Cambodian Communities Research Articles

RETURN MIGRATION OF VIETNAMESE FROM CAMBODIA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Over several decades, a combination of historical, economic, and political factors have influenced the multifaceted phenomenon of Vietnamese return migration from Cambodia. This article examines the return migration of Vietnamese from a historical perspective with document and contextual analysis, revealing a broader picture of the socio-economic and political dynamics in Cambodia and the historical relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam. Before the 1990s, return migration was significantly influenced by colonial-era migration policies and pervasive anti-Vietnamese sentiments. These factors led to violent repression and forced evictions under regimes such as Lon Nol and the Khmer Rouge, profoundly impacting the Vietnamese community in Cambodia. In contrast, administrative governance and economic factors have become the key determinants of Vietnamese return migration in the contemporary period. Understanding the underlying causes and mechanisms that create the situation for Vietnamese in Cambodia and their return is crucial, serving as a basis for addressing their current challenges and promoting their social integration in both countries.

The Impact of Anti-Human Trafficking Laws on Local Communities in Cambodia: A Case Study of the Phnom Penh Region

This study examines the impact of Cambodia’s anti-human trafficking laws on local communities in the Phnom Penh region, focusing on both social and economic dimensions. The research highlights how these laws, while essential in combating human trafficking and providing legal protection to victims, have complex consequences for local livelihoods, employment, and community cohesion. It also explores the specific challenges faced by vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, in accessing protection services. Despite the intention to prevent trafficking and support victims, the enforcement of these laws often leads to unintended outcomes, such as economic disruption, social stigmatization, and gaps in service provision. The findings underscore the need for a more balanced approach that integrates robust law enforcement with sustainable support systems, community engagement, and tailored services to address the needs of affected populations effectively.

The Role of Muslim Youth in Promotion Education in Cambodia

The Muslim community in Cambodia, generally known as “Cham”, descended from refugees from the ancient Kingdom of Champa who fled central Vietnam 500 years ago. The community has faced two main dramatic periods of persecution. The first began with the end of the Champa kingdom in the 16th century and the Khmer Rouge period lives on in the collective memory of Cambodians from 1975 to 1979, up to 2 million Cambodians were killed, with many more displaced and separated from their families. This study is to describe the situational context of the Cham Muslim minority setting in Cambodia as well as specific problems in the formal education using literature review and data analysis. On the way towards universal primary education, Cambodia has made good progress over the past fifteen years. In 2014, the net enrolment rate in primary school was 98.4 per cent, the primary school completion rate was 89.9 per cent and the literacy rate of people aged 15-24 years was 91 per cent. In Islamic education, MoEYS allocated 1,500 teaching positions with civil service status to the Islamic education school system. Of those, currently, 1,391 Islamic school teachers hold that title and receive their salaries from the RGC. Recruitment of the 1,391 Islamic school teachers to become civil service teachers was done by MoEYS, in collaboration with the Highest Council for Islamic Religious Affairs in Cambodia (referred to as Mufti), which has a leadership team appointed by the RGC. The qualitative data confirms that Islamic schools are not a monolithic entity. There are a variety of ways Islamic schools are administered, offering different curricula and serving diverse Muslim communities across Cambodia

Measuring community disaster resilience for sustainable climate change adaptation: Lessons from time-series findings in rural Cambodia.

Donor-funded climate and disaster resilience programmes and projects aim to help build the capacities and resilience of communities. Measuring resilience is critical, therefore, in providing feedback, evidence, and accountability. This paper presents recent two-year time-series findings from an ongoing multi-partner academic and practical collaboration pertaining to a climate change adaption project with rural communities in Cambodia. To measure community resilience, the study used the Flood Resilience Measurement for Communities, which measures, using mixed methods, disaster resilience capacities across five key dimensions of resilience: human, social, physical, natural, and financial capitals. The study analysed and reported changes in these areas of resilience in the selected villages, generating insights into the strengths and weaknesses of flood resilience capacities in the region. This paper provides valuable guidance as to where investment can be most effective in different communities, confirming the usefulness of the tool in measuring resilience and assessing the effectiveness of the project concerned.

