. At the time of French colonial period (19th century), a Hindu-Buddhist tradition was prevalent. It limited women and they were asked to remain their “space” and display appropriate behaviour only. The “Chbab Shrey” guideline was introduced and women were asked to look after their house, their children and husband only. In the 20th century, boundaries for women started to diminish due to the rise of colonialism, however, patriarchal control prevailed. Only after independence (1953), Cambodian women were accepted in formal schools. The first woman who held office as a Member of Parliament was Madame PUNNG Peng Cheng. She served from 1958 to 1970. Despite gaining the status of a liberal democracy, women were represented poorly. In 1993 multi-party elections, only 5% candidates were female (Fidh.org. 2020). Nevertheless, slight improvements have been noticed in their position after 2000. The concept of justice argument can be used here and it should be noted that Cambodian women has been subjected to discrimination since the Khmer rule and justice has been denied on multiple occasions. Moreover, intersectionality has been experienced as Cambodian women workers in garments factory worked under adverse conditions. Few women rose to the top due to the existence of double barriers in the society.

The status of women today in this state

In Cambodia, women’s rights are still a concern because despite improvements and existing policies that promotes gender equality in the nation. Domestic violence is a rising concern. Moreover, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has supported and praised the government of Cambodia for its efforts. However, nothing significant has been done to reduce the rate of discrimination against women in Cambodia. On the other hand, the percentage of women in senior positions in the workplace has increased. In 1993, around 5.83% women were part of the National Legislature. However, the percentage has increased and it is 20.32% as of 2013. Due to “The Continuing Power of Culture”, leadership roles of Cambodian women have been shaped. Therefore, the current situation (6th legislature 2018-2023) cannot be regarded as good because out of 125 representatives, only 20% has been reserved for female representatives. Descriptive representation prevails now. Previously, substantive representation prevailed. Moreover, the freedom of media has been curtailed by the government. The sale of local independent newspapers was also coerced as it played a role in raising awareness regarding discrimination against women (Human Rights Watch, 2018). Nevertheless, the concept of resource mobilization has been used and research suggests that Cambodian women are now able to lift their families from poverty due to an initiative like the Community Empowerment and Income Generation (Heifer International, 2020). Moreover, gender quote system has been adopted and reforms has been made in the electoral system by guaranteeing 30% women’s representation.

The barriers they are facing today to be in politics

Challenges in the form of socio-cultural beliefs, socio-economic factors, political obstacles as well as institutional issues are prevalent in Cambodia. Therefore, participation in the latest elections has been challenging. Despite economic growth, women have been unable to achieve equal economic independence. Women are fearful of expressing their views and perspectives openly. They lack social assistance and it deters them from joining politics. Again, the male-dominated culture is a real barrier and values of traditional societies still prevail. Therefore, women are expected to be good mothers and wives and focus on household activities. Despite being underrepresented, certain achievements of women in the political sphere are noteworthy. For instance, female councilors were supported by Royal Government of Cambodia. Moreover, in 2012, women constituted about 14.5% of seats in the Senate (Undp.org, 2020). Hence, due to the rising political opportunities, women empowerment can be a possibility in Cambodia. The public vs. private sphere is relevant here. The EU-funded DW Akademie boosted women’s presence in civic life and in private sphere; the labour force participation is 75.2% as of 2019.

5 recommendations to improve women’s access to the state in this country

Utility arguments concept is relevant here because the usefulness of women in politics cannot be denied. Women capacity still remains untapped in Cambodia.

Few recommendations for improving the condition has been outlined-

  • Gender equality should be promoted in case of decision-making within the family
  • Capacities of women civil servants should be strengthened
  • Discriminatory practices and customary regulations should be questioned
  • Practical initiatives should be taken to disseminate information to women regarding public affairs
  • Proportion of women should be increased during electoral procedures

 

 

References

Cambodian Woman Lifts Her Family Out of Poverty | Heifer International. (2020). Heifer International. Retrieved 5 May 2020, from https://www.heifer.org/blog/cambodian-woman-lifts-her-family-out-of-poverty.html

Fidh.org. (2020). Retrieved 5 May 2020, from https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/kh2004_women-en.pdf

Iknowpolitics.org. (2020). Retrieved 5 May 2020, from http://iknowpolitics.org/sites/default/files/ikat_us_researchcultural_en_-_final.pdf

The Woman Suffrage Movement. (2020). National Women’s History Museum. Retrieved 5 May 2020, from https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/general/woman-suffrage-movement

Undp.org.2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020, from https://www.undp.org/content/dam/cambodia/docs/DemoGov/NearyRattanak4/Neary%20Rattanak%204%20-%20Women%20in%20Public%20Decision-Making%20and%20Politics_Eng.pdf

Women’s Suffrage . (2020). Archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 5 May 2020, from http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/suffrage.htm

World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Cambodia. (2018). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 5 May 2020, from https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/cambodia

 

 

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