Women in Election, 2012

Dear All,

COMFREL would like to release about the article on Women in Election, 2012.

Please see the attached for details.

For more information related to COMFREL, please visit our official website : www.comfrel.org

Best regards,

COMFREL


https://www.box.com/s/2e2d823321a39d6c7450

The politics of gender

Twenty-eight-year-old Tek Nim, a Sam Rainsy Party member and newly elected commune chief in Omlaing commune, in Kampong Speu province’s Thpong district, poses for a photograph. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Thursday, 12 July 2012
Xiaoqing Pi
The Phnom Penh Post

Pich Srey Pho’s involvement in politics may have contributed to the demise of her marriage, but that hasn’t stopped her from encouraging other women to follow in her footsteps and become a commune council member.

Pich Srey Pho, who represents the Cambodian People’s Party in Pursat, said cultural stereotyping was hindering women’s involvement in politics.

“My husband asked me to stay at home,” she said.

Pich Srey Pho didn’t – she went out to campaign instead – and is now divorced.

Because of such gender barriers, parties need to make more effort to promote women’s involvement in politics, party representatives and NGOs said in a meeting yesterday.

Joint Press Release Re​sults of the Commune/Sa​ngkat Council Elections 2012: further efforts required to achieve quantitati​ve and qualitativ​e female representa​tion in politics in Cambodia

https://www.box.com/s/9698c6d7e1bbe9d92f75


https://www.box.com/s/257d5c69e6319f102bb6

CCHR relea​ses Mini Report following the round table discussion on “ the Role of Women in Political Participat​ion at the Commune Level’ held on 30 April 2012, Phnom Penh

https://www.box.com/s/a727eafbed077bb88a35


https://www.box.com/s/fdb34af32ad39953d2fd

Much Room in Politics for Women, Youth: Analyst

Ou Virak, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, on "Hello VOA". Photo: by Men Kimseng

Tuesday, 08 May 2012
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC

“The youth tend to feel that they would rather leave political issues for others to handle.”

Women and youth still have only minor roles in Cambodian politics, which remains dominated by men, a prominent rights activist said Monday.

But both may yet still emerge as powerful political forces, said Ou Virak, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, as a returning guest on “Hello VOA.”

A huge percentage of young people remain disengaged from politics. Many don’t know who their local commune leaders are. And few are actively involved in upcoming election campaigns.

“If the youth don’t know what their commune councilors are doing, [they feel] there is no point for them to vote,” Ou Virak said. “The youth tend to feel that they would rather leave political issues for others to handle.”

Mad Libs: Women in Politics

FP asked top female politicians around the world to fill in the blanks on sexism, women leaders, and breaking the glass ceiling.

MAY/JUNE 2012

Foreign Policy

THE MOST SEXIST COUNTRY IS…

Afghanistan. —Reem Badran, Mabruka Sharif Jibril, Paula Teixeira da Cruz • Russia. —Ilze Vinkele • Benin, followed by Saudi Arabia. —Mimoza Kusari-Lila • Saudi Arabia. —Donya Aziz • Iran. —Elizabeth Ativie, Valérie Pécresse, Lydia Shouleva • Any country in which women are objectified and not treated equally in terms of political, social, and economic opportunities. —María Antonieta de Bográn • Muslim countries in general. —Maria Fekter

THE MOST SEXIST LEADER IN THE WORLD IS…

Silvio Berlusconi. —Maria Fekter, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, Valérie Pécresse, Paula Teixeira da Cruz • Vladimir Putin. —Ilze Vinkele • Those in South Africa and Muslim countries. —Lydia Shouleva • Any leader who is pulling little girls out of schools. That is the worst violation. —Winnie Byanyima

THE MOST INTERESTING WOMAN LEADER TO WATCH IS…

Dilma Rousseff. —María Antonieta de Bográn, Maria Fekter, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett • Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. —Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah • Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Tawakkol Karman. —Leila de Lima • Hillary Clinton. —Elizabeth Ativie, Mabruka Sharif Jibril, Yoko Komiyama, Sanja Vlahovic • Angela Merkel. —Margarita Popova, Ilze Vinkele • Christine Lagarde. —Winnie Byanyima • Aung San Suu Kyi. —Joelle Milquet, Mu Sochua, Lena Maryana Mukti, Valérie Pécresse, Paula Teixeira da Cruz

THE GLASS CEILING IN POLITICS WILL BE BROKEN WHEN…

Parties Want More Women Candidates in Upcoming Elections

SRP activist Sin Rosette (L) visits villagers from house to house

Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | Washington

“We women must address issues that women are facing. Therefore, we have to enter into politics."

