Out of 132, Phnom Penh is 125th

Of the 132 cities surveyed, only nine cities present the worst-case scenario in which most aspects of living quality are severely restricted, reflecting general improvements on a global scale in areas such as education, health care and infrastructure. Four of these are in Asia, mainly South Asia. The other five are in Africa (accounting for three) and the Middle East (accounting for two).

The threat of terrorism and civil unrest is a major contributing factor to the cities that suffer from the worst liveability scores, as are poor development indicators. (Source)

Well I wouldn't be quite that harsh, but Phnom Penh does have elements that are very frustrating: noise, pollution, motos and the hot weather in April that just saps your will to live. If you ignore the racism, sexism and political corruption though, the Penh does have its charms for those who can afford them.

The thing about surveys like this is that they are generally written by people staying at four star hotels and who are being chauffeured everywhere in air conditioned land rovers. Do they eat the 2000 riel noodles or take a moto from one end of the city to another? How can they possibly evaluate a city under such conditions?

Often wrong

Whatever your position in that debate, one unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America's withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens, whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like 'boat people,' 're-education camps' and 'killing fields.' (Source)

Wrong again Bush. Honestly does no one fact check your speeches? The term "killing fields" was coined in Cambodia, where admittedly the US bombed illegally and heavily. Some even say it contributed to the rise of the Khmer Rouge. It is one thing to fight a war in Vietnam and quite another to violate international borders to make you killed as many North Vietnamese as possible.

And seriously, hire someone to proof and fact check your speeches.

Death by bandaids

... is s fairly original way to die

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man died after staging a silent protest against his wife's alleged infidelity by taping his nose and mouth shut with band-aids, local media reported Tuesday.

Chea Songha, 42, of the north-western province of Battambang, became enraged with his wife's repeated absences, and, after consuming a large amount of alcohol on Sunday morning, taped over his nose and mouth in an effort to draw his wife's attention to his distress when she returned, reported Khmer-language newspaper Koh Santepheap.

Although police said he did not embark on his stunt as a deliberate suicide attempt, Songha appeared aware of the risks, instructing his sister before she left him home alone that if it ended badly they should play disco music at his funeral, apparently as a further taunt to his wife. (Source)

The moral of the story kiddies, is that air goes in the lungs. Don't block them off.

As funny as this is, there is something darker beneath the surface. The idiot victim dies essentially because he is extremely angry at not being able to control his wife. His final thoughts are of taunting her. Sounds like a very pleasant fellow. Did no one ever tell him that women are people too? We will go wherever we wish? We have equal rights, at least on paper. No one gets to control another human being. No one should have to put up with threats and intimidation.

If he had been less of a misogynist, he'd probably have been fine, but there's no accounting for stupidity!

Kampot

OK it's been driving me crazy. Any one got the number for the Bodhi Villa in Kampot? The one in the yellow pages isn't working.

Same old show

Because when in doubt its always good to try and get your accusers fired.

Subsequently, the Royal Embassy of Cambodia today once again, urged Global Witness funders...review the credibility and ill-intention of Global Witness Director and discriminatory nature may be ill suited to lead Global Witness in the current situation and the future. It would be disastrous for the credibility and the image of Global Witness Funders: Trusts and foundations-Development organizations- Governments, if no concrete actions and measures would not seriously considered to provide a new guidance and leadership to Global Witness. (Source)

So exposing crimes is now discriminatory? Revealing corruption comes from ill intentions? It's funny how some accuse others of faults they themselves possess. Is the government so angry with Global Witness for revealing the scam that they must retaliate?

Calling the credible of Global Witness into account does nothing to help the governments cause. Does anyone believe that the GW report was fabricated? No. Everybody knows where the truth lies. We've heard the chain saws and we have seen how the gov responds to this type of report many many times and it is always the same - attack the source. A new tack, please. Why not try and work with NGOs to improve?

Cambodian youth

Radio Free Asia is talking about being young in Cambodia and it is not a pretty picture...

One NGO involved with the youth, indicated that 70% of the youth are jobless and are now involved in criminal activities.

During the day commemorating the 8th International Youth Day, Long Khet, the president of the Youth Peace organization, said, on 10 August, that 70% of Cambodian youth ranging in age between 18 and 30-year-old, are facing joblessness and these youth are currently involved in drug use, gangs, delinquency, creating unrest in the society, and are providing bad influence to the younger generations.

