10 years of Chab Dai - Our women leaders

In the week that Cambodia welcomes First Lady Michelle Obama and her ‘Let Girls Learn’ education project, we could do no better than reflecting on our own women leaders within Chab Dai. Here, we talk to Finance & Operations Director Orng Muylen, about her experience at Chab Dai and opportunities for women in Cambodia today.

After an internship at World Vision, Muylen joined Chab Dai in 2007, during her second year studying Accountancy at Phnom Penh International University. She later gained her Masters of Finance from the National University of Management, and quickly progressed from administrator to director within 5 years, now responsible for the Finance department in Chab Dai Coalition Cambodia, monitoring finances for Chab Dai overseas and overseeing operations in the organization.

As the first woman in her family to attend university, Muylen’s story is an encouraging one, though she told me this has meant many challenges along the way:

“In Cambodian culture, as in many parts of the world, men’s opinions are often respected more than women’s, whether they are right or not. If women are strong, it is said that our head is ruled by our heart, like we don't have respect. I feel like it is not appropriate for this attitude in the workplace or in society. We need to respect each other’s opinions, regardless of the person’s gender.”

“But I feel proud that I am the one daughter in my family that has studied at university and I can live in Phnom Penh by myself. Now I am confident about this and that's why I think women can do anything they set their mind to.”

Signs of change in Cambodia

With or without Michelle Obama’s historical visit (the only time an incumbent US First Lady has come to Cambodia), gender is an issue firmly on the agenda in Cambodia right now and even in Muylen’s home province of Kampong Thom, she sees signs of change:

“I think that, like with the Cambodia culture, in my community they thought that if they talk about human trafficking or rape, that is not a good word to say. Especially for the woman, they feel shame or that it's not appropriate to talk about sexual matters.

But right now, it's not like that. Everybody can say and can report, it's better than not saying, better to talk to the police. Right now, we can talk about what is true.”

Muylen also spoke with great enthusiasm about development agency The FIELD Collaborative's recent training program, 'The Seeds of Leadership' which she attended in February 2015.

Over three days of training and dialogue, 'Seeds of Leadership' aimed to increase capacity-building amongst working women in Cambodia through four tier focuses – self-improvement, leading a team, influencing your organisation and training other leaders.

Speaking on the FIELD Collaborative blog, Vice President Karen Petersen found much to inspire in the women who contribute to today's Cambodian workforce:

‘In the bustling, often chaotic capital of Phnom Penh, we are visiting several NGO’s to gain insight into the work they are doing and meet with those who are bringing change to the gender imbalance here. We have met wonderful, courageous women leaders who work in project management, operations, finance, education, legal advocacy, social work and research.'

Looking to the future, Muylen’s thoughts are overwhelmingly positive, not only in working towards ending human trafficking, but for the future of women, equality and Cambodia.

“I have never before experienced the joy and satisfaction that I now have in my work. I am grateful that God has called me here, and I have great confidence in his plan for my life. I think that I have a golden chance to serve God by helping vulnerable women see that they have the same worth as men.”*

*(Taken from Orng. M., 'Washed Clean', Issue: Autumn 2013, Mutuality magazine, Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE))

Marking International Women's Day: Gender equality in Cambodia

By Kristina Novak and Laura Gavin.

As our 10-year anniversary approaches here at Chab Dai, we've been looking back at human rights issues and asking ourselves what has changed, what has been challenged and what has improved in this time.

To coincide with International Women's Day on Sunday March 8^th, as well as campaigns like the UN's #HeForShe movement, we decided to take a closer look at gender equality in Cambodia.

At Chab Dai, we're constantly working towards best practice with our members and stakeholders on this issue, addressing gender-based exploitation and discrimination within a human rights framework.

But how has gender equality moved forward since we opened our first office in 2005?

Women's rights and Cambodian culture

Since ratifying CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) back in 1992 and the Optional Protocol in 2011, Cambodia has adopted an official commitment to women’s rights. However, we still have a long way to go to see these rights in practice.

Women in this country still face centuries-old cultural norms stemming from the Chrab Srey moral code, one that dictates they should always respect the decisions of men, whether right or wrong.

A UN Women report stated that 'Women, who make up more than half the population, constitute the majority of the poor', while the Global Gender Gap report for 2014 ranked Cambodia at number 108 in the world – the lowest of the South-East Asian nations – on criteria such as education, economic participation and work opportunities.

With domestic violence against women also on the rise in recent years, we still face challenges in gender equality here, in the younger generations as well as the older.

The next generation and gender equality

With around 50% of the country's population under the age of 25, it's important that the next generation is well-informed about gender equality. However, studies like Tong Soprach's 5-year longitudinal research on young people and Valentine's Day have shown that many have an unhealthy, and even dangerous approach to relationships between men and women.

