Issues and Challenges

Poverty
Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom. 

Creating new economic opportunities through rapid and sustained growth, particularly in rural areas, must be the core of a successful poverty reduction strategy for Cambodia. Almost half of the poor in Cambodia would be lifted out of poverty within the next eight years if the economy grew at 6 percent annually. But this growth must be more broad based than in the recent past. This will require maintaining a stable macroeconomic environment and deepening reform in order to tackle the remaining impediments to growth. The World Bank, Poverty Net: Cambodia Poverty Assessment

Corruption and its consequences
Corruption is perceived as abuse of power. Corruption is pervasive, a permanent part of Cambodian life. Its two main causes are thought to be officials’ low salaries and high officials’ greed for power and wealth. On the other hand, ordinary Cambodians lack community solidarity, have little awareness of their rights, and are afraid. These factors combine to maintain the status quo.
 
Corruption greatly damages the country. It widens the gap between the rich and the poor, slows the economy, perpetuates high unemployment and inflation, and compromises hope for the future.

Public offices are commonly perceived as an opportunity to make money. Cambodians expect to give some money to any official who provides them with a service, either to speed things along or simply as a token of gratitude.

There is a limited sense of citizens’ rights. Most Cambodians don’t check on the cost of a given government service before applying to receive it, and few request receipts when asked for money by officials. United States Agency for International Development (USAID)  Perceiving and Fighting Corruption in Cambodia: A quantitative and qualitative survey in five provinces, February 2007

KHMER RICHE – editorial from Sydney Morning Herald 12/12/09

Sex Trafficking
In Cambodia, low literacy and high rates of poverty remain the twin drivers behind sex trafficking.  When a family is poor, especially in rural and isolated areas, they are forced to make desperate decisions to survive.  Some families sell their daughters to trafficking brokers who promise good jobs but then force girls into sex labor.  In some cases, young women themselves enter the sex trade to help their families

Empowering women to become financially stable is a critical tool in alleviating poverty and reducing the number of women who turn to sex trafficking as a viable way to make a living.  Literacy and employment opportunities help to prevent the trafficking of Cambodian women by providing opportunities for rural women to earn an income and improve their education.  As women feel financially stable and gain confidence, they not only shun trafficking but are able to take control of their lives. PACT Cambodia, Combating the Spread of HIV/AIDS and Sex Trafficking