Helpline operators in Cambodia step up support for women migrant workers

Authors: Jocelyn Pederick and Diego De La Rosa

On the other end of the line, a woman’s voice trembles. She is thousands of kilometres from home, isolated and unsure where to turn. For many Cambodian women working abroad or away from home, the government-operated helpline is their first and often only point of contact when facing abuse, exploitation or other crises.

“Women migrant workers face a lot of difficulty. So, the least we can do is give them information on how to contact someone and help meet emergency safety needs, whether it’s to get treatment or find a safe shelter so authorities in that country can assist them in time,” said Mam Rattana, Director of the Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs in Takeo Province.

Mam is one of the many helpline responders from Provincial Departments of Women’s Affairs who gathered in Kampot Province to learn how to better support women facing crises.

The Ministry’s helplines were initially established in 2019 under UN Women’s Safe and Fair programme funded by the European Union. Now with support from UN Women through the PROTECT project, also European Union-funded, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has introduced standard operating procedures, or practical guidelines, for helpline operators to respond to survivors of violence, including women migrant workers. At the 16-17 June training in Kampot, staff from all 25 provinces learned to use these tools to offer more coordinated, consistent and survivor-centred support.

At the core of the new approach is a deeper understanding of what it means to offer survivor-centred support.

“Anyone who has studied law can provide legal support services,” said Chou Sovan, a Legal Protection officer at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs who attended the training. “But the real question is whether those services are of high quality, technically accurate, and aligned with the ethical code of conduct for service providers.”

The standard operating procedures are grounded in six guiding principles: safety, confidentiality, empowerment, non-discrimination, non-judgement, and human rights. They were shaped with input from migrant women themselves, who helped identify gaps to ensure that helpline protocols reflected real-life challenges.

“Ultimately, everything we’ve learned in this training comes directly from the experiences and voices of survivors themselves,” said Chou.

The new procedures include a checklist to help staff navigate conversations and referrals.

“It’s complete and practical,” said Rattana. “It helps us gather the right information so we can take the best next step.”

Helpline staff are also reminded to respect the agency of every caller.

“It’s essential to acknowledge survivors’ voices, accept their choices, and base our services on what they need — not what we think they should do,” Chou said.

Said Sophea Khun, UN Women Cambodia Country Programme Coordinator: “Women migrant workers often face serious risks throughout their migration journey, so it’s important they can get help quickly and safely. We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in making sure helpline staff are ready to listen, support, and respond with care.”