Chansophearet Roth is a young Cambodian activist working for various women’s organizations and groups. She attended DAWN’s Training on Gender, Economic, and Ecological Justice (GEEJ) in 2012.

The People’s Policy on “Women’s Rights to Greater Access to Adequate Basic Social Services” proposed by Cambodian grassroots women from the garment and sex industries aims for dialogue between the government and relevant stakeholders.

This Policy creates opportunities for women at the ground level to highlight common problems, and develop strategic solutions and recommendations to address their needs, particularly the rights to basic social services, including housing, utilities, health, safety and security.
Campaign Background

The initial stage of the campaign began with the Community Forum on 29th March 2015 as part of the celebration of the International Women’s Day. The development process of this policy will take one year, and the first draft is expected to be made by March 2016.

Women’s issues and rights, in the last decades, have been promoted to world development agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. However, these global policies and agendas are not set by women, and most women are left behind in their development, despite being the key contributers to the sustainable development of society.

Cambodia has put women’s issues and rights in its national strategic development plan under gender equality, and equity promotion and enhancement programs. Yet gender inequality remains high in almost every sector. There is no or limited access to free and/or affordable quality basic social services and basic needs of women. Without essential social services, women cannot fully and freely exercise their rights, and especially cannot access the same opportunities available to men.

Privatisation of social services, including healthcare, education, and electricity was imposed by the World Bank and International Monitory Fund in 1980s through their overseas development aids under the Structural Adjustment Program as well as the Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan.

Privatisation is made through public administration reform which takes away public investment in social services,promoting private investment in the name of partnership with private sector in operating services. The bank believes it is an effective and sustainable way to strengthening quality of services. Consequently the private sector has a stronger role than the government in operating services that Cambodians need. Privatisation of public services also removes the commitment, role and responsibility of the government to ensure that every Cambodian citizen has access to basic needs and adequate services.

In Cambodia, the United Sisterhood Alliance (US), comprising of four local women organizations: Social Action for Change, Worker’s Information Center, Women’s Network for Unity, and the Messenger Band, has been working directly with women garment, entertainment and sex workers, and indirectly working with farmers to support their struggles. Their demands for the right to access to basic social services, improving working conditions and living wage and the right to livelihood as the fundamental rights to all. During the Community Forum in March 2015 was a stepping stone that US brought 250 participants, aside from the workers there were also people living with HIV/AIDS and most at risk populations, land communities, fishery and forest communities, health activists, and youths to discuss their problems.

Collective initiative, voice and demands for common needs are the key to advocate against privatisation. Women workers and communities, through the coordination of US, were able to identify and understand the gap between government and citizens, as well as the absence of or limited participation of people in the process of policy making. Therefore, the People’s Policy is what women from the ground are examining as the possible process that women could work on together, using their rights to hold the government accountable and act in collaboration.

After the Community Forum, US conducted consultation workshops analysing existing laws and policies and providing strategic recommendation that involve relevant stakeholders such as the government at the national level and local authorities, private sector, unions and communities. US aims to organise another mini forum in the IWD 2016 to review the concrete demands and strategic recommendations.

An important part of protecting of women’s rights and enhancing gender equality and equity, is to ensure that women are involved in strategic solutions and policy development. The People’s Policy will be a simple format with all strategic solutions and recommendations proposed by women presented to the government and relevant stakeholders. The Policy intends to make the inclusiveness of women a priority for the government, targeting the 6th National Election Mandate in 2018.

The People’s Policy Development Process

Participation from grassroots, particularly women, is very important for the development of People’s Policy. The development process will take one year, and there are three main phases including local consultation with women at the ground, consultation with other women’s organizations and groups, and the second community forum in 2016.

Local consultation is a five-month process from August to December 2015. US will analyse the relevant existing national policies and laws on social services and basic needs and consult with women garment, entertainment and sex workers to produce first draft. During this phase, women workers will be given the space and chance to learn more about these national policies directly impacting their lives, and they will also have the opportunity to share their concerns, their analysis on the gaps of all laws and policies, and give their recommendations and propose solutions to put in the draft. This consultation is aiming to engage with around 400 women workers

The consultation with other women’s organization and groups will be made in December 2015. US will have a formal consultative meeting with identified partners from local and international women organizations to seek their participation and support on the development of the Policy, and to draw a joint action plan if common interests are found.

The second community forum will be conducted in 2016 with about 500 participants from local consultation and the previous community forum, other women’s organizations, farmers and health activists. The expected outcome from this forum is to get the final draft of the Policy and a joint action plan getting it to the government.
The whole process of the People’s Policy development is to empower grassroots women with full ownership of the recommendations. They are active citizens and change makers in creating essential public services a reality for all. ~