Geopolitical strategies and transnational environmental governance: A comparative study of international NGOs in Cambodia

Geopolitical strategies and transnational governance can synergistically interact to meet strategic ambitions and environmental targets. International NGOs and their transnational operations are the heart of these entangled dynamics. This study reveals how geopolitical strategies influence international NGOs and their transnational activities. Drawing on empirical insights from a comparative study of international NGOs (Japanese and Chinese) in Cambodia, we developed two models to elucidate the nature of this relationship. The “tight coupling” model is exemplified by Japanese NGOs that are closely aligned with the Japanese state’s geopolitical focus on soft power in Southeast Asia. This alignment results in strong state support in terms of resources and networking capabilities, enabling the NGOs to conduct long-term environmental work and build relationships with Cambodian communities through deep engagement. The “loose coupling” model is exemplified by Chinese NGOs whose alignment with China’s dominant geopolitical strategy (the Belt and Road Initiative) is relatively weak. Consequently, these NGOs receive limited state support, which restrict their ability to engage with local communities and achieve a sustainable impact. This study breaks new ground by weaving together the fields of geopolitics and transnational environmental governance, offering new insights regarding how to incorporate geopolitical perspectives in examining the roles of non-state actors in global environmental politics.

A Politics of Mobility and B/ordering in a Changing Riverscape in Cambodia

Hydropower development taking place on the Mekong River's mainstream and tributaries across the river basin, including Cambodia, is threatening livelihoods and food security by altering critical mobilities associated with the unique ecosystems of the Mekong River. In this paper, we seek to understand how a politics of mobility around hydropower development links both human and nonhuman entities along the Mekong River in Cambodia. We examine how dams transform myriad localized cross-border and riparian political geographies of the physical-human landscape through partial enclosures, up-downstream reorderings and b/orderings of hydrosocial relations. To explain these transformations, we posit that it is necessary to pay attention to the politics of human and nonhuman (such as water, sediment, and fish) mobilities that are shaped by hydropower dams and the new forms of mobilities engendered as a result. We examine how hydropower development renders water, fish, and sediment immobile, or alters their routes and rhythms in ways that optimize the generation of hydropower but which create new concerns around these changing nonhuman mobilities for riparian communities in Cambodia. There is a tension that exists between technical representations and community experiences of these nonhuman mobilities, which raise implications for the exacerbation of vulnerabilities among Cambodian Mekong communities. In this paper, we focus our analysis on selected sites in Cambodia: 1) Stung Treng Province, downstream of Laos' Don Sahong Dam and the Cambodia-Lao border riverscape, and 2) the Tonle Sap Lake (water-based and floodplain areas), to highlight these changing mobilities and the critical processes of b/ordering.

Islamisasi di Wilayah Indochina

Indochina was divided into three main regions namely Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. These three countries were countries where the majority of the population adheres to the Buddhist belief system or religion. Islam was a very minority religion in these three countries. This article aimed to explain how the process of Islamization in the Indochina region. This research used qualitative research methods by focusing on literature studies through historical methods with three stages, namely heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results of this study indicated that the process of Islamization in Cambodia which was initially welcomed by the king and local people went through the dark period of the red Khemr regime and finally the Muslim community in Cambodia was free and they rebuilt their religious system, so that the latter could live hand in hand with other religions. The process of Islamization in Laos was engaged in trading and managing butcher shops. They lived in the jami' mosque in Vientiane. Meanwhile, the process of Islamization in Vietnam started from the kingdom of Champa. There were several theories which state that the process of the arrival of Islam in Vietnam started from the relationship carried out by the crew of the Champa royal ship with traders from Brunei and Banten (Indonesia).

Current Situation of Economic Life of Vietnamese Community in Cambodia: A Survey’s Results

The Vietnamese community in Cambodia is facing a difficult and hard life in all aspects, especially since the Cambodian Government issued and implemented Decree No. 129 in August 2017 on the revocation and cancellation of Cambodian administrative documents that Cambodia deemed abnormal holding and using by foreigners. Accordingly, most Vietnamese people live in Cambodia for a long time, even for five to six generations, have been affected by the confiscation of all documents proving their legal status in Cambodia. As results of the implementation of this Decree, more than 90% of people of Vietnamese origin are considered immigrants, so they hardly enjoy any rights. Because they do not have documents to prove their legal status, people of Vietnamese origin cannot own property and means of production, have difficulty in accessing jobs, and especially their children born in Cambodia cannot go to Cambodian schools.Besides, along with low education level, temporary life, no expertise, no capital and production means, a large percentage of Vietnamese people in Cambodia have extremely difficult lives. Their per capita income is much lower than the Cambodia’s national average. Many of them live in poverty and vulnerability.Based on the results of the survey conducted in Cambodia by the research team, this article examines and evaluates the current economic situation of the Vietnamese community in Cambodia. The findings strongly confirm the above assessment.

