[Press release] The Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations (EIF) announced today that Cambodia will receive funding to undertake a study to identify barriers to the deployment of women in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), to United Nations peace operations. Cambodia, the 25th highest troop contributing country to United Nations peacekeeping, currently deploys 766 military personnel, among which 14 per cent are women.

“I used to have a rice field, but then I borrowed money and put my land as collateral to build a house. My husband did not help, so I had to find a way to pay the debt on my own. In the past, he was very violent, and I could not say anything. Even though I did not want to, I was considering leaving my daughter behind with my parents to migrate to Thailand to find work and pay my debts. Instead, I heard about a programme through CWCC.

From flash mobs to bicycle races, street marches to art exhibits, and even illuminating landmarks and buildings in orange light, people around the world banded together during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence by “oranging their neighbourhoods.”