In Cambodia, earning a living often comes at a high personal cost. Women are overrepresented in low-paid, insecure jobs where long hours, unsafe conditions and weak legal protections are common. For street vendors, factory and hospitality workers, or women carrying heavy loads on construction sites, basic rights are often out of reach.
Women workers routinely face harassment and violence at work, shoulder most unpaid care responsibilities at home, and remain excluded from leadership and decision-making, even within the unions that represent them. The normalisation of these precarious conditions has led many to fail to realise that what they experience at work is unacceptable, or that they have the right to organise and demand change.
Women workers in Cambodia’s construction sector
Construction is a major driver of Cambodia’s economy, employing more than 785,000 workers – around 10% of the national workforce. Women make up an estimated 40% of these workers, well above the global average, yet they are concentrated in the lowest-paid and most insecure roles.
Working conditions are often dangerous. Cement factory and brick-kiln workers face exposure to heavy machinery, hazardous materials and poor ventilation. On construction sites, workers risk falls from height, electrical hazards, extreme heat and unsafe equipment. Basic facilities are frequently inadequate, with limited access to toilets, clean water or rest areas.
While all workers face these hazards, women face additional risks. Gender-based violence and harassment are widespread, including verbal abuse, threats, unwanted sexual comments and physical contact. These behaviours are often normalised by male coworkers, leaving women with little power to speak out.
For many women, the risks do not end when the workday does. Employer-provided accommodation often lacks proper lighting, secure locks and safe washing facilities, increasing women’s vulnerability to harassment and violence.
Changing the story
The Women Workers’ Rights and Decent Work project aims to address these issues by supporting Cambodian unions to tackle gender and power imbalances within their organisations and the workplaces they represent.
Implemented in partnership with the Building and Wood Worker Trade Union Confederation of Cambodia (BWTUC), the Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation (CFSWF) and the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), the project works with unions representing more than 27,000 workers from across the construction, food and service, and informal economy sectors.
Through gender and power analysis, training, leadership development and advocacy, these unions have identified and acted on shared priorities, including:
- Increasing women’s access to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF)
- Preventing harassment and violence at work
- Improving occupational health and safety for women workers
Working in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), the unions are also contributing to legal and policy reform, helping deliver lasting change beyond individual workplaces.
Strengthening workers’ and community power
In a context of serious disruption, including the sudden withdrawal of USAID funding and regional instability, the project has helped unions maintain momentum, protect hard-won gains and continue advocating for women workers, even under pressure.
Women workers often endure unsafe conditions, abuse and exclusion from social protections, yet many lack the information or power to challenge these realities. Many are not aware that they are entitled to free hospital care when sick, or that mothers can receive financial support before and after childbirth through Cambodia’s social protection system. This project creates tools to counteract by strengthening unions as vehicles for women’s collective voice and leadership.
“Before, we were afraid to speak to our employers, especially when we were denied training or not paid what we were owed. Now we feel stronger and demand fair treatment.”
— union member
Women’s leadership has been strengthened across all partner unions, with revitalised, expanded women’s committees creating pathways into decision-making roles. Gender equality training, workshops and informal “tea chats” have increased women’s understanding of workplace rights, social protections and gender-based violence.
“Before the training, I was often looked down on both at home and at work. I didn’t feel confident to speak. Now I am brave enough to question my employer and defend my rights when I have done nothing wrong.”
— woman union leader
Unions have also raised awareness of harassment and unsafe practices, helping women recognise unacceptable behaviour and seek redress.
“Before, I didn’t know that sexualised jokes and unwanted comments were harassment. Now I know my rights, confront the man and report the case. I can help other women stand up for themselves too.”
— Woman union leader, brick-kiln factory
The impact in numbers
- 27,000+ union members represented
- 50+ formal training workshops delivered annually, plus hundreds of outreach sessions
- 2,000+ participants in public events and campaigns promoting gender equality and labour rights
- 150+ participants from across government, business, unions and civil society finding common solutions at the annual National Stakeholder Forum
- 50 women street vendors trained jointly by MoWA and IDEA on food hygiene, packaging, entrepreneurship, communication, and access to the NSSF in a pilot collaboration.
In a challenging environment, women workers and their unions continue to organise. Strengthening women’s leadership is not only about improving conditions at work, but also about building collective power, dignity and long-term change for women, their families and their communities.
This project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
