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ការប្រើប្រាស់បណ្តាញសង្គម ធ្វើឱ្យយើងបង្កើនចំណេះដឹងផ្នែកព័ត៌មាន (#អក្ខរកម្មព័ត៌មាន)

ជម្រាបសួរប្រិយមិត្តកាហ្វេនយោបាយ និង​ជនរួមជាតិជាទីស្រលាញ់រាប់អាន។ សូមស្វាគមន៍មកកាន់វេទិកាតទល់មតិរបស់យើងទាំងអស់គ្នាសាជាថ្មីម្តងទៀត។ បច្ចេកវិទ្យាបានធ្វើឱ្យទំនាក់ទំនងមានភាពងាយស្រួល និងរហ័សទាន់ចិត្ត។ ទន្ទឹមនឹងនេះដែរ  បណ្តាញ​សង្គមបានក្លាយជាផ្នែកមួយដ៏សំខាន់ដែល​ធ្វើឱ្យការ​ទំនាក់ទំនង ទទួល និង​ចែក​រំលែក​ព័ត៌មាន កាន់តែមានងាយ​ស្រួលមួយកម្រិត​ទៀត សម្រាប់​ជីវិត​ប្រចាំថ្ងៃ​របស់​ប្រជាជន​កម្ពុជា ក៏ដូចមនុស្សជុំវិញពិភពលោក។ នាឆ្នាំ២០២២នេះ កម្ពុជាមានអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់អ៊ីនធឺណិតប្រហែល ១៧.៧ លាននាក់ (ម្នាក់​អាច​ប្រើ​ឧបករណ៍​ច្រើនជាងមួយ) នេះបើយោងតាមនិយតករទូរគមនាគមន៍កម្ពុជា។ សម្រាប់​​អ្នក​ប្រើប្រាស់​បណ្តាញសង្គម ចំនួនអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់ហ្វេសប៊ុកនៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជានៅឆ្នាំ២០២២នេះ មាន​១១លាន៦ គណនី ( ម្នាក់​អាច​ប្រើ​​ច្រើនជាងមួយគណនី) យោងតាមរបាយការណ៍របស់ Datareportal។ ចំនួន​អ្នក​ប្រើប្រាស់​TikTokនៅកម្ពុជា មានចំនួន ៦,៦៨លានគណនី (ម្នាក់​អាច​ប្រើ​ច្រើនជាងមួយគណនី)  នៅឆ្នាំ២០២២ (រាប់ចាប់ពីអាយុ១៨ ឆ្នាំ​ឡើង​ទៅ)។ ការសិក្សាស្រាវជ្រាវ (Human-Centred Design Methods) របស់ Sour Mouy​នៅ​ចុង​ឆ្នាំ២០២១​ បានឱ្យដឹងថា យុវជន​ជនបទ​ជា​មធ្យម​ចំណាយ​ពេល​ប្រើប្រាស់​បណ្តាញ​សង្គម​ប្រមាណ​ជា ៤ម៉ោង ៤០នាទី (Facebook: 3h40m; TikTok: 25m; Youtube 25m; Instagram: 20m)។ ដោយមានការសហការជាមួយ​វេទិកាសួរ​មួយ  ដែល​កំពុង​រៀបចំ​យុទ្ធនាការ​អក្ខរកម្ម ឌីជីថល ក្នុង​គោលបំណងបង្កើនសមត្ថភាពការគិតស៊ីជម្រៅ និង​ការកំណត់​​ប្រភព​​ព័ត៌មាន​ដែល​គួរ​ឱ្យ​ទុក​ចិត្ត ដើម្បីធ្វើ​សេចក្តី​​សម្រេច​ចិត្ត​ឱ្យ​បាន​ត្រឹមត្រូវក្នុង​រយៈពេល​វែង។ ដូច្នេះហើយប្រធានបទនៃការ​តទល់​មតិ​លើកនេះគឺ «តើការប្រើប្រាស់បណ្តាញសង្គម ធ្វើឱ្យ​យើង​បង្កើនចំណេះដឹង​ផ្នែ​កព័ត៌មាន (#អក្ខរកម្មព័ត៌មាន) ឬយ៉ាងណា?» យោងតាមអង្គការយូណេស្កូ៖ អក្ខរកម្មព័ត៌មាននិងប្រព័ន្ធ ផ្សព្វផ្សាយ ត្រូវ​បាន​កំណត់​ថា ជា​ចំណេះ​ដឹង និង​ជំនាញ​ដែល​ត្រូវការ​ ដើ​ម្បី​ស្វែងរក​ការ​វិភាគ វាយតម្លៃស៊ីជម្រៅ និង​បង្កើត​ព័ត៌មាន​នៅ​ក្នុង​ប្រព័ន្ធផ្សព្វផ្សាយ និងបរិបទផ្សេងៗ។​​ វាជួយអ្នកប្រើប្រាស់​ឱ្យធ្វើការ ជ្រើស​រើស​ត្រូវ​អំពី​របៀប​ដែលពួកគេចូលរួមក្នុងការកសាងសន្តិភាព សមភាព សេរីភាព​នៃ​ការបញ្ចេញ​មតិ ការសន្ទនា ការទទួលបានព័ត៌មាន និងការអភិវឌ្ឍ​ប្រកប​ដោយ​ចីរភាព។ វេទិកា​តទល់មតិលើកនេះ យើងមាន លោក​ លី ជិងគួយ ខាងមតិស្រប និងកញ្ញា ហេង សុជា​ ខាង​មតិបដិ​សេធ។ ពួកគេ​ម្នាក់ៗ​​ជ្រើសរើស​យកទឡ្ហីករណ៍​ចំនួន៣​​យក​មក​បកស្រាយ។ គោល​បំណង​នៃ​ការតទល់មតិ​នេះ​ គឺដើម្បីលើកកម្ពស់​វប្បធម៌សន្ទនា​ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ​ក្នុង​ចំណោមយុ​វជននៅកម្ពុជា។ ដោយសារតែអ្នកទាំងអស់គ្នាអាចបោះឆ្នោត​​បានតែម្ដងប៉ុណ្ណោះ ដោយប្រើប្រា​ស់​គណនី​ហ្វេស​ប៊ុក ដូច្នេះ​​សូមអានការដេញដោលមតិនេះឲ្យបានល្អិតល្អន់ជាមុនសិន ​មុន​នឹង​បោះឆ្នោត​​ឱ្យ​បេក្ខជន​របស់​យើង។​ ក្រុមកាហ្វេនយោបាយ​ និង​វេទិកា​សួរមួយ មិនមានសិទ្ធិ និងមិនអាចដឹងបានទេ​ថា អ្នកណា​បាន​បោះឆ្នោត​ឱ្យ​​បេក្ខជន​មួយណា។​ រាល់ការបោះឆ្នោតគឺសម្ងាត់ រយ:ពេលនៃការបោះឆ្នោត​គឺពីរសប្ដាហ៍ ហើយអ្នកដែលទទួលបានភាគរយច្រើនជាង​គេ​គឺជា​អ្នកឈ្នះ។ បងប្អូនប្រិយមិត្តជនរួមជាតិទាំងអស់អាចចូលរួម​បញ្ចេញ​មតិ​យោបល់​ទៅ​លើ​ការដេញ​ដោល​នេះ​នៅ​ខាងក្រោម​បាន!

