Significant cuts to Swedish support would fatally damage the hard-won successes achieved by human rights champions with the help of Swedish aid.
We, the undersigned civil society groups including land communities, women’s associations, youth associations, farmers networks, trades unions and non-government organisations (NGO:s), representing hundreds of thousands of members across Cambodia, urge Sweden’s government to continue your vital support of our work.
Sweden is a well-deserved world leader in promoting and protecting human rights and democracy by supporting democracy activists and human rights defenders across the globe.
In the years following the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, Sweden supported us in our long struggle for democracy.
Continued Swedish support has been crucial in countless areas including promoting human and labour rights, empowering women and girls, defending the rule of law including strengthening women’s access to justice, supporting independent media, and protecting Cambodia’s remaining forests.
This small but vibrant and growing human rights community was crucial in the 2013 national elections, which saw popular demand for accountability and an emergence of active citizenship for the first time in Cambodia.
People dared to express their views and had access to independent information in a way never before experienced in Cambodian history and with direct links to Swedish support. However, such gains could easily be lost and losing overseas support would be a blow that could ultimately stop Cambodia’s development towards democracy.
Recent events in the Middle East show the possible consequences of the international community allowing oppressive leaders to quash democracy and oppress its population – consequences that stretch beyond country borders.
Now, Cambodia’s newly-opened democratic space is being slowly crushed by an increasingly repressive government and we are the ones trying to stop this crackdown.
With commune and national elections in 2017 and 2018, the Cambodian government has accelerated efforts to silence dissenting voices, using brutal force against its opponents as well as launching an assault on the freedoms of expression and association through Orwellian legislation which gives the government discretionary powers to shut down groups who want to speak out.
Cambodia is at a crossroads in terms of democratization and human rights. Significant cuts to Swedish support would not only have a shattering effect on our future work but would fatally damage the hard-won successes achieved by human rights champions with the help of Swedish aid.
Sweden’s long history of promoting human rights in Cambodia stretches far back and Swedes such as Thomas Hammarberg, the former UN Special Representative on human rights in Cambodia, have been associated with milestones in our struggle.
Strengthening the global movement for human rights and democracy at a time of increasing global insecurity will benefit not only Cambodia’s future generations, but also those of Sweden, and we appeal to Sweden to continue this long tradition.
The following Cambodian civil society groups have endorsed this joint letter
Areng Community (AC)
Banteay Srey Community (BS)
Bantey Srey Organisation (BSO)
Beung Tompun Community (BTC)
Beung Chhouk Community (BC)
Boeung Kak Lake Community (BKL)
Borey Santepheap Community (BSC)
Borei Keila Community (BK)
Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC)
CamASEAN Youth’s Future (CamASEAN)
Cambodian Agriculture Workers Federation (CAWF)
Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU)
Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM)
Cambodian Independent Civil-Servant Association (CICA)
Cambodian Committee for Women (CAMBOW)
Cambodian Food and Service Worker Federation (CFSWF)
Cambodian Independent Civil-Servant Association (CICA)
Cambodian Industrial Workers Federation (CIWF)
Cambodian Informal Economy Workers Association (CIWA)
Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC)
Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)
Cambodian Tourism and Service Workers Federation (CTSWF)
Cambodian Transportation Workers Federation (CTWF)
Cambodian Youth Network (CYN)
Cheko Community (CC)
Chey Chomnas Community
Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Domestic Unions (C.CAWDU)
Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC)
Community 92
Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC)
Community Peace-Building Network (CPN)
Equitable Cambodia (EC)
Farmers Association for Peace and Development (FADP)
Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA)
Independent Monk Network for Social Justice (IMNSJ)
Lor Peang Community (LP)
Ondoung Community
Messenger Band (MB)
Peace Bridges Organization (PBO)
Phnom Bat Community (PB)
Phum 23 Community
Prek Takung Community (P)
Prek Tanou Community
Prey Lang Community, (PL)
Prey Sala Thmey Community (PST)
Railway Community (RC)
Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
Samaki 4 Community
Samaki Rung Roeurng Community (SRR)
Satrey Khlaing Saing Community (SKS)
Social Dhamma Danna Organization(SDDO)
Save Our Souls Community (SOS)
Social Action for Change (SAC)
Steung Kambot Community (SK)
Thamar Kor Community (TK)
Thmor Koul Community (TKC)
The Cambodian NGO Committee on CEDAW (NGO-CEDAW)
Toul Rada Community (TR)
Toul Rokakuos Community
Toul Sangke Community (TSC)
Trapaing Anhchanh Thmey Community (TAT)
Union Coalition for Labour (UCL)
Union Federation of Asean Tourist Employee (UFATE)
Wat Than Monk Network (WTMN)
Women Network for Unity (WNU)
Worker’s Information Center (WIC)
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