Human Rights Watch slams Cambodian gov't for banning rally to mark International Women's Day

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Human Rights Watch slams Cambodian gov't for banning rally to mark International Women's Day

2011-03-08 13:49:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The Cambodian government should reverse its decision to refuse a permit to the Cambodian Women's Movement Organization (CWMO) for a rally in central Phnom Penh, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The rally was intended to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch said the Cambodian government failed to provide any reason for its rejection of a permit in a March 7 letter from Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chutema to the CWMO. Speakers and a celebration were planned and Minister of Women's Affairs Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi had previously agreed to speak at the event, but when the permit was denied, she said she was no longer available to attend.

"The government's refusal to allow an International Women's Day rally first seemed like a joke," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "But no Cambodian government restriction on basic rights should come as a surprise anymore."

A coalition of trade union women spanning Cambodia's political spectrum was planning to celebrate a centennial of women's rights activism on the field across from the old parliament building. The government's decision came after it had installed banners proclaiming "International Women's Day" near Phnom Penh's Independence Monument. Similar banners have been raised around the country.

International Women's Day is a national holiday and Cambodians across the country have been preparing to take a day off from work to celebrate the occasion. It is also celebrated in other countries around the world.

In Cambodia, where ready-made garments - one of the country's largest commercial exports - are assembled by a primarily female factory workforce, the issue of women's rights and non-discrimination is central, Human Rights Watch said. Yet, Phnom Penh municipal authorities have regularly denied permission for assemblies by various groups in the city.

"Refusing women the right to rally peacefully reflects the government's distrust its people," said Adams. "The Cambodian government's creeping dictatorial rule should be of real concern to the country's donors."

Earlier on Tuesday, former Chilean President and UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet hailed the 1st International Women's Day as "an historic step on the long road to equality." "Although the occasion was celebrated in only a handful of countries, it brought over one million women out onto the streets, demanding not just better conditions at work but also the right to vote, to hold office and to be equal partners with men," Bachelet said.

She added: "There has been remarkable progress as the last century has seen an unprecedented expansion of women's legal rights and entitlements. Indeed, the advancement of women's rights can lay claim to be one of the most profound social revolutions the world has seen."

However, the hopes of equality expressed on the first International Women's Day remain far from being realized. "Almost two out of three illiterate adults are women. Girls are still less likely to be in school than boys. Every 90 seconds of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or due to childbirth-related complications despite us having the knowledge and resources to make birth safe," Bachelet said.

Across the world, women continue to earn less than men for the same work. In many countries, too, they have unequal access to land and inheritance rights. And despite high-profile advances, women still make up only 19 percent of legislatures, 8 percent of peace negotiators, and only 28 women are heads of state of government, according to UN Women.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-08