| Project Detail |
Project Name
Strengthening Country Systems for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence
Project Number
57085-001
Country / Economy
Cambodia
Project Status
Approved
Project Type / Modality of Assistance
Grant
The proposed project will support the Royal Government of Cambodia in its commitment to reduce Gender-based Violence (GBV) line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality, specifically to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, through proven and novel approaches across the continuum of prevention, mitigation, and response. The project will: (i) strengthen existing legislation, (ii) enhance public financial flows for the implementation of GBV prevention and response at national and subnational levels, (iii) increase the quality and accessibility to essential response services, including expanding the network of GBV multidisciplinary response groups and their capacity, with a focus on underserved regions, and (iv) refurbish existing shelters. It will also support the establishment of GBV data management systems required for policy and budgetary decisions. The project will provide support to increase awareness of laws and available services, reporting and care-seeking behavior, community engagement, and the use of digital technologies to amplify access to information, education and communication resources in order to enhance prevention.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
In Cambodia, about 21% of women aged 15-49 years have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence at least once in their lifetime. Gender-based violence (GBV) is an extreme manifestation of unequal power relations, rigid gender norms, and discrimination. It affects women across social strata and especially women in rural areas, women with disabilities, indigenous women, migrant and garment workers, and the LGBTQI+ community. GBV is exacerbated by outdated legislation and weak enforcement capacity, limited data to inform policy and insufficient allocation of public funding for GBV prevention and response interventions. Response and referal services are affected by limited coordination among relevant agencies (e.g. health, social services, police, legal services). The country has a total of three shelters to accommodate GBV survivors and their families that are in various states of disrepair. People affected by GBV have limited access to information on how to report abuse and where to seek help. Cambodia has put in place national action plans as frameworks to address violence against women (NAPVAW) since 2012 that have been key to draw policy-makers attention to the issue. Nonetheless, GBV remains widespread and tolerated, with low awareness among the general population of rights and response options. While investment in GBV prevention and response remains negligible, global data suggests that GBV costs countries up to 3.7% of gross domestic product. Costs include lost productivity, public expenditure on health and legal services, criminal and civil justice systems, shelter operations, child protection, and specialist services, among others. Individuals bear physical and emotional impacts, lower earnings and reduced quality of life. As stated in NAPVAW, strategies to respond to and prevent GBV require a focus on legislative reform, national and sub-national planning and dedicated financing mechanisms, survivor-centered multisectoral response services, and multistakeholder and community engagement.
Impact
GBV reduced and gender equality in Cambodia accelerated. |
