Key challenges

Ean Poise, 39yrs, and her daughter Uk Raksa, 7yrs, eat lunch. The family is supported by Banteay Srei. [CAFOD]

Land rights

The rich and powerful - aware that many poorer households do not hold land titles - often use force to remove people from their land and natural resources.

Many are left homeless; others relocate to inadequate resettlement sites which have no decent shelter, sanitation, or employment opportunities.

The government is doing little to stop this injustice. Attracted by the opportunity to make money, it has handed over large portions of the rural countryside to investors. Institutions to resolve land disputes are seen as weak and ineffective.

As access to land and natural resources decreases, farming communities disappear, leading to increased poverty.

Governance

Local government structures known as "commune councils" have been created with elected members and a five-year mandate, opening up spaces for participation and an increasing local voice.

But the majority of the population is unaware of what this means for them and lacks the capacity to "claim" their rights. Councils are struggling, especially as there is widespread distrust of government institutions which are seen by many to be corrupt.

Environment

Cambodia has one of the worst deforestation rates in the world. Illegal logging, combined with rapid development and population growth, is blamed - in total, Cambodia lost 2.5 million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2005.

The biggest illegal logging threats at the moment are schemes such as illegal harvesting permits, economic land concessions and mining concessions.

With 84 per cent of its population living in rural farming areas, Cambodia is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change which include increased flooding, drought and unpredictable seasonal patterns.

HIV and AIDS

Until recently Cambodia had one of the highest rates of HIV infection in Asia, but considerable progress has been made over the last ten years to combat this growth.

Effective HIV prevention and control efforts by the government have helped reduce infection rates - largely the result of successful public information campaigns.

However, rates of HIV and AIDS are increasing among married women and newborn infants, and the number of children orphaned by AIDS also continues to rise.

Access to anti-retroviral treatment has increased, so growing numbers of people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives. However, people in remote, rural areas often struggle to access medical facilities and there are few mobile clinics.

Gender

Cultural and social norms still consider men to be superior to women. A traditional Cambodian adage: "Men are of gold and women are of cloth" reflects this inequality.

Inequalities continue to persist in many aspects of economic and political life, despite women making up 52 per cent of the workforce. Violence against women is common and largely ignored. Most women cannot afford to take legal action and feel silenced by the stigma attached to discussing sexual violence.

Opportunities for education are far lower for girls than for boys, and illiteracy rates are high - 45 per cent of women are completely illiterate, compared to 25 per cent of men.

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