A Heineken "beer girl" in Phnom Penh spends her nights trying to convince men to buy her brand. Photo by Nathan Dexter, special to the (San Francisco) Chronicle27may06
Australian Associated Press (AAP)
BEER companies were being urged to double the wages they pay Cambodian promotional women in an effort to curb a reliance on prostitution and a rising HIV rate.
In a campaign launched today by Australian unions and the aid agency CARE, beer brands including Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, Becks and Budweiser, were accused of exploiting the women, who unions said rely on prostitution to subsidise their wage.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow thousands of "beer girls" in South-East Asia were subject to sexual assault and violence while working in restaurants and karaoke bars, in costumes of the international brands.
"The beer promotion women wear the costume of an international beer and sell that brand exclusively," Ms Burrow said.
"The women receive about $2 a night for their work or $55 a month, only about half what is needed to support their children and families.
"The low wage means many of the women are forced into prostitution, sometimes after drinking with a client to reach a sales quota."
Ms Burrow said research had found 20 per cent of beer promotion women in Cambodia were HIV positive.
Earlier this year, a 23-year-old woman was shot in the foot by off-duty Cambodian army officers because she was slow in bringing ice for their drinks, Ms Burrow said.
"The women are subject to appalling assaults and violence with four reports of shootings since February this year," she said.
"Unions are also troubled by reports that many well known beer brands are now aggressively expanding their markets into China using similar beer promotion marketing strategies," Ms Burrow said.
Ms Burrow will launch the campaign in Phnom Penh today, urging beer companies to provide sexual health education to the women and to contribute to the cost of health care for HIV positive workers.
The unions and CARE also want companies to pay the women a minimum $110 a month.
In a campaign launched today by Australian unions and the aid agency CARE, beer brands including Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, Becks and Budweiser, were accused of exploiting the women, who unions said rely on prostitution to subsidise their wage.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow thousands of "beer girls" in South-East Asia were subject to sexual assault and violence while working in restaurants and karaoke bars, in costumes of the international brands.
"The beer promotion women wear the costume of an international beer and sell that brand exclusively," Ms Burrow said.
"The women receive about $2 a night for their work or $55 a month, only about half what is needed to support their children and families.
"The low wage means many of the women are forced into prostitution, sometimes after drinking with a client to reach a sales quota."
Ms Burrow said research had found 20 per cent of beer promotion women in Cambodia were HIV positive.
Earlier this year, a 23-year-old woman was shot in the foot by off-duty Cambodian army officers because she was slow in bringing ice for their drinks, Ms Burrow said.
"The women are subject to appalling assaults and violence with four reports of shootings since February this year," she said.
"Unions are also troubled by reports that many well known beer brands are now aggressively expanding their markets into China using similar beer promotion marketing strategies," Ms Burrow said.
Ms Burrow will launch the campaign in Phnom Penh today, urging beer companies to provide sexual health education to the women and to contribute to the cost of health care for HIV positive workers.
The unions and CARE also want companies to pay the women a minimum $110 a month.
2 comments:
Shame to hear about these poor innocents... well if you, the companies pay them a liitle higher wages , maybe help changed the way !!!!
beer, get drunk and sex, alot of sex, what a good combonation. However, HIV positive is a very scary shit. and that what you'll get for sex under the infulence of acolhol..
Post a Comment