Cambodia’s political parties say they are hoping to get more women candidates to run in local elections next year.

Some say they could potentially double the number of women representing their parties in commune councils after the elections in June 2012.

Mu Sochua, a former minister of women’s affairs and current representative of the main opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said women are well equipped to handle local issues like land grabs, poverty, unemployment and lack of education.

“We women must address issues that women are facing,” she told VOA Khmer. “Therefore, we have to enter into politics. And being in politics means that we will be able to solve national issues that women are facing. We have to start from local commune council elections.”

Cambodia Mulls Affirmative Action for Women

By Irwin Loy

"Former Cambodian Minister of Women’s Affairs Mu Sochua says quotas alone will not address long-standing problems in women's representation."

PHNOM PENH, Sep 10, 2010 (IPS) - Cambodian authorities must take sweeping measures to boost the number of women who sit in parliament if the country is to meet a key part of its global commitment to gender equality, advocates say.

Cambodia has pledged to ensure that at least 30 percent of legislators in its National Assembly are women by 2015. It represents part of Cambodia’s promises under the global Millennium Development Goals – targets aimed at eradicating poverty – to which United Nations member states have committed.

But with only one National Assembly election remaining before the deadline – voters in this South-east Asian nation are scheduled to head to the polls in 2013 – advocates say Cambodia risks missing this crucial target if the government fails to enact extraordinary measures to boost the number of women in politics.

Opposition members and civil society groups are calling on the government to legislate strict quotas that would ensure enough women are elected. But the government here is vehemently opposed to use of the term "quotas," leaving advocates to walk a delicate line.

Drude Dahlerup, a political science professor at Stockholm University who has researched gender equality in political systems around the world, including Cambodia, said quotas are the most effective way for countries to show dramatic results in a short period of time.

In her native Sweden, for example, women represent 47 percent of legislators – one of the highest figures in the world. "But it took a long time to achieve; it took 100 years," Dahlerup said. "Many countries are saying, ‘We aren’t going to wait that long.’"

Female lawmakers currently occupy 27 of 123 seats – or just under 22 percent – in the National Assembly following the most recent election in 2008. The figure represents a jump over Cambodia’s first post-war national elections in 1993, when women occupied only five percent of seats. But reaching the 30 percent target by 2015 remains a challenge.

Dahlerup, who said she was asked by the Cambodian government to devise options to reach the goal, is recommending that authorities consider legislating some kind of quota system – though she, like other advocates, uses the more subtle term "temporary special measures" in place of "quotas."

"Everywhere quotas are controversial, but I think that’s because there’s a misunderstanding that quotas are used to give women special favours," Dahlerup said. "I try to turn this around and say, ‘Why are men so over- represented?’"

Cambodia’s National Assembly is elected using a proportional representation system, whereby the electorate votes for a preferred party rather than individual candidates. The seats in multi-member districts are then filled from the parties’ candidate lists.

Dahlerup is recommending that the government legislate rules that require political parties to set gender quotas for its candidates – women must make up no less than 30 percent and no more than 70 percent of a party’s candidates. Additionally, the lists must be organised into a rank order system. Under one suggested option, the top two candidates cannot be of the same sex; under another, candidate rankings would alternate between male and female.

"I think you should have legislation that forces all political parties to do this," Dahlerup said. "This is trying to make equality (happen) and jump over the barriers that women face." The recommendation for the "temporary special measure" may comply with the government aversion to strict quotas.

Minister of Women’s Affairs Ing Kantha Phavi said the government will not consider quotas, but she said some steps must be taken before the next election to boost the proportion of female parliamentarians.

"In Cambodia, we won’t talk about a quota system," she said during a gender workshop held this week to debate options for achieving the country’s gender goals. "It means you have to have 30 percent, or 40 percent. We cannot say we must do this."

The minister acknowledged that "temporary special measures," which do not directly set aside seats in the National Assembly based on sex, are on the table.

