Select Page

Promoting Gender Equality and Improving Access to Justice for Female Survivors and Victims of GBV under Khmer Rouge Regime

The Issue & Background

Cambodia experienced genocide from 1975 to 1979, which killed app.1.7 million people. Since then, discussions of the executions, tortures, forced labour, starvation, diseases and other forms of violence during this period, referred to as the Khmer Rouge Regime (KRR), have been raised within the Khmer community. However, the various forms of gender based violence (GBV) including systematic forced

SONY DSC

Need assessment

marriage, rape in prisons and re-education camps, rape amongst Khmer Rouge soldiers and rape of male victims that also existed during KRR has had very low attention; this leads to the lack of provision or limitations of the needs, services and support for victims. Under cooperation with Victims Support Section (VSS), TPO and CDP, the first-phase of the project “Promoting Gender Equity and Improving Access to Justice for Female and Survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) during Khmer Rouge Regime” has brought GBV to a greater public attention but, as recommended by the final evaluation, interventions need to be strengthened and scaled-up for the greater benefit of female Civil Parties (CPs) and GBV survivors.

Victim Support Session, under cooperation with TPO, is implementing its Phase II of the project funded by UN-Trust Fund to End Violence against Women starting from January 2016 to December 2018 to achieve the following goals:

Goals

  1. Reinforce and improve Gender-sensitivity among ECCC staff, Bar Association members, NGO partners, and higher educational institutions.
  2. Provide female survivors and GBV victims of the Khmer Rouge regime with resources and
    2. TPO was providing Psychological Trauma to legal professionals and support staff

    TPO -Training on Psychological Trauma to legal professionals and support staff

    effective Case Management that ensure their meaningful participation at the ECCC and in relevant activities outside the court; ensure that their stories are heard, and that they are satisfied with their redress.

  3. Increase the understanding of both women and men on GBV under the Khmer Rouge, and its link to the current situation of violence against women and women’s human rights.
  4. Improve and Strengthen the Mental well-being and mutual support among female CPs and victims of GBV

Target Group

Our Target group will include females and survivors of gender based violence under Khmer Rouge Regime, who are Civil Parties of the ECCC, as well as other community members.

Strategies

  1. Capacity building and strengthening
  2. Improving and strengthening trial attendance, legal literacy and gender knowledge
  3. Truth telling, awareness raising and advocacy
  4. Psychological intervention

Activities

Awareness raising

  • Provide training to legal professionals and support staff
  • Provide training on Mental Health First Aid to community resource persons
    FB-3-6. CRPs Training_UNTF_Ph2

    TPO-Training to Community Resource People

  • Raise awareness about gender based violence during Khmer Rouge Regime, Current GBV and psychosocial problem
  • Conduct outreach to the community members

Self Help Group

TPO runs Self-help group in different communities with female and survivors of GBV such as forced marriages, rape, and other forms during the Khmer Rouge Regime.

Self help group aims to:

  • Offer survivors of gender based violence a safe setting (proper place and safe environment) where they can share and reflect their experiences
  • Allow emotional ventilation and learn more awareness of the body sensations related to trauma
  • Encourage mutual support and trust among group members in dealing with individual and social consequences of violence
  • Empower survivors to identify and articulate their needs and resources
  • Provide psycho-education and teach self-help skills
  • Provide information related to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)

Testimonial Therapy

4. Reading Ceremony at Toul Tompong Pagoda

Testimonial Therapy activitiy

TPO conducts Testimonial Therapy (TT) with survivors of gender based violence during Khmer Rouge Regime and concludes individual therapeutic sessions with a public ceremony at a killing field and at a pagoda participated by TPO partners, students, and religious authorities.

On-Site Support at the ECCC

TPO with its partner VSS provides on-site support to our civil parties at the ECCC.

Individual Counselling

TPO provides individual counselling to female Civil Parties and survivors of gender-based violence during Khmer Rouge Regime at TPO clinic.

Hotline Counselling

TPO will do a continuous follow up with our intake clients through telephone twice a month after the intervention

Medication

TPO invites Civil Parties who experienced GBV during KRR to undergo psychological assessment and psychiatric treatment at TPO clinic, and will offer financial assistance to those eligible.

Donor & Project Partner

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) via Victims Support Section of Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

For more info, please contact

Ms. Hoy Vathana
Email: vathana@tpocambodia.org

Personal phone: +855 12 595 824/15 694 466

Hotline: +855 95 666 826

TPO HEAD OFFICE (Phnom Penh)

Ms TAING Sopheap
TPO Monitoring, Evaluation & Research Coordinator
sopheap@tpocambodia.org