Cambodia to launch campaign to stop violence against women

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian Committee for Women (Cambow) will launch a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence to raise awareness of the issue and change the Cambodian 'mindset' on violence and abuse against women, local media said on Wednesday.

As part of the campaign, Cambow, an alliance of 34 non-governmental organizations which focus on women's causes, will organize TV and radio spots highlighting true stories of violence and discrimination Cambodian women have endured, reported Cambodian-language newspaper the Sralanh Khmer.

The women's rights group will also publish and distribute books and audio CDs relating accounts of violence and how Cambodian laws discriminate against females.

It will release a report named Violence on Women: How Do Cambodian Laws Discriminate against Women on November 25, which will focus on how Cambodian laws related to domestic violence, rape, trafficking, and marriage contradict the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

"Thousands of Cambodian women suffer from violence every day. After studying in detail the laws which are meant to protect women, Cambow found that some of the articles of these laws directly and indirectly discriminate against women, which leads to further abuses," said Kek Galabru, chairwoman of Cambow.

"Now it is time for the government to reform the laws so that our obligations comply with the CEDAW, which Cambodia ratified in 1992," said Kek Galabru.

According to a Cambow briefing released on November 19, thousands of abused women are seeking assistance from the committee.

Many countries around the world hold the campaign annually from Nov. 25, the International Day against Violence against Women, to December 10, the International Human Rights Day.