koffee

Promoting Human Rights Values to Reduce Corruption in Cambodia

Written by: Yatt Malai, A 3rd-year student majoring in International Relations at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia Edited by: Dr. Heng Kimkong, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Cambodian Education Forum and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Cambodia Development Center (Photo Credit: "Cambodia-0823" by Rock Portrait Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)   Cambodia is a democratic country providing freedom, although limited in some cases, to people to speak out in order to influence anything that happens in society. Everyone loves to live in a peaceful country, and they are happy to do what they love. For those who are nationalist, they would be over caring about how the government leads the country to be better, balanced, or respectful of human rights. In the real world, when people face many problems, they tend to commit corruption because it is a way to help them get what they need. According to a report by Transparency International, there is rampant corruption in Cambodia. For example, Cambodia was ranked 162 of 180 countries in the world in 2021. Corruption is the action of wanting something by breaking the law, it affects respect, destroys democracy, impedes economic growth, and makes inequality, poverty, social division, and the environmental problem worse. People are the victims of corruption, so their voices should be heard.    Corruption and human rights violations are major problems in Cambodia Corruption happens in many fields in Cambodia such as education, politics, social media, environment, industry and so on. Due to corruption, there are many incidents of human rights violations. For example, during the demonstration of employees who are disputing their work with the NagaWorld company, some employees were arrested.   In addition, corruption happens day by day, and some people care only about their benefits by ignoring other people as the victim. Family connections in public institutions and at office are thought to be a serious issue that encourages corruption. Yet recently, the Minister of Interior has demonstrated commitment to educate corrupt officials to improve what a national police reform framework is. However, it seems quiet even the government officials already know that people will criticize those plans because there are still opportunities for corruption among officials in important jobs and positions, usually in favor of the commission's actions. The chance for corruption in state institutions and ministries is considerable; officials still have significant power and responsibility and can abuse their position for their own advantage. The availability, effectiveness, and accessibility of products and services connected to human rights can be severely harmed by corruption. Also, it compromises the integrity and efficacy of the system of governance, the rule of law, and ultimately the country itself. One of the most worrying trends in recent years is the significant rise in land disputes, which has serious implications for human rights in Cambodia where the increasing population depends on the land for survival. Numerous reported incidences of land grabbing were started by soldiers, police officers, or members of the local government. Fair compensation is all too rarely taken into account when evictions are caused by threats, intimidation, or even violence. Additionally, Cambodia often engages in extrajudicial executions, primarily when police shoot demonstrators during land protests.   Respecting human rights helps society to combat corruption  We could now see that more people in Cambodia are confident to spread information than before. For example, they know about the issue of corruption such as the case of deforestation at Tamao Mountain. Respect for human rights could be the most powerful element because it empowers people and tells them how they deserve dignity from society, whether it is the government or their work environment especially when they do not receive it, they can stand up, and human rights is not required by legal practice nor accepted as such. Instead, corruption has an impact on the international human rights that have been covenanted. Furthermore, social rights are most affected especially by petty corruption. For example, corruption in the health sector affects the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of health. Generally, a human rights approach can draw attention to the rights of those who are affected by corruption, such as the rights to free primary education and access to safe drinking water. It also demonstrates how the misapplication of public funds in those areas prevents them from enjoying the benefits to which they are legally entitled.    Finally, now that we live in a peaceful country, we do not want to see any negative actions including human right violations or corruption, so let us start to reduce those kinds of problems from ourselves first, make our mind clean and moral, and especially know the role of a good citizen. In this situation, human rights play a vital role in dealing with corruption. Thus, we should have a clean mindset, be moral, and importantly find the key sources why they do what they are facing. Moreover, we should try to promote law enforcement as it is helpful for the promotion of accountability and prevention of crimes, which in turn promotes the rule of law and public safety.    * This blog is produced with the financial support from the European Union and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Transparency International Cambodia and ActionAid Cambodia. Its contents do not reflect the views of any donors. 

