Advocacy in Cambodia: Increasing Democratic ... - Pact Cambodia

advocacy agenda,
objectives, and
audience
Increasing Democratic Space
Selecting
Advocacy Agenda
The advocacy campaigns reviewed in this
report correspond for the most part to current
problems experienced by groups of people in
Cambodia and also relate to issues that are
common to other countries. At present in
Cambodia, concerned international and local
organizations, with previous experience in a
sector, organize advocacy campaigns or collect
data that illuminates a problem. Less frequently,
it is the people directly affected by the problem
that draw attention to it, especially when the issue
is not livelihood based. This section identifies the
major players and activities involved in
establishing advocacy campaigns and considers
the roles of different stakeholders based on the
case studies.
Outside Actors
Outside actors
refers to those who are
not from an affected
community. One type
of outside actor
includes individuals or
organizations that are
committed to
advocating on behalf
of an affected
community because
they are associated
with that community
(for example women
who fight on behalf of
abused women). The
other type includes
individuals or
organizations that
have a philosophy
founded on principles of democracy promotion or
assisting the vulnerable and poor (for example
many international and local organizations).
The labor movement in Cambodia is an
example of outside actors identifying a problem
An indication that the Cambodian labor
movement is gaining strength: garment workers
organize and demonstrate in front of the Council
of Ministers demanding better working
conditions, February 2000.
and initiating an advocacy campaign. In the early
1990s, international labor unions and
organizations were aware that Cambodia’s ready
supply of cheap labor and the possibility of
obtaining special trade status from the U.S.
government would make it an attractive
investment for garment manufacturers. The AFL-
CIO and ILO played an important role in initiating
labor legislation before the garment industry had
experienced its rapid growth, with their goal being
to ensure decent working conditions for factory
workers. As the Cambodian labor movement
continues to gain strength, the expectation is that
it will be able to take the lead in protecting the
rights of workers while advocacy efforts will take
on a more grassroots aspect initiated by the
workers themselves.
After Cambodia
signed the UN
Convention on the
Rights of the Child,
Save the Children
Norway (then Redd
Barna) initiated an
effort to bring
interested groups
together to monitor
government progress
in conforming to the
Convention. This
resulted in a network
that has been meeting
since 1995 and which
now prepares a fouryear
advocacy plan,
perhaps the first
network to do so.
A l t h o u g h
domestic violence has
been a problem for a
long time in Cambodia, the topic was not discussed
openly until a concerned outside actor initiated a
study of the problem in 1994. The findings of the
study and of two subsequent studies were
convincing enough to launch an entire movement.
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