Agricultural Transformation in the Rural Farmer Communities of Stung Chrey Bak, Kampong Chhnang Province, Cambodia

This paper examines the processes of agricultural transformation and their impacts within six rice farming communities in Cambodia. For this, we explored four drivers of agricultural transformation: (1) market integration, (2) modern technologies, (3) household assets, and (4) institutional-policy processes. The paper employs qualitative methods, using document analysis on the policy literature and datasets, field observations, focus groups, and key informant interviews in six rice farming communities in the Stung Chrey Bak Commune, Kampong Chhnang Province. Herein, we analyze the processes of agricultural transformation that shape farmer livelihoods and contribute to the literature regarding the dynamic and uneven politics of implementing the green revolution. Our findings show that agricultural transformation in the six rice farming communities has had mixed results. While the transitions have improved household income, they have also led to insecurity, with potential impacts on the long-term sustainability of the rice-production sector. These include higher input costs, fluctuating rice revenues, and environmental impacts from increased chemical use. We show that greater support is needed in these farming communities in order to achieve sustainable rice production going forward, particularly in light of climate change, indebtedness, and the migration of young labor to off-farm employment, leading to aging farmer populations.

Cambodian American Listening as Memory Work

Cambodian American Listening as Memory Work

"When We Fight, We Win": Time and Care in Asian American Abolition Work

Reflecting on the chant, "Bah Yung Pra Chang, Ung Niek Chanegh! When we fight, we win!", this essay considers how Cambodian communities propose a temporality of fighting and winning in abolition. I examine "Hope is Contagious," a digital essay created by the Asian Prisoner Support Committee that gathers stories and artwork on the work of care and organizing inside and outside of prisons and detention centers. Opening temporalities of resistance that work against liberal understandings of progress in Asian America, care brings multiple generations into the work of abolition to demand safer worlds for criminalized communities.

Prevalence and factors associated with faecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales among peripartum women in the community in Cambodia.

BackgroundIn Southeast-Asia, where many conditions associated with dissemination of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) in the community are met, data from the community are scarce but show high ESBL-E carriage prevalence. Maternal ESBL-E colonization is considered a risk factor for neonatal colonization, which is the first step towards developing neonatal sepsis. Despite this, ESBL-E carriage prevalence and its risk factors during pregnancy or postpartum remain undefined in Southeast-Asia.ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of ESBL-E faecal colonization among peripartum women in the community of an urban and a rural area in Cambodia, to investigate ESBL-E genomic characteristics and to identify associated risk factors.MethodsEpidemiological data and faecal samples from 423 peripartum women were collected in an urban and rural areas in Cambodia (2015–16). Bacterial cultures, antibiotic susceptibility tests and ESBL gene sequencing were performed. Risk factor analysis was conducted using logistic regression.ResultsThe prevalence of ESBL-E faecal carriage was 79.2% (95% CI 75.0%–82.8%) among which Escherichia coli (n = 315/335, 94.0%) were most frequent. All isolates were multidrug resistant. Among 318 ESBL-E, the genes most frequently detected were blaCTX-M-15 (41.5%), blaCTX-M-55 (24.8%), and blaCTX-M-27 (15.1%). Low income, undernutrition, multiparity, regular consumption of pork, dried meat, and raw vegetables, were associated with ESBL-E faecal carriage.ConclusionsThe high prevalence of ESBL-E carriage observed among peripartum women in Southeast-Asia and the identified associated factors underline the urgent need for public health measures to address antimicrobial resistance, including a ‘One Health’ approach.

