Specifically situated livelihood of women

This study specifically situated livelihood of women in project target areas. A specific number of women were selected and interviewed in this study. The responses of these selected women represent all other remaining women of the areas. The study reveals that women’s livelihood is constrained by different factors –internal and external. In one hand, they lack necessary skills, knowledge, and capital to be fully economically independent and empowered. On other hand, their economic dependency makes them vulnerable to domestic violence, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS infection and other health and different forms of sub-ordination at family and commune level. Their knowledge about their empowerment is poor and shallow. Only a small percentage of the women have so far attended in any training, workshop or similar events that explicitly make discussion on women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality. 

However, the good things in terms of their livelihood improvement are that they are already engaged in some sort of income (although meager income) generating occupations; possess traditional skills in some prospective areas; and eager to improve their skills for income improvement. On the basis of their status and situation, this study particularly identifies provisions of some support services, which are essential for improvement of livelihood and empowerment of the target women of the project. The provisions of essential support services are mentioned as recommendations in the below. Recommendations categorically refer to different sections.

There are number of cases of HIV/AIDS and malarial diseases in some villages. There is a growing concern that HIV/AIDS is transmitting in the family (among mother and new born) from men in Cambodia. Project and other stakeholders should further improve awareness of people, particularly among the men and migrants and potential migrants on HIV/AIDS infection and protection, educate villagers on how to prevent from malaria, provide mosquito net and medicine (quinine) to the villagers to protect and prevent malarial diseases. The other recommendations relevant to this section are (1) to initiate literacy program for women. The schooling time and accommodation should particularly suitable and flexible to make sure that target women can attend the class regularly (2) the literacy program can be accompanied with training events in traditional or indigenous areas of skills of the rural women. This can improve their skills and thus widen their choices of income diversification.

• Any programs that target women to diversify their income should consider the preferred or chosen occupations as listed in Table 3.11 for interventions.
• Women are more likely to engage in self-account enterprises or businesses. In this regard, they should be supported with credit, training and market facilities (including market information). 
• Any programs interventions for empowerment of women through income diversification undertaken by other development partners should be cautious about possible workload of target women. Workload of target women can be reinforced with their engagement in the new activities. Technology intensive programs activity is suggested instead of labor intensive one to reduce their workload that might cause from new occupation. 
• Male members of household of target women should also be targeted in the programs. They should be motivated to share household chores to assist their female partners for income generation.
• Improve food security through increased production of rice and other food crops to address malnutrition of women. The project should provide new technologies and inputs (including high-yield variety of rice) to improve rice production, particularly of families who have food shortage. At the same time, some program should be initiated to build awareness of nutrition of women and children.
• Initiate program interventions to build awareness of community people on how to prevent water born diseases.
• Launch effective anti-domestic violence program to address the issue of domestic violence, particularly in the villages of Phnom Srok district in Battambang province and Angkor Thom and Soutr Nikum district in Siem Reap province. Anti-domestic violence program can potentially consist of (i) strengthening partnership with local authorities (commune councilors, village chief, and police) to enforce the existing anti-domestic violence law, (ii) engage men in the form of network, and (iii) mobilize the network to build awareness of men on domestic violence.
• Migrant male members of the households of the respondents in this study experience different forms of exploitation in the place of their destination. This also affects the livelihood and wellbeing of the female members in their family back to rural areas. The project should initiate programs for the migrants and potential migrants so they can make informed migration to avoid any kind of exploitation in the place of destination.
• The female members (particularly of wife) are at higher risk of HIV/AIDS transmission by their migrant male partners. Reckless and unsafe sex of male migrants makes the female members of the family vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. The project should launch programs among the male migrants and potential male migrants about HIV/AIDS prevention through safe sex. 
• A higher percentage of women of this study are likely to migrate to neighboring countries such as Thailand. Women are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation along with non-sexual forms. The project should initiate programs to address the potential risk through educating them on international labor law, law on trafficking and migration through legal channel.
• The stakeholders including project can initiate programs to improve skills of potential women migrants on the areas they are likely be employed in the place of destination upon their migration.
• Women’s economic dependence is a major barrier for their decision-making position in the family. The project should provide supports and services to women for their economic independence through income generation.
• Women lack skills, knowledge and leadership to make decision in community affairs. Their role in community affairs is passive. Women should be provided with leadership skills to improve their participation in community affairs. General education and skills also matter women’s leadership and confidence. Therefore, there is also necessity of education and skill training program for women to make sure that women play leadership roles in the community.
• Dialogs and forums can be organized at commune level to improve awareness of community people on women’s leadership and decision-making roles.
• Pro-active program intervention is needed to empower women. Program intervention should deliberately target to improve their economic, social and political statuses. A comprehensive program with education and skill training, income generation and leadership interventions can be appropriate to improve status of women in multiple areas.
• Build partnership with line agencies of government for effective implementation and enforcement of laws and policies that exist to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality.

The program for empowerment of women should target both men and women to make sure that it has two-prong effects: women gain better position in one hand and men give up their interest and position towards women’s equal position in other hand. Appropriate awareness campaign should be endorsed to promote mutual respect between men and women about their rights, roles and responsibilities in the family and community.