THE International Labor Organization's first report released November 30, found no

evidence of child labor, forced labor or sexual harassment in Cambodia's garment

sector.

However, the report did flag up some problems: forced overtime, anti-union discrimination,

and some shortcomings in meeting conditions for young mothers under the Kingdom's

Labor Law.

Lejo Sibbal, ILO's chief technical advisor to the project, said the survey was an

ongoing process. This first phase saw only 40 of the 190 registered companies examined.

He said the review process would eventually cover all factories.

President of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, Van Sou Ieng, admitted

there was room for improvement, but argued that the presence of 200 factory level

trade unions and eight federations showed workers had adequate freedom of expression.