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The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Cambodia
A coalition of NGOs and community groups working with indigenous peoples in Cambodia submit this report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (“the Committee”) for consideration at its 76th Session. In doing this submission, the definition of racial discrimination as set out in Article 1(1) of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (“ICERD”) has been used: “any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.” We observe that the Committee has repeatedly affirmed that ICERD applies to discrimination against indigenous peoples1 and “that all appropriate means must be taken to combat and eliminate such discrimination.”2 3. We note that the Cambodian Constitution states that all Cambodians have the “same rights, freedom and fulfilling the same obligations regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religious belief, political tendency, birth origin, social status, wealth or other status”. We also sincerely thank the Cambodian government for its role in ending civil war in Cambodia, something that was a severe and extreme violation of indigenous and non‐indigenous peoples’ rights, and establishing this constitution based on equity. 4. There are, however, actions and laws which have the effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples. This submission explains that, despite provisions to safeguard indigenous peoples’ land, customs, language and culture, discrimination against indigenous peoples in Cambodia, in effect, remains persistent and institutionalized. Specifically outlined in this report is the discrimination against indigenous peoples’ groups that has resulted from removing rights through legislation and use of the judiciary; land and resource alienation resulting in forced displacement; limitations on the right to selfdetermination; inadequate provision of appropriate education; and unrealized rights to health.
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Skin on the Cable
In this 93-page report Human Rights Watch documents detainees being beaten, raped, forced to donate blood, and subjected to painful physical punishments such as "rolling like a barrel" and being chained while standing in the sun. Human Rights Watch also reported that a large number of detainees told of receiving rotten or insect-ridden food and symptoms of diseases consistent with nutritional deficiencies.
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“Skin on the Cable” The Illegal Arrest, Arbitrary Detention and Torture of People Who Use Drugs in Cambodia
Cambodians who use drugs confound the notion that drug dependence is a self-inflicted condition that results from a character disorder or moral failing. When Human Rights Watch talked with these people, they were invariably softly spoken and polite. They talked openly and honestly about difficult childhoods (in many cases still underway) living on the streets, or growing up in refugee camps in Thailand.
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Rights Respecting Governments Should Speak Up to Protect Defenders
Governments responsible for serious human rights violations have over the past year intensified attacks against human rights defenders and organizations that document abuse, Human Rights Watch said today in issuing its World Report 2010.
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Open Budget Index 2010
The International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey assesses the availability in each country assessed of eight key budget documents, as well as the comprehensiveness of the data contained in these documents.
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World Report 2010
In Cambodia, more than 60 community activists were imprisoned or awaiting trial during 2009—often on spurious charges—for helping to organize and represent ellow community members facing eviction or illegal confiscation of their land by private companies linked to high-ranking government and military officials.
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NGO Join Statistics Database Report on Trafficking and Rape in Cambodia 2009
This report presents data on trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and rape in Cambodia for the period between January and December 2009, which were collected from 27participating NGOs.
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Investment in Agriculture
The global land grab,2 to a great extent, has been spurred by the events surrounding the Food and Financial Crises of 2008. In response to the crises, many developing countries looking to regain their economic footing increased their openness to foreign direct investment (FD I) in emerging markets—particularly in agribusiness and tourism. As part of this trend, fertile land is being offered to investors, often at giveaway prices, and especially in Africa. These and other factors have ignited a global rush for the world’s farmland by investors in what has become known as the global “land grab” phenomenon.
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The State of Human Rights in Cambodia in 2010
However, the country is still in a state of abysmal lawlessness and ordinary Cambodians are powerless. There are no institutions in the country, which can offer them any kind of protection. The Cambodian police is in a rudimentary stage of development, is known to be corrupt and completely under the political control of the regime and those who are rich and powerful. Cambodian courts are also known to be corrupt and are used as instruments of political control by way of jailing opposition politicians; people resisting land grabbing; those who express independent opinions and civil society activists who express solidarity with victims of abuse of power.
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Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differented Pathways Out of Poverty
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the International Labour Office (ILO), concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are entirely those of the authors and/or results from workshop exchanges and discussions; they do not necessarily represent the official positionsand/or endorsement of FAO, IFAD and ILO.
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Overview: Signs of Change amid Repression
Signs of Change amid Repression gives a thorough introduction to the state of global press freedom. It details trends identified in media freedom during the 2010 calendar year and offers a snapshot of regional gains and setbacks.
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Still Losing Ground
The case studies covered in this report provide a window into the lives behind the land disputes occurring in Cambodia. This report gives an update on the land disputes and villages affected by them, and seeks to address the doubts of people like Grandma Saing and the others quoted above,as well answer the question “what next?”
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