Domestic and sexual violence are killing Cambodians and ruining lives across the country. The Cambodian government as well as every Cambodian citizen can take action now to help end this violence.

LICADHO has documented cases in which at least 146 Cambodians, including 46 children, have been killed in the context of domestic and sexual violence in less than six years. Many more people were likely killed in cases beyond those identified by the organisation. For every person killed, countless others continue to face violence and the risk of harm every day.

Together, we can stand up to end this crisis. Every Cambodian can help support those facing violence; speak out against violence; and stop blaming those whose rights have been violated as a result of this harm. The government must also urgently strengthen prevention programmes, support services and laws to ensure better protections, especially for women and children.

Women and children of all ages were killed. People who were killed in the cases documented by LICADHO had a median age of 31 years, ranging from just one-month-old babies to an 84-year-old woman. At least four women were pregnant when they were killed.

Over half of these killings were committed by a current or former partner, such as a husband, fiancé, or boyfriend. Seventy-eight women and a 17-year-old girl were murdered by their partners. An additional eight children were murdered in these same cases, many killed alongside their mothers by their fathers. Some adult men who tried to help these people were also killed.

Sexual violence preceded too many of these killings. Men and boys raped or attempted to rape 24 women and girls, some as young as five years old, before their deaths. Much of this violence was perpetrated by neighbours or other community members, although colleagues, friends, boyfriends and relatives perpetrated some of these harms.

Physical violence by family members or relatives also ended lives, most often by fathers, uncles, mothers, and sons. Babies and young children were particularly at risk of such harm. Ten babies aged less than a year old, and a further 17 children aged from one to six years, were killed by a family member or relative. These killings were often related to broader family conflicts or after a caregiver was unable to soothe a baby’s cries.

These are not just numbers and statistics. They are not private family matters. They are not the victims’ fault. Each woman, man, and child had their life taken too soon because protection systems and society failed them. Many more children, family members, and communities are now left grieving their loved ones.

Violence in all its forms must be stopped before it happens. People experiencing violence deserve comprehensive access to services, support, and justice. We all share a responsibility to speak out against violence and act to make our homes, communities, and country safe. Everyone deserves safety and justice – everywhere, at all times.

Every Cambodian woman and man can help end this crisis by:

▪ Supporting people experiencing or at risk of violence. Listen kindly, believe them, help them find resources and services, and support their decisions.

▪ Remembering that people who experience violence are never to blame. Only the perpetrator is responsible for violence – it cannot be excused or justified.

▪ Speaking out against violence. Help build a community where violence is never tolerated.

The Cambodian government must end this crisis by:

▪ Strengthening comprehensive prevention programmes and access to support services, including effective courts, protection orders and administrative decisions, legal representation, safe shelters, financial aid, healthcare, counselling, and others.

▪ Urgently and comprehensively overhauling the legal framework – especially the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Protection of Victims – to define and criminalise all acts of domestic violence and prohibit alternative dispute resolution in response to domestic violence.

▪ Allocating sufficient, dedicated and long-term human, technical, and financial resources from the national budget for the implementation of Cambodia’s gender equity action plans, policies, and commitments.

If you are experiencing violence, you deserve support. You can contact an organisation for information about your legal, safety and other options.

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