PHNOM PENH (Phnom Penh Post/ANN): A senior official at Cambodia's Ministry of Women's Affairs has urged for human trafficking prevention by promoting women's economic empowerment and identifying the needs and opportunities for women working in the informal economy.
“The problems of women and workers in the formal economy remain, but if we look at women working in the informal economy, it is even more challenging and not yet covered,” said ministry undersecretary of state Kong Samaun.
She made the remarks during an August 6 workshop on partnerships for women’s economic empowerment to contribute to the fight against human trafficking among vulnerable women, organised by Nomi Network Cambodia in Phnom Penh.
Samaun noted the emergence of new forms of human trafficking, such as the online sexual exploitation of women and children, fake marriages and forced online crimes.
“This workshop is a good opportunity for us to get involved and form partnerships between ministries, institutions, civil society, the private sector, development partners [DPs] and authorities at all levels to discuss and share best practices on women's economic empowerment in the fight against human trafficking,” she said.
She urged stakeholders at the workshop to create plans and work together to economically empower vulnerable women, helping them prepare to join the workforce and combat exploitation.
According to Nomi Network Cambodia, girls drop out of school and women seek job opportunities in other locations due to poverty, putting them at risk of trafficking, especially when they migrate abroad without proper legal documents.
The organisation aims to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation through economic empowerment and job creation initiatives for women most at risk.
It also implements a workforce development programme for women, building awareness to prevent human trafficking, providing life skills training and sector-specific technical training to access income-generating opportunities and increase financial stability.
Nomi Network vice-president and co-founder Liu Supei said at the event that her organisation supports women with job placement and helps them open micro businesses.
She said the programme aims to provide mentorship and counseling to encourage and support women in making informed decisions about their future, gaining agency and creating pathways to financial stability.
“Nomi Network Cambodia believes that partnership and collaboration to leverage expertise, resources and skills is an effective pathway to realise our objectives.
“Over the years, [we have] partnered with supporting government agencies, DPs, NGOs and the private sector in various capacities,” she said.
The workshop was attended by approximately 45 invited guests, including representatives of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), the women’s affairs and other relevant ministries, DPs, NGOs, factories and women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). - Phnom Penh Post/ANN
