The Ministry of Interior has instructed communes to form women and children affairs committees if they haven’t already done so and improve existing committees.

A prakas released on September 22 and signed by Minister of Interior Sar Kheng detailed the roles and responsibilities committees must fulfil.

It said committees are entitled to provide consultation and help commune officials in social activities. The committee must have 10 members with the commune chief as the chairperson.

“If a committee in charge of woman and children’s affairs has not been formed, existing committees formed in 2007 have to continue their work as normal,” Kheng said.

The ministry’s director of District and Commune Affairs Department Chy Chan Raksmey said on Wednesday that committees were formed in every commune.

But tasks and responsibilities have expanded and members had to fulfil many roles and duties. That is why the ministry issued this new prakas.

“The work of these committees has increased. So, we revised the instructions and made it a prakas in order to ease the work,” she said.

Pea Horn, Olympic commune chief in the capital said on Wednesday that his commune had formed a committee following the government instructions to do so.

He said the committee is beneficial for women and children who face problems in the community.

“We will follow the new instructions. It will be better for us if the prakas detailed the role, duties and procedures of the committee,” Horn said.