\u201cMy parents had just been killed. I was very young. The cadres raped me. They took me into nearby bushes. I got pregnant. Later on, my son and I faced discrimination by other villagers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) was a daily reality for most Cambodian women during the Pol-Pot genocide (1975-79). In modern Cambodia, 25% of women face abuse. Out of shame or fear of being stigmatised, most survivors do not talk about it. To break the silence, the NGO KDKG and its cultural centre Meta House, implements Cambodia\u2019s first multi-media campaign \u201cSpeak Out, Sisters\u201d (SOS) from November 2023 to December 2024. SOS raises awareness for the plight of SGBV-survivors in past and present among Cambodian youth as a catalyst for positive change. Project activities include interactive theatre in classrooms, schoolyard exhibitions, intergenerational dialogues, video productions, TV broadcasts and social media outreach in cooperation with NGO \u201cWomen\u2019s Media Center\u201d (WMC and the \u201cMinistry of Education, Youth and Sports\u201d (MoEYS). Desired changes are to alter community perceptions of past and present SGBV and to make the broader public more aware that women\u2019s priorities are central to peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n