Long Khet added that the reason these youth are struggling in the society is because they are very poor and they did not get any education. (Source)

There are no jobs and few role models. In a society that has such an unemployment rate, it is not surprising that people turn to drugs, violence and crime. This is a challenge that the government needs to face. What future can the majority of young people have in such conditions?

Well, good governance, education and job creation would seem to be a start. I have written at length about the governance in this country and so will not do so here. The educational system is full of problems.

Where to begin? Teachers are not paid enough so many impose illegal fees on students. Many students cannot afford $1 a month for education and so miss out on the opportunities that should be available.

The other major problem is cheating in exams and buying good marks.

Multiple choice question # 1: Which of the following explains why rampant exam cheating and bribery are making a mockery of Cambodia's education system?
- (a) teachers are profiting from it
- (b) students see no shame in cheating
- (c) the government says the problem does not exist
Sadly the answer is all of the above.

According to the teacher..., A and B grades have a fixed rate of $2 000 and $1 200 respectively. The cost of a C is negotiable but generally costs $700-800

Socially cheating is just another form of corruption. It's a reflection of the larger context of society.

The schools of the country are its future in miniature. (Source)

With schools like this, students unable to afford an education, and parents willing and able to pay for diplomas, there is and will continue to be a serious lack of trained professionals. It seems that once again corruption is at the root of the issue.

Violence and sex

There is a fundamental lack of understanding in Cambodia as to what rape is. Rape in Cambodia depends on your profession, marital status and public standing. Having talked to underage sex workers, they do not understand the concept of rape. They have no power to say no or escape their fate.

Only 13 percent of young men and women surveyed by the group recognized forced sex with a prostitute as a crime, while women perceived as having broken from Cambodia's conservative social norms are also targeted, Licadho said.

"Gang rape ... is perpetuated by common attitudes and beliefs among young men that promote the myth that any girl who is not considered 'good' is available for sexual intercourse without her consent," the group said.

The trend towards increasing violence is not restricted to sex crimes, according to Licadho.

Despite the passage of domestic violence legislation in 2005, the laws have yet to be widely enforced, and reported crimes like beatings and abandonment have gone up since then.

"Beliefs about the inferiority of Cambodian women make if difficult for domestic violence to be recognized as a serious problem that families, friends and authorities should intervene in," Licadho said. (Source)

The madonna/whore complex is captured perfectly in Licadho's report. Be a good girl or a bad girl; there is no in between. Unfortunately this mentality is ostracising many. The flip side is that it is completely acceptable for men to visit prostitutes. These men make the point that the prostitutes are not Cambodian because no Cambodian girl would so sex work. Of course, such an assertion is far from logical, and the women pay the price.

Poor girls from the countryside are sold to brothels in the city that sell their virginity to the highest bidder. Because of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the mistaken belief that having sex with a virgin will cure HIV/AIDS, virginity is highly prized. Of course, after the girls lose their virginity they can never get married. They will be vulnerable to violence for the rest of their lives. Not that marriage is a safe haven...

Women are treated appallingly here. Last year I gave a presentation on sexual harassment to a mixed group of national and international staff. I explained what harassment is and that it is not acceptable. After I opened the floor to questions, a Cambodian man stood up and said that no Cambodian woman would ever report a man harassing her. None of the women in the room contradicted her.

Another story I heard was a man working in women's rights, telling his wife who was suffering from post-natal depression that if she wouldn't have sex with him, he was going to visit prostitutes. How can progress be made if that is the attitude of women's rights activists?

The human rights of women in Cambodia must be protected. More political representation might be a start. One of the major problems, however, is the anger that boils in the country after the KR and the Vietnamese occupation. This anger is coming out as violence, gender based violence and child abuse. Until that is resolved the crimes will continue to increase.

The future

Is this the future for aid/ development workers?

Carnival

Check out Carnival of the feminists #42.

One my my pieces was selected - YAY!

Decline and fall

I am reading Gibbon's Decline and fall of the Roman empire at the moment. It is interesting, intelligently written and full of magnificent quotations. So here are a few on governance...

That public virtue which among the ancients was denominated patriotism, is derived from a strong sense of our own interest in the preservation and prosperity of the free government of which we are members.

But the zeal of fanaticism prevailed over the cold and feeble efforts of policy.

Under a democratical government, the citizens exercise the powers of sovereignty

The principles of a free constitution are irrevocably lost, when the legislative power is nominated by the executive.

Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.

I think these have relevance in today's political climate.