Even though the legal age of marriage is 18, cultural traditions and poverty continue to encourage early marriages. In tribal areas it is one in two, with brides as young as 13. The war with Thailand has exacerbated the practice, but some government pilot projects and the experience of the Christian NGO Chab Dai show that education can change things.
A forum bringing together over a hundred civil society organisations has urged the government to impose stricter rules for assessing the environmental and social impact of Beijing’s investments in Cambodia. For the NGOs, the issues concern hydroelectric dams and the controversial Funan Techo canal, whilst Phnom Penh defends the projects as essential for growth.
Andrew “Cosi” Costello, a popular Australian radio and television presenter, founded “Cows for Cambodia”, a project that lends pregnant cows to the most vulnerable rural families. The initiative, launched following a trip to a country still marked by poverty and the legacy of the Khmer Rouge, aims to foster economic independence.
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