Our Town, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas, Texas

<i>Our Town</i>, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas, Texas

Nutrient composition and microbial food safety of a locally-processed fish product in Cambodia

AbstractPrahoc is a traditional, fermented fish product in Cambodian diets. Fermented products like Prahoc may play a range of beneficial roles nutritionally, culturally, and financially. However, the use of freshwater fish and long-term storage may also pose food safety risks of parasites and microorganisms. We conducted a mixed-methods study of Prahoc to describe the complex risks and benefits of this food that included semi-structured interviews (prahoc-producing households, n = 22; small and medium enterprises n = 6), production observation, sample collection and analysis of nutrient composition and food safety parameters. Nutrient composition analysis showed that while Prahoc contributes small amounts of zinc, iron, and other key minerals to the diet, it is also very high in sodium (∼101,621 mg kg-1). Food safety analyses showed that while further tests are needed to resolve Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Vibrio risks, all samples were in compliance with the Cambodia Standards for Prahoc, and there was no evidence of parasites. Participants described Prahoc as playing an essential dietary and cultural role, and also making important contributions to household welfare, particularly within households and businesses that sold Prahoc. Despite the potential risks of microbial food safety and high sodium intake, Prahoc production offers benefits by adding value to fresh fish, reducing loss and waste, and preserving the harvest. However, Prahoc production depends on fish availability and is limited by declining access and high prices. Thus, freshwater fisheries management should take into account Prahoc production activities, an important value chain activity that contributes to the livelihoods of rural Cambodian communities.

Reflections on a Livelihood Study of Sesan Riverine Communities in Cambodia and the Challenges of Transdisciplinary Research in the Global South

Reflections on a Livelihood Study of Sesan Riverine Communities in Cambodia and the Challenges of Transdisciplinary Research in the Global South

Association of Early Nutritional Status With Child Development in the Asia Pacific Region

Stunting was used as a proxy for underdevelopment in early childhood in previous studies, but the associations between child development and other growth and body composition parameters were rarely studied. To estimate the association between malnutrition and early child development (ECD) at an individual level. This population-based, cross-sectional study used data from the East Asia Pacific Early Child Development Scales, a population-representative survey of children aged 3 to 5 years old, conducted in 2012 to 2014 in communities in Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. Data analysis was performed from November 2019 to April 2021. Stunting (height-for-age [HFA] z score less than -2), wasting (weight-for-height z score less than -2), overweight (weight-for-height z score greater than 2), body mass index (BMI)-for-age z score, and body fat proportion based on existing growth standard and formula. ECD directly assessed using the validated East Asia-Pacific ECD Scales. A total of 7108 children (3547 girls; mean [SD], age 4.48 [0.84] years) were included in this study. The prevalence of stunting was 27.1% (range across countries, 1.2%-55.0%), that of wasting was 13.7% (range, 5.4%-35.9%), and that of overweight was 15.9% (range, 2.2%-53.7%). Adjusted for country variations, age, sex, urbanicity, family socioeconomic status, and body fat proportion, ECD was linearly associated with HFA (β, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.35-1.80) and BMI-for-age (β, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45-0.82). After adjustment for BMI and height, better ECD was associated with low body fat proportion (β, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.45-1.42). The association of HFA was more pronounced in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region than in East Asia, and the association of fat proportion was specific to children living in urban environments. HFA, BMI-for-age, and body fat proportion were independently associated with ECD, and these findings suggest that future studies should consider using these parameters to estimate the prevalence of child underdevelopment; nutritional trials should examine to what extent the associations are causal.

Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics among Children Under Five in Rural and Urban Communities of Cambodia

Background: Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a major treat especially in low- and middle-income countries with antibiotic resistant. Cambodia with high prevalence of infectious diseases among children under five, antibiotics use in urban and rural setting has not been clearly identified. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the situation of inappropriate antibiotic use among children under five in urban and rural communities of Cambodia.Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in both urban and rural communities in Cambodia from September to November 2020 by structured questionnaire interviewed among 512 Cambodian caregivers on antibiotic use for the under 5 children.Results: Among 512 children, majority were males both in urban (55.6 %) and rural (50.3%) settings, with the median age of 29.5 (3:59) months in urban and 30.0 (3:59) months in rural. The prevalence of inappropriate use of antibiotics among children under five was 79.3% (95% CI = 75.55 to 82.60), of which it was 26.0 % in urban and 53.3% in rural. Most of the rural respondents (82.1%) use antibiotics for bacterial infection diagnosed by doctors. However, it was only 52.6% in rural areas. Similar proportion of 58.6 % in urban and 61.1 % rural used antibiotics for fewer days than prescription.Conclusions: Inappropriate use of antibiotics were found in more than 3 quarters of children under five, of which the proportion in rural areas were much higher than urban. The further investigation on factors contributing to inappropriate use of antibiotics should be conducted.