Soprach's research showed that a large percentage of young men intended to have sex – consensual or not – on Valentine's Day, year on year. Though this decreased over time, it is an alarming dichotomy that instances of rape should occur on this day in February, mere weeks before we celebrate the empowerment of women on International Women's Day.

Once again, it's knowledge which could be part of the answer to changing these kind of attitudes towards gender.

Orng Muylen, Chab Dai Finance Director

Empowering women in Cambodia

Knowledge-sharing is one of our key prevention tools in the fight to stop human trafficking, and much of Chab Dai's training with communities addresses related issues like exploitation of women, and educating people on the value of women and children. We are also currently working on a dedicated gender inclusion policy, and many of our project managers and senior staff are women, including Finance & Operations Director, Orng Muylen.

On a more national level, women are becoming more prominent in politics, with the election of the first female Deputy Prime Minister, and an increase of nearly 10% in the number of women elected to parliament between 2003 and 2008. And in 2014, LICADHO made a report wherein women were not only classified as victims, but as protagonists: 'Women Land Campaigners and the Impact of Human Rights Activism' following women dealing with land conflicts.

The report also emphasised how this issue has been changing the attitudes of the women themselves: 'Our tradition says we should listen to our husbands. I decided to choose the community and continue with my activism'.

So as we reach our landmark anniversary and look forward to the next 10 years at Chab Dai, it's great to hear such stories of hope. As Muylen affirms:

'We are women, we do not work or follow what men are asking us...we need to stand up for what we have to do. We stand up for ourselves, we have a value, we are people just the same – if men can do something, we can do the same.'

Image of couple by Gunawan Kartapranata used under Creative Commons licence. All other images provided by Chab Dai.

The Tragedy of Our Personal Gains

Humans are interesting species. We live in a world where we praise individuality. We rally for the underdog, cheer when they win. In many cultures, we sacrifice for the “greater good.” As a society we are enamored by these two ideas, almost every film or news story proves this. However, in the process of securing stability, we often lose empathy because we see the world as our own playground and only our own personal gain matters. Our own gains are how we monitor success and many consider this progress.

While attending a recent local human trafficking conference, speaker Melissa Farley mentioned the correlation between environmental degradation and woman exploitation. She spoke on how disposability of the environment and women parallel each other. As I sat there and listened, I started to reflect on what I had learned through my studies in environmental policy. The more I thought it over, the more I understood.

Through my numerous environmental classes, the common story is that the slightest disturbance, whether it is to the air, water, soil, etc... causes a chain reaction which can lead to long lasting negative effects. This can be analyzed by the theory, tragedy of the commons. It is the concept where a group of individuals will act rationally with only their own self interest in mind. But each person acting rationally for their own gains causes the depletion of the common good, therefore, it's the "tragedy of the common”. The often quoted example of this was presented by Garrett Hardin in 1968, he explains the scenario of a group of herdsmen all grazing their animals on a common open pasture. Initially, they all see the benefits of this pasture. But each person wants to maximize their own gain so they slowly add one additional animal. Slowly but surely, the collective group has each added more to their herd which in turn lead to the exhaustion of the pasture.

This same phenomenon can be translated into the human trafficking world. Traffickers believe that in order to survive in life, they have to make certain choices. They bypass their initial subconscious thought of the horrors of what they are doing and proceed. They do not deter from their actions because of their selfish own interests. In the process, the tragedy becomes those victims and survivors. Bill Gates once brought concern to this issue when he stated " if you're not fully utilizing half the talent in the country, you're not going to get too close to the top." By traffickers acting with only themselves in mind, they enable the depletion of women's potential. These very women that they are exploiting can be the answer to many world problems, such as poverty, the economy, and unemployment.

This self interest can actually also be seen ( in somewhat of the same light) in the case study of the Gray Wolves in the Yellowstone National Park. Western settlers would kill wolves to protect their cattle (again, with only their own interest in mind). Unknowingly, by killing the wolves, they were causing a downward spiral effect of the ecosystem. The elimination of the wolves caused an increase of the local elk, which caused overgrazing of local plants, which in turn affected the surrounding stream beds, soil, birds, and bugs. The Gray Wolves were a keystone species, a species that plays a significant role in keeping stability in that environment.

What if unknowingly to traffickers, those that they are exploiting are the keystone to society? We do not know that those being trafficked might be that integral part of the future.

Through the competitiveness of our society, we have become addicted to our own personal gains. Sometimes that means that this gain is accomplished through the violation of others. I am, however, not saying that we should not cherish ourselves and our own self worth. But we should be self conscious when our individuality becomes our only infatuation. Though all this sounds like a bleak future, we can do something. After the federal government realized what was occurring in Yellowstone, a plan was composed to protect the wolves. The results were miraculous. The restoration caused a return to a stable environment. We too can achieve a form of restoration in trafficking. We can do this through collaboration. Projects like Freedom Collaborative can be a step in the right direction. Will it solve the issue? No. But it sure is a good start.