Politik

Cambodia’s Foreign Policy in the Regional Politics

Written by: Phengly Sopha, 4-year student majoring in International Relations at Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia and Research Intern at Cambodia Development Center  Edited by: Dr. Heng Kimkong, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Cambodian Education Forum and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Cambodia Development Center (Photo Credit: This photo was posted on the Facebook page of Prime Minister Hun Sen on February 5, 2021)   Following the creation of the Kingdom of Cambodia after the long and chronic civil war, including the Khmer rouge regime, Cambodia opened up, becoming a full member of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) on 30 April 1999. It then implemented its own “open door strategy” to welcome and integrate its economic liberalization, regionally and globally. Unfortunately, Cambodia has faced many challenges, particularly regarding its regional choices that are often criticized by countries in the region and the world. For example, Cambodia was harshly criticized when it was an ASEAN chair in 2012. The former Cambodia Foreign Minister, Hor Namhong, told his colleagues that “the ASEAN meeting is not a court” and requested the joint communique to not mention the maritime disputes. Moving forward, Cambodia must craft its foreign policy approaches by maintaining its neutral foreign policy and employing public diplomacy, preventive diplomacy, and hedging strategy.   Firstly, Cambodia's foreign policy of neutrality was declared by the late King Norodom Sihanouk during his reign from 1950 to 1970, commonly known as the “Sangkum Reastr Niyum”. After the national election, monitored by United National Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in 1993, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia promulgated the “neutrality policy” in Article 53. This means non-alignment with foreign countries, except for the UN peacebuilding operation, and an acceptance of all militarized support for self-defense. Therefore, it is vital for Cambodia to maintain its neutral policy to expand its international network and promote national interests. Many countries have recently criticized Cambodia for being pro-China and urged the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to be neutral and independent. In response, the RGC often states that it never abandons any foreign friends, always welcomes all states to join military exercises, and opens doors for every country willing to collaborate in all sectors, including social, economic, and political sectors. For instance, Cambodia allowed the U.S. military personnel to visit Ream Naval Base, following the accusation that Cambodia allowed China to use the base for military purposes.   Secondly, public diplomacy can help Cambodia to promote its reputation on the regional and international stage. In international relations, “public diplomacy” is a tool used by states to influence other states. In broader terms, it is an instrumentalization for states to gain their soft power and enhance their attraction and reputation abroad. In other words, public diplomacy is the strategy for states to gather all relevant stakeholders and institutions to publicly discuss any issue with mutual respect and in a peaceful manner. For instance, the 13 Asia-EU Meeting (ASEM) in 2020, under the theme; “Strengthening the Multilateralism for Shared Growth” reflected Cambodia’s public diplomacy strategy to gather all ASEM members virtually at the meeting with fruitful discussions and essential outcomes for mutual interests.   Thirdly, being blamed and criticized by some countries, especially by great powers such as the United States, Cambodia somehow lost its face on the international stage. In between great powers, Cambodia plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region as well as promoting the international role-based order. In light of this, Cambodia must have strong leadership and adhere to “preventive diplomacy” (measures that a state used to prevent any conflict escalation) to build trust and mutual understanding between the great powers and other regional member states. The ASEAN Regional Forum and the ASEAM Foreign Ministerial Meeting hosted physically by Cambodia have marked the great success of using preventive diplomacy unlike what happened during Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2012.   Finally, while public and preventive diplomacy is the key to successfully negotiating and reducing tensions between great powers in the region, a “hedging strategy” which is the strategy that a state uses to avoid direct confrontation with another big state in international relations and in a mixed cooperative manner is used. In this sense, Cambodia needs to have a flexible strategy to balance the gains and losses from great power competition. In the meantime, Cambodia can escape any persecution and sanctions imposed by other states. For instance, the RCG always mentions that Cambodia leaves doors open for all nations, and investors can come to run businesses freely as long as they respect the investment law and other Cambodian laws. At the same time, Cambodia's foreign policy is favorable to China to secure its national security and interests, including additional economic agreements such as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).   To this end, Cambodia more or less will receive criticism from great powers and other counties in terms of its choices to engage closely with China. It is sometimes problematic for Cambodia to achieve its regional interests. Therefore, adhering to the principle of neutrality as its core value of the foreign policy is the best solution to deal with regional challenges. As a small state, Cambodia cannot stay alone without any cooperation, engagement, and competition with others. Thus, a freely open-door strategy to welcome all states is a must for maximizing Cambodia’s social, economic, and political interests.   * This blog is produced with the financial support from the European Union and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Transparency International Cambodia and ActionAid Cambodia. Its contents do not reflect the views of any donors. 

Politik

Why Should We Normalize Political Discussion?

