Women-led CSOs in Cambodia are strengthening their cybersecurity with support from UN Women
Date:
Author: Jocelyn Pederick
Phnom Penh, Cambodia — In an age where activism is increasingly fought on digital front lines, civil society organisations (CSOs) must be as skilled in cybersecurity as they are in advocacy. For women-led CSOs in Cambodia, this is especially urgent as they continue to face disproportionate levels of online threats.
“Digital technologies are powerful tools for making positive change,” said Sophea Khun, UN Women Cambodia Country Programme Coordinator. “But with greater visibility comes greater vulnerability, especially for women-led CSOs.”
To deal with this problem, UN Women, with support from the Australian Government’s Cyber and Critical Tech Cooperation Program, brought together 28 representatives (23 of them women) from 12 CSOs for a 4-5 June workshop in Phnom Penh on Empowering Women CSOs in Cambodia Through Cybersecurity Capacity Building. It was part of UN Women’s Regional Framework Towards Peaceful, Inclusive Societies which includes a specific focus on enhancing digital safety for women across the Asia-Pacific region.
The training explored the experiences of women-led CSOs with digital insecurity, increased their understanding of cybersecurity principles, built digital protection skills, and identified future training needs.
Pho Sophea of Rainbow Community Kampuchea said, "We learned practical things like how to create strong passwords and back up important documents — essential not just for ourselves but for our organizations."
Cambodia’s rapid digital transformation has outpaced digital literacy. According to the Cambodia Digital Economy and Society Policy Framework 2021–2035 (Royal Government of Cambodia), only 30 per cent of the population possess foundational digital skills. This gap creates fertile ground for cyberattacks like identity theft, impersonation, data breaches and ransomware — all posing significant threats to CSOs.
This gap creates fertile ground for cyberattacks like identity theft, impersonation, data breaches and ransomware -- all posing significant threats to CSOs.
"Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility," said Khleang Molynin, Communication and Outreach Coordinator for Women Peace Makers. "Each of us has a role in protecting our accounts, emails and digital spaces. … When we’re secure, our organizations are stronger and our communities’ benefit.”
A 2024 study by UN Women and United Nations University Institute in Macau found that women led CSOs in South-East Asia faced high rates of cyber harassment: 73 per cent experienced online harassment, 71 per cent trolling, and 61 per cent doxing. The chilling effect can force them to withdraw from online spaces vital to their work.
"These attacks often target women with misogynistic and sexualized content to silence and discredit their leadership," Sophea Khun said.
Said Chhun Sokchan of women’s rights group Klahaan, "As organizations advocating for women’s rights, we face harassment and hate speech all the time. It’s part of the job, but it shouldn’t be normalized. … I hope we keep working together and stay true to our feminist values as we build a safer digital future.”
Bridget Collier, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Cambodia, said at the workshop: "It’s vital that women and civil society organizations can safely and effectively participate in digital spaces. That means working together to counter disinformation and hate, protect freedom of expression, and ensure marginalized women can engage online without fear. Governments, tech companies, civil society, media, educators and communities must collaborate to foster safer, more inclusive digital spaces.”
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