"I agree we may have to have temporary measures so that we can achieve [the MDG]. There is only one election to go before 2015," she said.

Thida Khus, secretary general of the Committee to Promote Women in Politics, said such affirmative action measures are necessary to ensuring more women can break into the "old boys’ club" of national politics.

"It threatens some of the men, who are the gatekeepers of the political parties right now," she said. "Are you asking them to let go of their power to make way for women?" The government’s current education and training efforts to encourage female politicians may simply be inadequate, she said.

"They do capacity building. They do awareness. But we will not meet the 30 percent goal in 2013 if we do not have special measures and more affirmative action," she added.

Mu Sochua, a former Minister of Women’s Affairs who has become one of the government’s most outspoken critics in opposition, said she believes quotas are necessary, but such measures alone will not address long-standing problems involving women’s representation.

"I don’t think quotas alone are enough," she said. "Female politicians have to make themselves accountable to women." Though there may be 27 female lawmakers in parliament now, few of them are publicly vocal on crucial issues like violence against women, she said.

"They are lawmakers but they rarely speak," Mu said. "Look at land issues. Look at migration. Poverty has the face of a woman. You cannot just close your eyes to it."

How can there be more female lawmakers when they are being looked down by a dimwitted Priminister?

SRP MP Mu Sochua (R) was the subject of Hun Xen's bias and discrimination (L)

Target calls for more female lawmakers

Thursday, 09 September 2010
Brooke Lewis
The Phnom Penh Post

THE National Assembly and the Senate will need to increase the number of female lawmakers by 9 percent and 17 percent respectively during upcoming elections in order to meet a Millennium Development Goal aimed at improving gender equality, United Nations officials said yesterday.

A target under the gender-equality goal calls for 30 percent of national parliamentary representation to be female. Elections for the Senate in 2012 and the National Assembly in 2013 will be the Kingdom’s last opportunity to achieve this target before the 2015 MDG
deadline.

Speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh yesterday, Douglas Broderick, resident coordinator for the UN Development Programme in Cambodia, said women were underrepresented in high-level leadership and decision-making roles.

“Women make up 52 percent of Cambodia’s population, and yet represent 13 percent of the seats in the Senate, and 21 percent in the National Assembly,” he said.

During her opening remarks at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An said the Cambodian People’s Party was committed to improving women’s participation in governance.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia has been taking steps to improve the participation of women at all levels of national institutions,” she said.

But she noted that there were few other female politicians at her level.

Ho Naun, a Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker and head of the National Assembly’s public health committee, said “remarkable progress” had been made towards improving women’s rights in Cambodia.

“We have reached two-thirds of our goal,” she said.

But she added that “more activity from all stakeholders” was required.

Women currently hold eight of the 61 seats in the Senate, and 27 of the 123 seats in the National Assembly. The number of women in the Senate would need to more than double in the next election to reach the 18 seats required to meet the target. An additional 10 women would be needed to reach the National Assembly target of 37.

Mu Sochua’s supporters raised 10 million riels

Mrs. Mu Sochua and her supporters (Photo: Den Ayuthyea, RFA)

25 July 2010
By Tin Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Supporters for Mrs. Mu Sochua will organize a roundtable discussion at the beginning of next week after they raised more than 10 million riels to help Mrs. Mu Sochua pay the compensation for Hun Xen in lieu of the impoundment of her parliamentary salary.

The Grassroot Movement of Cambodian Women indicated that on 24 July that people from all walk of life, including factory workers, sex workers, moto taxi drivers and numerous citizens have collected more than 10 million riels to pay the compensation for Hun Xen in lieu of the impoundment of Mrs. Mu Sochua’s parliamentary salary, should Mrs. Mu Sochua agree to that.

Ms. Arun Rasmey said on that on Tuesday 27 July, the Grassroot Movement of Cambodian Women will organize a roundtable discussion at the Baitong Restaurant in Phnom Penh to decide on what to do with the more than 10 million riels raised. However, the group’s main goal is to use this fund to pay for Hun Xen’s compensation as ordered by the Phnom Penh municipal court in lieu of having Mrs. Mu Sochua’s parliamentary salary being impounded, if Mrs. Mu Sochua agrees to the group’s request.