Written By: Samoeurth Seavmeng, 3rd Generation Leader of Politikoffee Edited by: Heng Kimkong, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Cambodia Development Center and a PhD Candidate in Education at The University of Queensland, Australia Photo Credit: Politikoffee Some of us have probably been told by our parents since we were children not to talk about politics. When we go to school, we are prohibited from discussing it with our classmates and teachers. After we graduate and get a job, we might get fired if we discuss politics in the office. For some people, in their entire lives, they might have never experienced talking about politics with their friends or acquaintances. In Cambodia, besides our socially accepted norms portraying politics as neither safe nor useful, our country bans political discussion among students and teachers. The numerous arrests and imprisonment of political activists and former CNRP members have made this practice worse. In this context, I believe the forbiddance and arrests have affected the mindset of every Cambodian citizen. Public discussions on topics such as Cambodian elections, corruption, governance, politics and public service delivery have been conducted by very few organizations in Cambodia for the public to join. When the discussions are conducted, the discussants generally would not dare to get deep into those sensitive issues. Some even censor themselves. These raise a few important questions: Why is talking politics not a habit among many Cambodian people? Why is politics considered a sensitive topic? What are the benefits if we discuss politics? The word discussion means exchanging ideas or views with other people or giving opinions on certain issues. Therefore, a political discussion means exchanging your ideas and opinions about politics. This does not necessarily mean attacking, criticizing or going against any individual or group of people. Having dialogues or discussions about politics with friends does not mean we have to be deeply involved in politics. Beneficially, political discussion helps increase our critical thinking skills and knowledge about our nation’s social and political affairs. It makes us become informed citizens. Once we have the knowledge of those issues and keep ourselves updated about their happenings, we can potentially keep politicians accountable for their actions. The more we know about politicians, the more they become more responsible Some people categorize politicians as “cheaters’’. We might often hear people say, “Politics is Cheating”. That is why people hate politics. Consequently, it makes politics too bad and even unbearable to discuss. Politicians could behave irresponsibly because they probably think we are politically illiterate. We do not have any ideas about what is going on, and especially we do not have an opinion about their actions. Not all politicians are bad, though. Politicians can also do good goods and we have many good politicians as well. For example, the global movement to end discrimination against women and LGTIQ+ people, the legality of same-sex marriages in some countries, and the campaigns to end gender inequality are some good things that politicians have done to make their society and the world a better place. It is important to understand that we all have the power to make them do that if we work together. When we become politically literate, more or less, politicians will become more accountable for their actions. It is because they know we have our eyes on them, and we know what they are up to. When politicians are elected to lead the country, they pledge to serve our national interests, not themselves. They are obliged to make good policies to serve us, address social problems and develop the country sustainably and inclusively. Social problems such as flooding, gang-rapes, traffic jams, unaffordable housing, and high price of petrol are all in the hands of politicians. They have the power to address all these issues. They have the power to influence private companies and other stakeholders to solve all these problems. As stated in the Oxford Handbook of Political Communication “Through political discussions, citizens’ opinions and perspectives are represented in their government, and in turn their government is more responsive to its citizens.” However, if we do not know our country’s political system and governance and policies and priorities of major political parties, it is hard for us to track politicians’ actions and keep them accountable. In contrast, if we know those affairs well and we keep ourselves updated about their actions, politicians will be more careful with every move they make. They are aware that we are checking their election campaign promises. We are informed and responsible citizens. We let them know that we have the power to elect them and we also have the power to vote them out of office. We need to let them know that we care about our country’s affairs just as much as they probably do. Political discussion may also make people become closer with one another and create a culture of sharing knowledge amongst peers with peers, colleagues with colleagues and family members and family members. They will become more understandable, open-minded and tolerant. As a result, it will reduce tension, conflict and misunderstanding. Ultimately, we will create a peaceful society where people do not get angry easily and are willing to have frank discussions to find solutions instead of coloring each other or getting into fights. We will also stop labelling people who do not have the same political beliefs or ideology as our enemies. Moreover, sharing knowledge about sociopolitical issues with colleagues can perhaps make the office environment more enjoyable and less stressful. Together for a politically literate society We are now more informed of