The BBC World Service Trust focuses on health, governance and human rights in Cambodia. We run mass media campaigns to improve child and maternal and sexual health, and prevent malaria. These include TV drama series, long and short films, radio phone-in shows and radio and TV spots. We also produced a feature film about human trafficking and a training programme based around an educational film designed to improve the management of the Commune elections in 2007.
Context
Despite rapid economic growth and an annual 1% reduction in poverty during the last decade, 35% of Cambodians still live below the national poverty line. In some rural areas this figure rises to 60%.
The country is largely rural. Eight out of ten people live outside cities and towns, and one of the greatest challenges lies in reducing rural poverty to avoid inequality.
Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy. The King, Norodom Sihamoni, is Head of State; although the King has no executive powers, the position is widely revered.
Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-serving prime ministers, has been in power in various coalitions since 1985.
The majority party in the National Assembly, the Cambodia People's Party, continues to struggle with the multi-party system.
In 2005, the opposition party leader, Sam Rainsy, was stripped of his parliamentary immunity and went into exile, leaving the country without an opposition. Mr Rainsy was reinstated in 2006 and now leads the political oppostion.
According to Human Rights Watch, previous elections have been marked by sporadic killings and intimidation; in the 2003 elections, 13 political activists died. 2008 elections were more peaceful, but did see an opposition journalist killed and significant curtailing of press freedom.
Gender equality is a major concern, with 22% of women saying they've experienced domestic violence; and infant and child (under 5 years old) mortality rates in Cambodia are amongst the highest in South East Asia.
Cambodia has been severely affected by the HIV epidemic over the past decade, however thanks to public health campaigns, the infection rate in the general population is declining.
Facts
- 34.1% of the population lives on less than $1 per day
- 98.9% of children are enrolled in primary schools
- Over ten percent of babies born to mother in the poorest one fifth of the population do not survive
- For every 1,000 children born, over 140 will die before they reach the age of five
- An estimated 0.9% of the Cambodian population has HIV and AIDS
- An estimated 262,000 or 2% of the population has been diagnosed with malaria
- Cambodia rank 126 out of 173 on the Reporters Sans Frontiers Press Freedom Index
- Cambodia ranks 166 out of 180 countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index
- 39% of Cambodians said they were offered gifts to vote for a party in the last elections
Working in partnership
Working in partnership with the Cambodian government, Cambodian broadcasters and a range of international and local organisations, we run mass media campaigns to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, improve care and support for people living with the virus, and improve the health of Cambodia's mothers and children. Four radio discussion programmes about sensitive sexual health issues and maternal and child health are still running. More
Read about the impact of the mass media campaign here.
Building on this experience, in 2006 we launched a weekly radio programme to encourage young women to talk about reproductive and sexual health issues. More
We continue to produce public service announcements for radio and television to reduce HIV and AIDS and malaria infection in Cambodia. More
Working in partnership with the International Labour Organisation and Cambodian media professionals, we produced a 100 minute feature film designed to alert Cambodian audiences to the dangers and realities of human trafficking, including forced labour and prostitution. More
Working in partnership with the National Election Commission of Cambodia and the United Nations Development Programme, we produced a training video to help Cambodian election officials prepare for and manage the Commune Elections in April 2007. More