Ms. Arun Rasmey indicated: “We insist that Mrs. Mu Sochua accept our effort. We did not provide the fund to her yet. After I held a press conference on the 14th (of July), Mrs. Mu Sochua declared vehemently that she will not accept this fund and she thanked us for that.”

On 24 July, RFA could not reach Mrs. Mu Sochua to obtain her comment on this issue. However on 21 July, Mrs. Mu Sochua indicated that she would not agree to the impoundment of her salary, and if the National Assembly indeed impounds her salary, then it would be a rights violation on a member of parliament.

On 20 July, Judge Chea Sok Hieng of the Phnom Penh municipal court sent a request to the National Assembly to impound Mrs. Mu Sochua’s salary, taking out 4,004,899 riels out of her salary each month to pay for Hun Xen’s compensation.

Ou Virak, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), said that it is a good thing that a women group shows their opinions to help women in politics. “The fact that they dare collect (money) to express their support for Mrs. Mu Sochua or a woman politician, in general, it is a good thing for Cambodia. We hope that all political parties will support such movement and such action,” Ou Virak said.

Recently, the CCHR issued a legal analysis regarding the case of Mrs. Mu Sochua, saying the court was not independent because the court is filled with high-ranking officials from the CPP and a number of judges have influence over the court legal system, this clearly shows the relationship between the court and Hun Xen’s political party.

Hun Xen's double standards: he praises progress of women in politics ... while berating Mrs. Mu Sochua?

Hun Xen (Photo: Reuters)

PM praises progress of women in politics

Monday, 12 July 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

PRIME Minister Hun Sen praised what he described as the significant gains made by female politicians in a statement marking World Population Day, which was observed yesterday.

“The expression of women has steadily increased through politics,” Hun Sen said in Friday’s statement.

The premier encouraged all women to get involved in politics and social issues, and noted that he had previously called for the inclusion of women at all levels of government.

“I made the first-ever decision to order all cities and provinces to appoint a woman as deputy governor for cities, provinces, districts, villages and all state ministries and institutions,” Hun Sen said.

Lim Mony, head of the women’s section at the rights group Adhoc, acknowledged that the number of women in politics appeared to have risen in recent years. But she said many lack real power. “If women are promoted to the positions but they don’t have the right to make decisions, there is still gender inequality,” she said.

Women to play bigger role in NA

Women voters during the 2008 general election (Photo: AP)

Tuesday, 07 October 2008
Written by Khoun Leakhana The Phnom Penh Post

But with just one in five National Assembly members a woman, civil society groups say political parties should be doing more to promote women to positions of authority

THE proportion of women in the new National Assembly has increased to around one in five - up from 13 percent previously - but political observers and women's rights advocates say political parties are still lagging behind in their responsibility to give women more active roles in government.

Koul Panha, executive director of Cambodian election monitor Comfrel, said the government had set official goals for women's participation in politics, but that there was no way to tell if steps had been taken to promote women to the national legislature.

"The goal of the government is to have about 30 percent women in politics by 2015, but we do not yet know about the government's framework to push women to participate in the National Assembly or in other institutions," he said.

"I want the government to sign a law that puts one or two women in each institution in order to give women more chances to participate in the workings of their country."

Thida Khus, executive director of local rights group Silaka, said that despite government targets, getting into politics was difficult for women, since men usually chose other men for government appointments. "The government plan for 2010 is 25 percent of women in the National Assembly and for 2015 it is 30 percent, but the numbers of women in Assembly are increasing slowly because positions are in men's hands," she said.

"We will advocate for 30 percent by 2015 because when women participate more, [politicians] will know that they are needed in relation to health and education."

Do not pigeonhole women

But US Embassy representative Piper Campbell said women should be engaged with the full range of political issues, adding that this year's national election campaign showed a wealth of talented female politicians ready for the task. "I was really impressed with the quality of some of the women who were candidates," she said Saturday, adding that the lack of women in politics was a net loss for the Kingdom.

"As a woman, I am disappointed not to see more women representatives in the National Assembly because I think women bring a very important perspective and some really important concerns," she said.

"[But] I think it is important not to think that women in parliament are only going to take on women's issues. All politicians have to be concerned with all the issues of the political spectrum."