Asian beer girls dressed for success
The Copenhagen Post (Denmark)
Beer companies like Carlsberg want to improve conditions for women who sell their beer at Asian bars
They are called 'beer girls', and they represent various breweries selling their beers at bars across Asia. Usually they are scantily clad and often forced to drink with the male customers - or worse - as part of the job.
Calls from women's rights groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) brought the issue to light, and now Carlsberg and a few other Western breweries are taking the lead in improving the working conditions for these girls.
'It's necessary in a land where the HIV rate is so terribly high. Therefore we have to take on some tasks that would normally be the communities' responsibility,' said Jens Peter Skaarup, Carlsberg's public information director.
One such task is a Code of Conduct agreement, to be signed Friday between six breweries and the Beer Selling Industry of Cambodia. Carlsberg went into the Cambodian market 14 months ago, but it has taken time to institute changes.
'There's an amazing number of people who had to be convinced that there was a problem and that something had to be done,' said Skaarup.
As part of the agreement, beer girls may no longer sit and drink with customers. They are also given transport to and from work, are provided training and education, and are required to dress more tastefully, donning shirts with the brewers' brand names. Any deviance from these rules and the companies may legally pull their products from the transgressing bars.
'There will be independent reporting. We're involving NGOs and help organisations but we have to follow up to ensure that things don't regress in a couple years.'
While he said progress has been made, Skaarup admitted the beer girls' working conditions are not what they would be in Europe.
'We're not so naive to think that these new rules solve all the problems. Our beer girls earn 55 dollars a month in a land with very low wages. But if we raise the pay too much, it would destroy the Cambodian job market,' he said.
Skaarup said that the girls were asked what needed to be changed and that the breweries attempted to incorporate those requests into the Code of Conduct.
NGOs report that girls selling hard liquor and cigarettes are also common practices in Asia, and there are an estimated 4000 beer girls in Cambodia alone.
They are called 'beer girls', and they represent various breweries selling their beers at bars across Asia. Usually they are scantily clad and often forced to drink with the male customers - or worse - as part of the job.
Calls from women's rights groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) brought the issue to light, and now Carlsberg and a few other Western breweries are taking the lead in improving the working conditions for these girls.
'It's necessary in a land where the HIV rate is so terribly high. Therefore we have to take on some tasks that would normally be the communities' responsibility,' said Jens Peter Skaarup, Carlsberg's public information director.
One such task is a Code of Conduct agreement, to be signed Friday between six breweries and the Beer Selling Industry of Cambodia. Carlsberg went into the Cambodian market 14 months ago, but it has taken time to institute changes.
'There's an amazing number of people who had to be convinced that there was a problem and that something had to be done,' said Skaarup.
As part of the agreement, beer girls may no longer sit and drink with customers. They are also given transport to and from work, are provided training and education, and are required to dress more tastefully, donning shirts with the brewers' brand names. Any deviance from these rules and the companies may legally pull their products from the transgressing bars.
'There will be independent reporting. We're involving NGOs and help organisations but we have to follow up to ensure that things don't regress in a couple years.'
While he said progress has been made, Skaarup admitted the beer girls' working conditions are not what they would be in Europe.
'We're not so naive to think that these new rules solve all the problems. Our beer girls earn 55 dollars a month in a land with very low wages. But if we raise the pay too much, it would destroy the Cambodian job market,' he said.
Skaarup said that the girls were asked what needed to be changed and that the breweries attempted to incorporate those requests into the Code of Conduct.
NGOs report that girls selling hard liquor and cigarettes are also common practices in Asia, and there are an estimated 4000 beer girls in Cambodia alone.
2 comments:
I am very glade for the people who are getting involve in this social development. It had been very long time that those unfortunate girls suffering from abuse at work. In the past there were so many girls who worked in the bar in Cambodia being force to pamper clients and some of them were beated up and rape. Also forcing to drink alcohol by Clients. All the girls who were working in the bar were in poor condition by alcohol abuse. This is very good change for Cambodian girls to have value and respect.
Great to hear of this kind of initiative.
However, it is very important to submit this initiative to HUN SEN, and BUN Rany also to Ranaridh, and MARY Ranaridh.
I see HUN SEN and BUN Rany can sort it out and also this is a kind of testing them wether they are committed for the value for Cambodian women.
Many Cambodian girls need only some sort of money for dialy basis living not luxury like them. Please help them out of this miserable situation.
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