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The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 570

“Phnom Penh: Domestic violence remains a major issue in Khmer society – prevention and solutions are need immediately. Domestic violence becomes more cruel, serious, and alarming, especially during the first six months of 2008 this happened; and this trend has increased continually form year to year.

“Officials of different organizations working on domestic violence reported to Khmer Sthapana on 24 July 2008 that, during the period of the first six months of 2008, domestic violence increased alarmingly, and it is believed to be result of a decline of social morality, of inefficient education, and of the poor implementation of regulations.

“Recently, a son killed his father by using a sickle to cut his throat on 22 July 2008 in Khvet Thom, Prey Chhor, Kompong Cham. In another case, in Koh Roka Village, Koh Roka Commune, Peam Chor, Prey Veng, on 22 July 2008, a husband cut his wife’s throat with a cleaver making her bleeding all over the body because of an argument etc…

“According to a report by the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association – ADHOC- domestic violence increased in 2007. In 2006, the organization received 532 case reports, but in 2007, there were 632 cases which led to 29 deaths. This increase is a signal of inefficient law enforcement, aiming at the prevention and the protection of victims from domestic violence.

“In 2007, there were 603 cases of domestic violence that led to injuries. Such violence causing injuries resulted from drunkenness, jealousy, from asserting power as the head of the family, having extra-marital relations, gambling, poverty, and the lack of education, sexual violence, etc…

“Looking at activities which lead to violence, offenders always find reasons to create arguments – after returning home from going to places of entertainment, or when they cannot get the money they ask for; they may start to destroy everything in their house, or use insults and rude words. After that, they hit the victims with sticks, sickles, cleavers, axes, or hoes, or by kicking. Sometimes, violence leads to disability or to death of their victims.

“This report continued to explain that because of strict traditions, some victims bear to live with offenders for years without any intervention by local authorities which might have led to solutions, until they lose their lives. Obviously, in 2007, deaths by domestic violence still increased, and this was not different from 2006.

“There were deaths because victims had been suffered many injuries. They had informed the local authorities to help to solve problems, but they get no response, because the authorities still consider domestic violence to be a domestic problem of a family, and they think they should not interfere to solve such problems.

“Also, it is often seen that the authorities are slow to intervene in domestic violence, and the keep things unattended unless somebody is injured or a victim is already dead before they go to investigate. This shows that regulations to stop domestic violence and to protect victims are not implemented efficiently.

“The authorities seem not to known the regulations that allow them to intervene and to prevent arguments in time at the initial stage, in order to avoid an escalation to domestic violence.

“It should be stressed that laws to stop domestic violence and to protect victims were approved by the National Assembly, and put into force on 24 October 2005. Though those laws became valid, they seem to be inefficient and not enforced at all, even though these laws allow the authorities, officials of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and neighbors of a victim to intervene at a site of dispute, to prevent domestic violence without asking for a warrant from the courts, and the authorities closest by have the duty to intervene immediately in cases of domestic violence happening to start, in order to protect the victim. The authorities do not use these laws to solve domestic violence. Generally, institutions involved use the new criminal procedures to deal with domestic violence, which is against Article 8 of the new code of criminal procedures.” Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #59, 26.7.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 26 July 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1703, 26.7.2008

• Cambodia Needs Vietnam and Indonesia to Help Solve the Cambodia-Siam Dispute [according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong on 25 July 2008]
• After a Protest, the Chhang Leang [garment] Factory Allowed Workers Free Time to Go Voting
• The Number of Victims by Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance Declined to 170 Persons in Six Months [40 persons less than in the same period in 2007]
• Malaria Declined by 50% Early This Year [compared to 2007, 15,500 people had malaria, and 46 people died]
• A Thai Pro-Government Group Attacked an Anti-Government Group, Injuring 20 People [according to Associated Press on 25 July 2008]

Khmer Amatak, Vol.9, #5, 26-27.7.2008

• [Prime Minister] Hun Sen Is Showing Nationalism [regarding the Preah Vihear Temple Issue] to Attract Voters

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #59, 26.7.2008

• Domestic Violence Still Increasing
• Hor Namhong Hopes that Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting [with Thailand] Will Come to Solutions

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6407, 26-27.7.2008

• Civil Society Organizations that Observe the Election Process Declared that Election Campaigning This Year Was Better than Before [25 July 2008]
• China Cracked Down a Terrorist Group [in Shanghai] That Had Planned to Attack the Olympic Events [24 July 2008]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3522, 26.7.2008

• Police Just Drew a Sketch of the Faces of the Criminals Who Shot Dead Mr. Khim Sambo, a Moneaksekar Khmer Journalist and His Son [age 21]
• The Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia Criticized the Lack of Neutrality, because the Armed Forces Participated to Support the Ruling Party [said Mr. Hang Puthea, Executive Director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia; when observers appeared near locations where there was a distributions of gifts and money to voters, the observers always saw also police, causing concern]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4651, 26.7.2008

• Election Campaign Finished without Violence
• Police Found 6-Year-Old Swedish Girl Abducted [by her father] to Cambodia [in Pursat]

Click here – and have a look at the last editorial – The Cambodian-Thai border crisis develops while the Khmer public is not aware what the Cambodian government representatives had agreed upon, to get the Preah Vihear Temple listed as a World Heritage Site, on a most narrowly defined piece of land.

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