what is happening in our country. Nevertheless, when it comes to politics, I believe we are still afraid to discuss it with our friends, colleagues and relatives to avoid “conflict” which potentially harms our friendships, professional networks and family bonds. Want it or not, our daily life cannot be separated from politics, thereby requiring our attention and participation. The importance of political discussion at the workplace:​​ The purpose of discussing politics is not to cause conflicts or misunderstanding. It is to exchange ideas, information and opinions on political issues affecting our country. It is also to ease possible tensions and misunderstanding. Some people working in administration, finance and business, for example, might not keep themselves updated with the country’s status quo. They probably think it is not relevant to their work. However, the issues such as gang-rapes, traffic jams, flooding, unaffordable housing, high price of petrol have significant impacts on their lives. Therefore, having colleagues who are knowledgeable about social and political affairs could help them be informed and take appropriate actions if required. We need a majority of us to voice our concerns, from everyone and from every sector. Once our voices are heard, it is hard for them to ignore. Increasing political literacy in our society: Everyone should be able to talk about politics in public and private places. Those who do not work at offices can discuss with their peers and learn more from better informed friends. This does not necessarily mean we should discuss it all the time. We can do it when it is the right time. For example, we can engage in political discussion when there are concerns about social problems that are left unaddressed by politicians. I believe that when a culture of discussion becomes normal in our society and when everyone is aware of our country’s affairs, politicians cannot escape from their duties. Creating a good habit for the next generation Children impersonate their parents and people around them quickly, and adolescents look up to their seniors and surroundings. Accordingly, if we want the next generation to pay more attention to issues affecting their lives, we need to start normalizing political discussion from now on. Political talks with parents and relatives help to broaden knowledge and increase critical thinking for youth who will obtain crucial knowledge of their country’s affairs and politicians who lead their nation. This makes them familiar with politics and will not get easily influenced by anyone. I believe many young people are told by their parents to vote for a political party, which they probably have no idea what the party’s policy is about. Some do not care and just follow their peers or neighbors when it comes to voting. Our future will become more complicated with the rise of advanced technology, artificial intelligence, vicious diseases and uncontrollable climate change. Hence, we need informed, responsible and politically-minded people who could deal with those issues wholeheartedly. We cannot let private companies create policies for us. Regular political discussion is significant because it will result in better informed citizens who will be able to hold politicians accountable. More importantly, the next generation of Cambodians will become highly innovative politicians and policymakers who will be able to initiate important policies for Cambodia. Thus, normalizing political discussion is extremely crucial for Cambodian society. Not only does it give benefits to the Cambodian citizens to keep politicians accountable, but it could also transform the society to be a politically literate one. Suggestions I believe if we normalize political discussion, it will help improve the current and future landscape of politics in Cambodia. The world is rapidly changing; therefore, we need more innovative politicians and policymakers to enhance Cambodia’s competitiveness on the global stage. Normalizing political discussion is a great start. However, achieving it is not easy and it will take time and commitment. Therefore, in order to create an open political discussion environment in our society, we need active participation from everyone. First, we should try to know more about our duties in participating in politics and civic engagement. We should not consider politics as something only for politicians. Cambodia is our country so it is essential that we contribute to developing and improving it. Second, those who are more knowledgeable of sociopolitical affairs should share with the ones who know less about political issues. They should try to share with other people to make them well-informed of social and political issues impacting the country. Not everyone has the privilege to learn and keep themselves updated with important status quo. This action will also strengthen civic and political engagement of Cambodian citizens. “Sharing is Caring” is not only caring about other people but we care about our country’s affairs as well. Third, young people will inherit everything from the current politicians and leaders. It is crucial for them to participate in their country’s political affairs and development. Youth should start discussing politics more often with peers and do it as much as they can. Once they are able to do it, the next generation will follow suit. Consequently, they will be able to join in directing the country in the way they want it to be. Finally, the Cambodian government plays the most significant role to empower and promote political discussion. It should encourage the citizens to talk more about it rather than prohibit it. When the citizens become political-literate, they will help in providing valuable input that politicians need to lead the country to achieve sustainable development, prosperity and greatness.

