Dear Editor,
We [students] understand that the country's progress depends on human resources.
But 90 per cent of Cambodia's female workers in factories face difficult conditions
that severely affect their health. What will happen to them?
Poverty forces them to work day and night to earn enough money to send to their poor
families while spending little money to support their health.
These women will be mothers in the future. How will the chronic weakness and malnourishment
they suffer as workers affect their children? Health science proves that the health
of the mother is a crucial factor in determining the health of her children.
Upon the completion of a "Non Violence Action" workshop our students interviewed
female garment factory workers to determine the level of violence which they are
routinely exposed to. In those interviews we learned that they were worked very hard
and faced continual, chronic health problems.
A 17-year-old worker said her factory owner did not respect the labor law and forced
the workers to work late (overtime) with little or no remuneration. To refuse was
to risk dismissal, she said.
Owners and managers of garment factories employing female workers routinely do not
bother to teach their workers how to prevent industrial accidents, or of the danger
that chemical dyes pose to their health.
These factors, combined with malnourishment and chronic fatigue, make Cambodia's
female industrial workers appear gaunt and susceptible to lung problems and skin
disorders.
According to the President of the Youth Resource Development Association, female
workers returning home after late shifts also risk robbery, kidnapping and rape.
Attempts by female Cambodian garment workers to seek redress for these problems through
the formation of trade unions bring the risk of instant dismissal from their jobs
if the owners discover their intentions.
Young Students Against Violence
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
Post Media Co LtdThe Elements Condominium, Level 7
Hun Sen Boulevard
Phum Tuol Roka III
Sangkat Chak Angre Krom, Khan Meanchey
12353 Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Telegram: 092 555 741
Email: [email protected]