A voice for IVAWA from Cambodia

Dear Respected U.S. President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Vice President Biden and all U.S. Senators.

As IVAWA voting approaches, I am writing to beg and encourage you to pass this important Act for the benefit of women and girls everywhere in this world and I am writing this letter to you just want to share some women’s issues in my country Cambodia.

Violence against women is a serious problem in Cambodia with as many as 40% of women affected by domestic violence in some parts of the country which is mostly in poor rural areas. But statistics related to violence against women are hard to come by with many women either too afraid to report the abuse or unsure of how to. They are shy to tell the others that they have been sold to the brothel so it is also the problem that makes other families’ daughters have been sold as they are lacking of information or education about sex trafficking.

Lack of education, inadequate protection under the law, and other factors contribute to women's vulnerability to exploitation. Prevailing social and cultural norms perpetuate a widespread lack of respect for women leading to high levels of domestic violence and sex trafficking. They are then traded across land boarders ending up in Thailand, Malaysia or Taiwan. Once a child's virginity is sold for $500, she is traded on to a brothel as a virtual sex slave. Boarder provinces, such as Banteay Meanchey between Thailand and Cambodia, face serious issues related to all types of human trafficking and drug related crime.

Survivors of rape in Cambodia face limited access to justice, medical services and counseling, Amnesty International says in a report issued today, as rapes of women and girls appear to be increasing. The police have never cared about the issues which happened to the women and girls, in case those survivors have money so the police will help.
Cambodia has made important inroads into tackling gender, discrimination, with a focus on domestic violence. It is time the government incorporated sexual violence against women into these categories to address its failure to meet the human rights obligations under the Convention for the Discrimination Against Women.

Mr. President, it is just the issues that women in Cambodia always meet and most of them are from the poor rural areas of my country. I am raising my voice for those who have been suffered from the violence in Cambodia and to join in this campaign and write to help make I-VAWA a reality! Wish you all the best! May god bless you…

Sincerely Yours,
Sarvina Kang
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Source: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/11450

Please join the PulseWire community in speaking out against violence and urging the U.S. government to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA). Write your letter in your PulseWire journal to share your personal and observed experience in gender-based violence, both in your life and within your community. Tag your journal "IVAWA", and World Pulse will send your letter directly to President Obama, along with letters from women around the world. Learn more: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/programs/international-violence-agai...