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Why is Women's Participation in Society Important?

Written by: Phal Monirithy, A first-year student majoring in International Relations at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy Edited by: Dr. Heng Kimkong, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Cambodian Education Forum and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Cambodia Development Center (Photo Credit: "Her Project" by Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.)   Athenian society, according to the World History Book, was a direct democracy in which women had no right to join an assembly, hold office, own property, or conduct legal business; additionally, their role required them to manage their house and slaves, as well as raise their children. As mothers, they taught their daughters domestic skills when they were 14 to 16 years old and married to men chosen by their guardian. Women, however, now have the right to participate in various aspects of life and career. They have not only stayed at home to raise their children, but they have also established a business and a job in either the private or government sectors. This short article will look at the vital role of women in political, economic, and public sectors.   Political factor To begin with, women's participation in politics has a variety of important societal implications. According to UN Women, the proportion of women in parliament is primarily driven by the importance of women's issues. Women's political involvement is essential to gender equality and authentic democracy. It has promoted women's direct participation in public decision-making and is a means of ensuring women's transparency. For example, in Cambodia, UN Women encouraged Cambodian women to vote in commune elections in 2002 and 2007. Many non-governmental organizations supported the training of approximately 60% of the nearly 12,000 women who ran in the 2002 elections. Women received 8% of the 11,352 available seats. Women performed nearly twice as well in the April 2007 communal elections, gaining about 15% of the seats.  In some Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand, there were well-known women politicians. Men Sam An is a politician from Cambodia who is a member of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP). In 2003, she was chosen to represent Svay Rieng province in the National Assembly. She has been Cambodia's permanent deputy prime minister since 2009. She is also the first female four-star general. Her calls for CPP party officials to work twice as hard in order to win council elections may have led to the implementation of the fourth phase of the Cambodian government's Rectangular Strategy, which focuses on the development of human resources, economic diversification, the private sector, job creation, and inclusive and sustainable development. Another example is Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar. She is a political leader who was denied her election results, which won more than 80% of parliamentary seats, by the Myanmar military. Even though her political life was difficult, she became the former head of state of Myanmar on April 1, 2012, and was sworn into office on May 2, 2012, after official visits with high-profile leaders such as Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in October and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011. In the case of Thailand, it is Yingluck Shinawatra. She served as Thailand's prime minister from 2011 to 2014. She was a former head of state who had to deal with major flooding in broad areas of Thailand brought on by extremely strong monsoon rains, which also caused the closure of many of the economically significant, foreign-owned manufacturing companies. By the middle of 2012, most businesses had recovered from their suffering. However, her candidacy came to an end when she was arrested on corruption allegations related to a government-instituted rice subsidy program.    Economic factors Women have great importance in a nation's economic structure and development. According to the Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association, women business owners are becoming more common in Cambodia than ever before. Keo Mom, for instance, was the president of the Cambodian Women Entrepreneurs Association and the CEO of the Lyly Food Company. She highlighted that "women are not weak and they can do what men do." Moreover, women entrepreneurs can use their skills to improve business management and contribute to the betterment of family life and society. "Gender equality is a key factor in ensuring sustainability, peace, and development.” Ith Sam Heng, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, added that gender equality will increase women’s empowerment and motivate women to be the driving force of the economy and society. As a result of their participation in society, women specifically contribute to boosting economic growth.   Public factor In the public sphere, women play an important role in settling disputes and contributing to society in a variety of ways. Women in blue-beret troops make up a sizable proportion of those deployed for UN peacekeeping missions; they can also serve in a variety of groups and roles, from command to front-line duty, at both the national and sub-national levels. As a result of the large percentage of Cambodian women in UN missions in the ASEAN regions and in nine war-torn nations, mostly in Africa, Cambodia was the second-ranked nation to send female military officers to serve in UN peacekeeping missions. According to VOA Cambodia, more women are now attending higher education institutions abroad. Women who are educated and skillful not only help their communities grow but also take care of their children. According to Pen Rany, a PhD candidate in humanities at the University of Sydney, this promotes the social wellbeing of future generations. Women who pursue higher education gain the knowledge and skills required to work and build their country's human resources, which is the perfect foundation for fostering and developing their country.   In conclusion, women have undoubtedly played a significant role in a number of sectors, including the political, economic, and public sectors, since they have been empowered and granted the right to fully participate in society. Additionally, they serve as the foundation for developing and strengthening their country’s capabilities. Women, when given ample opportunities and support, have the ability to engage at all levels of society and can help men to resolve conflicts and issues that affect their countries and the whole world.   * This blog is produced with the financial support from the European Union and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through Transparency International Cambodia and ActionAid Cambodia. Its contents do not reflect the views of any donors. 

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‘I used to talk about politics on Facebook, but now it’s scary’