Mothering Practices in Cambodia

The physical disciplining of children is widespread globally. To work towards ending physical disciplining, we need to understand this practice’s local and contextual justifications. In this article, we explore Cambodian mothers’ rationale for the physical disciplining of their children, as we seek to address two questions: 1) How do Cambodian mothers perceive physical discipline?, and 2) How do they negotiate and justify physical disciplining practices? Based on 10 group interviews with mothers of small children, and in different communities in Cambodia, we found that the physical disciplining is a common practice used to correct behaviours considered unhelpful, impolite or disrespectful. However, there are ambivalent attitudes toward this. This suggests that physical discipline is not a static practice, but rather one that is constantly negotiated. We argue that Barbara Rogoff’s concept of cultural scripts for parenting is well suited for making sense of how physical discipline is justified among Cambodian mothers.

Risk Communication Through Health Beliefs for Preventing Opisthorchiasis-Linked Cholangiocarcinoma: A Community- Based Intervention in Multicultural Areas of Thailand.

Objective:This research aimed to study the effects of the risk communication program through the Cambodian folk song to prevent Opisthorchiasis-linked cholangiocarcinoma (OV-CCA). Methods:We conducted the quasi-experimental research between August and December 2017 in the Cambodian communities, one-fourth of ethnic minorities residing in multicultural areas of Sisaket Province, Thailand. The samples consisted of 94 equally people divided into experimental group and control group. The experimental group included 47 people at-risk of OV-CCA who received the program for 12 weeks, while the control group received regular services. We collected data by using a questionnaire with a reliability of 0.93. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results:The study indicated that the socioeconomic information of both groups was not different. The mean scores of all issues (health beliefs, social support, and prevention behavior in the experimental group were higher than those of the control group with statistical significance. Closer inspection showed that the mean difference of the health beliefs was 55.61 points (95%CI: 52.39-57.42, p<0.001), social support was 9.09 points (95%CI: 8.12-10.05, p<0.001), and prevention behavior was 6.38 points (95%CI: 5.43-7.33, p<0.001). Conclusion:Through the Cambodian folk song, the risk communication program by applying the health beliefs and social support to prevent OV-CCA is beneficial for behavior modification in areas with similar cultures.

Contributions of village animal health workers to foot-and-mouth disease control in Cambodia.

Local animal health services in rural communities in Cambodia are mainly provided by village animal health workers (VAHWs), although the participation and contribution of VAHWs to livestock disease prevention are uncertain. The participation of the VAHWs as identified by their 'dropout rate' was examined in a desktop review in December 2020 of the national data on VAHWs recorded between 2011 and 2020. The contribution and involvement of VAHWs in disease prevention programmes were examined in a survey conducted between February and March 2014, then analyzed in the context of other surveys of VAHW knowledge, attitudes and practices. The survey involved guided group discussion with VAHWs (n=198) from the two Cambodian provinces of Kampong Cham and Pursat. This study identified that VAHWs generated less than 22% of their annual household incomes from animal health services. Less than one-third had vaccinated livestock against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with none having vaccinated cattle every 6 months during the study period, and nearly half of the VAHWs having never vaccinated their own cattle against FMD. As no privately provided FMD vaccination services occurred in these communities, with all vaccines delivered through the government-subsidized programme, the findings confirmed that VAHWs only vaccinated animals against FMD when vaccines were made available by the Government. The desktop review found that the number of VAHWs in 2020 declined by more than 24% since 2017, and the proportion of female VAHWs was consistently low, with a mean of 8.26 (±1.019). These findings confirm findings from previous studies that identified considerable weaknesses in the VAHW system in Cambodia, particularly in contributing to FMD control. Cambodian animal health authorities require more effective policies to strengthen the current VAHW system, improving their services delivery; their retention as 'active'; their development of more sustainable roles with lower 'dropout' rates and the prolonged gender inequity. With the limited availability of government-subsidized FMD vaccination currently, extension programmes that engage VAHWs and farmers in seeking privately funded and delivered FMD vaccination that incorporates appropriate multivalent FMD serotype vaccines of high quality, delivered in small dose vials from a robust cold chain, is suggested. This strategy would assist VAHWs to contribute to the provision of private livestock vaccination services that are likely essential for sustainable FMD prevention and control in Cambodia.