By Adam Bemma, Alijazeera 23 Aug 2018 Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Samoeurth Seavmeng sits at a conference table wearing black horn-rimmed glasses. Meng – as she’s known online and to friends – glances at her smartphone and begins to speak to 10 other young Cambodians gathered at Politikoffee, a weekly forum held in a leafy diplomatic enclave of the capital Phnom Penh. “It’s very hard to talk about social media. Sometimes people post fake news on Facebook and sometimes people post true news, so it has advantages and disadvantages,” the 22-year-old activist said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen often alleges “fake news” to discredit criticism of his ruling Cambodia People’s Party online. He has even threatened that authorities have the technology to track and arrest a Facebook user within six minutes of a post. This has sent a wave of fear and intimidation through Cambodia’s public sphere, where once critical voices have begun to self-censor. Politikoffee is an offline space where Cambodians feel free to debate and voice dissenting views without fear of arrest.  “Before, I used to share and talk a lot about political and social issues on Facebook, but now it’s a little bit scary to talk about these sensitive issues because I’m afraid I’m going to get in trouble,” Meng said. Internet censorship Cambodia’s government monitors social media. Last May, Cambodia’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Information, issued a regulation to monitor Facebook. The government stated that it wants to control information that is deemed to “threaten the defence and security of the nation, relations with other countries, the economy, public order, and discriminates against the country’s customs and traditions.” The Cambodia Center for Independent Media stated in its 2017 report that seven Facebook users were either arrested or sought by authorities for sharing information and opinions on the social media platform. In 2018, an election year, the number is unknown. “The directive was actually released after they were already identifying, monitoring, charging and imprisoning people,” said Naly Pilorge, director at LICADHO, a human rights monitoring group in Cambodia. During the election in July, 17 news websites – including RFA, VOA and Cambodia Daily (already closed down in 2017) – were ordered offline for 48 hours. Critics believe internet censorship is intended to stop outlawed Cambodia National Rescue Party supporters inside the country from sharing, liking or commenting on election boycott campaigns. “The directive came afterwards to legalise what they were doing in practice already. And it changed the habits of the average [social media] user,” Pilorge added. “The people online that we interact with, we see that there are differences. Definitely people are afraid, hesitant, paralysed. Ourselves included. We’re cautious.” In the lead-up to this year’s election, all independent media was shut down. The main opposition leader was jailed for alleged treason. Two former Radio Free Asia reporters and an Australian filmmaker were jailed for alleged espionage. Several human rights and political activists languish inside Cambodia’s prisons – guilty until proven innocent according to LICADHO. “What you’ve seen over the past year and a half is, for example, a minister or the prime minister decides a post is critical or is unacceptable and will immediately denounce a Facebook post,” Pilorge said. “Within 48 hours this individual is being arrested, charged, imprisoned in pre-trial detention and sometimes convicted.” Increasing regulation  Though the election is over, censorship online is prevalent. Prime Minister Hun Sen was re-elected last month in a vote criticised by the UN as fundamentally flawed. “If the situation for freedom of expression worsens, maybe we will have something that we can do together in order to inform [Cambodians] which tool or application they can use without getting into any trouble,” Meng said. Cambodian digital security trainer Moses Ngeth teaches journalists, activists and human rights campaigners how to secure accounts, and protect data online.  “I train them how to do very basic device security for smartphones, password protection. I tell them to be careful when posting something to social media and not to share any personal information,” he said.  Ngeth believes this new mandate will give the ruling CPP legitimacy to pass its much-anticipated draft cybercrime law. “People cannot talk on the radio, or on television. It leaves only Facebook. That’s why they increased regulation of social media,” Ngeth said. Cambodians can still be arrested, charged, jailed or fined for Facebook posts under criminal defamation, royal defamation laws, or incitement. “I think it’s natural to have fear, but when I see someone is arrested for saying something on social media I don’t feel comfortable. I think that people should feel free to express themselves,” said Kounila Keo, a Cambodian blogger and communications consultant. Prime Minister Hun Sen has amassed over 10 million followers on Facebook. Sam Rainsy, the exiled former CNRP leader who ran in the 2013 elections, claims that many are not even Cambodian and may be fake online profiles generated abroad – an accusation the prime minister refutes. “What [the prime minister] said … ‘When you post, I can know the location’ – it’s one of the funniest things I’ve heard from him,” Ngeth said. “Using Facebook to know the location, it’s not possible,” Ngeth said. Prime Minister Hun Sen and members of the CPP are using Facebook to bypass traditional news media such as newspapers, radio and television, viewed as hostile to the government, to reach Cambodians directly with their messages. “The prime minister and other public figures campaign on Facebook,” said Ngeth. We're not doing anything to harm society. We're doing it to make society a better place, especially for youth to be able to share ideas and contribute. SAMOEURTH SEAVMENG, KNOWN AS MENG, ACTIVIST Back at the Politikoffee debate, the upcoming cybercrime law is considered for discussion in a future forum. Meng wants members to be able to communicate online without being punished for spreading “fake news” for commenting on the draft law. “Now we’re thinking about [developing] a new tool, or a new kind of app, that we can be sure will be safe for us to talk about any issue because we mostly discuss politics,” Meng said. “We’re not doing anything to harm society. We’re doing it to make society a better place, especially [for] youth to be able to share ideas and contribute.” Original Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/8/23/i-used-to-talk-about-politics-on-facebook-but-now-its-scary

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